If you want to make washing it out easier, spray your hair with regular hairspray first—the color will stick to the hairspray instead of your actual hair.

Choose strands from underneath your hair for subtle pops of color.

If you’re coloring all of your hair, it may be easier to go outside to avoid spraying any walls, rugs, or furniture. Make sure to use the spray in a well-ventilated room.

Spray nozzles can be different depending on the manufacturer, so be sure to read the instructions on the can!

Coloring sprays dehydrate your hair, so leave the conditioner on for 3 to 5 minutes in the shower and use a leave-in conditioner for extra moisture.

No gloves needed, as the chalk will easily wash off your hands.

You can even try braiding your hair before applying the chalk for an interesting geometric pattern.

The chalk will flake off into dust as you’re rubbing it in, so be prepared for a mess!

Make sure the chalked strands are completely dry—using heat tools on wet hair can instantly fry it! If you don’t have a straightener or curler, you can also use a hair dryer on the lowest power and highest heat setting.

Put a towel down onto your pillow to keep the dye from rubbing off onto your bedding.

Keep in mind that whatever you wear will be stained by the dye upon contact.

Note that food coloring works best on light or blonde hair. If you have dark hair, you may need to bleach the tips before applying the food coloring.

After dipping your hair, run through the dyed portions with your gloved fingers at the top of the dye so you won’t have a stark line. You can even dip your fingers into the dye to add some variation above the dip-dyed line.

If you’ve divided hair into 6 chunks, blow dry each part for 30 seconds at a time.

Keep in mind that the more you rinse, the less intense the color will be. It may be easier to rinse your hair in a large sink (particularly a kitchen sink with a detachable hose fixture).

It’s better to use a hair dryer to help set the color, but either way, it will still show up!

The color will fade with each wash, so shampoo and condition your hair more often to get back to your original color faster.