Niche Hair

If you want to enhance your hair with a slightly more exciting splash of colour, but you’re not sure about getting it professionally dyed or doing it yourself, there may be a simple solution you haven’t tried yet.

Hair chalk is a fantastic way to play around with different colours, but without the need to commit to a permanent colour or compromise your existing shade in any way. There are a few great advantages to hair chalk…

– It’s very affordable, including multi-packs which include various colours

– It’s very much in fashion right now, since pastel colours work best

– It washes right out so you can easily rock the look for just one day or night

– It couldn’t be much easier or safer to apply

If you want to try this style for yourself, you’ll just need to choose a hair chalk in a colour you like.

Step 1: Get your hair chalk

Some will be more effective than others, so see what your favourite beauty bloggers or friends recommend. If you check on Amazon and similar sites you’ll be able to see reviews and customer images for any that catch your eye.

Important: real hair chalk is the only safe option. Chalk designed for drawing with is not suitable for use on your hair, because it contains toxins that are easy to inhale.

Step 2: Wash your hair

Give your hair a wash and keep it as natural as possible. Hair chalk won’t respond well if you’ve treated your hair with any products, as it needs to settle on the hair itself. You can dry your hair, but if you want a more intense colour you may want to wet the area that you want to apply the chalk to.

Step 3: Make sure you define a section

Where many people go wrong here is applying the colour to hair at random, creating a strange effect that won’t look deliberate. If you have long enough hair, the best thing to do is usually to colour the inner layers rather than adding streaks of colour to the top. This will create a much more natural and appealing ombre effect.

Step 4: Add the colour

Apply the chalk to your chosen section of hair. You need to make sure you massage it hard enough for the colour to show, but still relatively softly to minimise mess and wasted chalk.

Step 5: Seal the colour

Your hair might seem to have a strange texture at first, and the chalk may easily come off in a fine dust. To solve both of these problems, use hair straighteners or a curling iron to apply heat (you may need to wipe the chalk off your chosen tool later). Hairspray is a good idea to really seal in the effect.

Step 6: Wash out and condition

Since your hair will probably end up quite dry, you will want to apply plenty of conditioner when you decide to wash the chalk out. It’s really designed to last a maximum of 24 hours, plus you probably won’t want to get chalk all over your pillowcase.

If you feel like refreshing your hairstyle (at least once) for the summer, it’s not too late to try out some of these ideas. In this quick guide, we’ll give you plenty of fantastic ideas for cuts, colours and styles you can easily try out if the mood takes you.

Get the perfect length

Different people suit different hair lengths, but the style has to be a perfect match. For ladies who aren’t sure about shortening their hair to a classic bob cut, the “lob” (long bob) is a fantastic alternative that’s ideal for summer 2017.

Curl to your heart’s content

Curly hair is definitely in right now, and you have a range of options for how exactly to do it. Tighter corkscrew curls can be arranged into a neat or messy formation, while larger curls are ideal for a strong “girls’ night out” look.

Make a wet look work for you

The wet look is versatile – you can try it with a tight bun, a loose, tousled style or even on really long hair when it’s slicked back (and secured with plenty of product). It’s pretty easy to maintain even if you’re out and about in the warm weather, but it can also be ideal for a smart look, depending on how you work it.

Choose an on-trend colour

In 2017, bright hair colours are still all the rage, but only certain shades are well and truly in fashion right now. Most of them occupy the grey area somewhere between the vivid colours we saw a few years ago and the pastel shades that dominated 2016. On that note, grey hair is still one of the top choices.

Highlight like a pro

Foil strips are no longer the method of choice for high-end hairstylists. Instead, a trusted professional can actually paint on your highlights manually for a more natural look. This technique is called balayage, and we recommend it as long as your hairdresser has the talent for it.

Accessories are a secret weapon

It’s always a great idea to have a selection of hair accessories to hand, because when things just aren’t going your way with styling in the morning, they give you a lot more options. Many of the most on-trend accessories are actually more like hair jewellery in 2017.

At the moment, a lot of traditional men’s haircuts are pretty much dominating fashion, although there are also a few more interesting cuts you could try out if you want to stand out. Should you go for something straightforward that’s flattering on most guys, or show your personality a bit more with something creative and edgy? Take a look at the top hairstyles of 2016 for men and make your mind up.

1) Short and textured

The default short-back-and-sides cut remains as popular as ever, although this year there have been some subtle changes in the most popular style. In 2015, the contrast between longer hair on top and the short sides was more prominent, compared to the softer line most guys are opting for now. The trend is also for a shorter overall length on the top, plus a bit less sharp and slick with more messy layers cut in. Continue reading “Top Men’s Hairstyles This Year” →

Craving something more creative you can do to add some sparkle and uniqueness to your hair? A really fun DIY trick you can try is hair tapestry, a fun summery trend that’s been around for a while but is still catching on. You can create your own unique designs in just a few simple steps, and if you want to you can make your designs completely removable and interchangeable.

Start by collecting up the necessary items:

• A hair extension weft, if you want it to be removable
• An embroidery hoop or tapestry loom
• Coloured threads of your choice
• A wool needle
• A pair of scissors

Once you have all the required items and a suitable place to get started, you can begin following these steps to weave your own hair tapestry.

1) Section off the area of hair you’re using. This can be on your friend’s hair, but we would recommend using an extension weft, especially if it’s on yourself which would be almost impossible! A bit of hairspray will help hold the section in formation. Continue reading “How to Try Out Hair Tapestry” →

The hipster beard has become even more popular in 2016 than it was last year, perhaps overtaking the infamous man-bun as the definitive male grooming trend of the year. Beards are well and truly in style, it seems, and the weirder the better. Many people have apparently not been satisfied with simply growing out their facial hair, and instead are choosing to incorporate some slightly more creative ideas into their beards. Here are just a few of the trends we’ve noticed recently.

1) Glitter beards

These have taken off on Instagram, partly for comedy value and partly, it seems, because fashion. They may also have been promoted to the mainstream a little faster thanks to pioneers like Danny Beard, a popular contestant on Britain’s Got Talent this year who sported a glitter beard along with monochromatic drag queen makeup and sang opera (as one does).

 

2) Flower beards

Here’s a similarly ridiculous and impractical choice for your beard – fill it with delicate flowers! This hippie trend has also been taking off on Instagram this summer, mostly just to pose for photos. We’re not sure if you can really walk around with a beard full of flower power – we’re yet to try it. Continue reading “Weird Beard Trends in 2016” →