Friday, March 16, 2012

How to: Color Your Hair with Chalk Pastels

Did you know you can add temporary color to your tresses with chalk pastels? After reading a few online tutorials we were pretty pumped to try it out. There are both dry and wet applications; we chose to try making a paste. The results were better than we expected!
Jeanie, our lovely hair model.
Supplies
   
• Chalk Pastels
    •
Water
    • Small Dishes or Plates
    • Latex Gloves
    • Newspaper or Cloth (to protect work surface)
    • Beautician’s Cape (or similar to protect clothing)



Tools    • Curling Iron
    • Knife or small razor blade
    • Hair Comb (optional)
    • Popsicle Sticks (optional)
Soft Pastel Chalk works the best for this paste method.

Make sure that whoever is receiving the color protects their clothing with a cape or cloth. Also, make sure that your curling iron is plugged in.
1.       Separate the sections of hair to be colored with hair clips or bobby pins.
2.       With your gloves on, select the chalk colors you would like to apply and shave them with a small knife into separate dishes. Have fun with your colors! We blended green and blue to create a pretty turquoise.
3.       Add just enough water to create a smooth paste. Use a Popsicle stick (or your fingers) to mix –if it’s alright if small bits of chalk still remain.
4.       Take a section of hair, remove the clip/pin and add the paste to your hair with your fingers. Work quickly; you don’t want the hair to dry out.

We colored the hair from root to tip.


5.       Once the hair is colored it needs to be set by adding heat from a curling iron. Dried chalk can easily be cleaned from the iron.
Pastel Chalk Colored Hair

Looking for more craft projects? Visit our Project Idea page on our website: http://www.bfranklincrafts.com/CraftIdeas/CI.html

26 comments:

  1. The color will last all day, or until you wash your hair. I would suggest washing your hair before going to bed or you'll color your pillow!

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  2. Thanks! but if your pillow gets colored can it be washable?

    Can you use regular chalk?

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  3. Yes, you should be able to wash the chalk out of your pillows. We used chalk pastels because the colors would be more vibrant on darker hair. You could easily use good 'ol craft chalk, especially if you have lighter hair.

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  4. This is amazing! But i thought itd last more than a day!

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  5. Does it stain furniture or clothes throughout the day?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The color stays in your hair pretty well until you wash it out. It probably could come off on the back of a couch if you took a quick nap. :) I would suggest using artist pastel chalks instead of a crayola brand, the higher quality chalk will give you better color and won't have as much flaking.

      Let us know what you think when you try it out!

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  6. Hey It's Yanira again. How long do u mix it?
    if you can respond to my email:yanira.ortiz@rocketmail.com
    thxs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yanira, you can mix the color until it forms to a smooth paste and all no large grains of chalk remain. If you are blending two (or more) colors, be sure to mix thoroughly.

      Delete
  7. Is is safe to use on ones hair and have their been any tests done to proof that it is safe to use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, chalk is safe for hair and will not damage it. Stage actors have been using chalk to color their hair since the 1400's, and at one time chalked wigs were considered the height of fashion. :) It is a great temporary dye and washes out easily.

      Delete
  8. Hi, would it work on black hair?
    Would it show as much? X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, this will work on dark hair too. It won't look like very much color until you "set" it with some heat - either a curling or flat iron. Have fun!

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  9. Hi I have recently done hair chalk at the ends of my hair. I apply water to my hair then stroke the chalk on, however after being dries it's an absolute PAIN! It makes my hair dry and straw like and also awful to brush. Do you have any suggestions to get the results smooth and like normal soft hair?! Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First, be sure to use Soft Pastels and not Oil Pastels. Second, the chalk will apply better if your hair has NOT been recently washed and already has some product in it. Also, you do not want to brush your hair after you've applied the chalk to it. Let it air dry or use a gentle heat (curling iron) to "set" the color. Be aware that if your hair is already fairly dry, chalking might not be the best thing for it.

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    2. Hi thanks for the help , how do you identify if the chalk is soft not oil? Because I got mine from amazon and it had no description on it!

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    3. The easiest way to tell the difference between Chalk Pastels and Oil Pastels is how they are packaged and their shape. Oil Pastels are typically round and wrapped in paper, like a crayon. Chalk Pastels are not wrapped in paper and have four flat sides.

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  10. Don't the pastels have heavy metals such as cadmiums and cobalts in them? Couldn't this be absorbed through the scalp?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fine art chalk pastels can and do contain certian toxic metals. You would be safe to use children's chalk pastels for coloring your hair.

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  11. Thank you for the tips, gonna get a set of hair chalk
    soon!

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  12. what is the difference between hair chalk soft pastel and the normal hair chalk ? normal hair chalk can damage our hair?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Soft Chalk Pastels are now being marketed as "Hair Chalk" due to the popularuty of chalking hair. They are basically the same thing. One diffence may be that the chalk marketed for hair contains less harmful chemicals. You can still purchase chalk soft pastels with less harmful chemicals - the ones geared towards children are often the best bet. As for damage to your hair... yes, there is potential for that. If you have overly dry or danaged hair this probably isn't the best thing to try. And, if you are doing this every day your hair will suffer.

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  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  14. I want to do this for the first time and I have black hair but I don't want to curl or use a flat iron. Will this change the visibility of the colour?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You'll have to experiment since no two people have the same hair. Try it on a short section, and see how it looks. Hope this works out for you!

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