Desire Deluxe Hair Chalk Gift for Girls Review: fun colours, but not much product in each pen

I tried this Desire Deluxe hair chalk set with my kid over a couple of weekends, mainly for playdates and a birthday party. It’s a pack of 10 pens with different colours, some glitter, some metallic. I went in with pretty basic expectations: something easy to apply, that washes out without drama, and that doesn’t stain clothes or the bathroom. Overall, it does the job, but there are a few things you need to know before buying.

The first thing I noticed is that these are really made for light or at least medium hair. On my daughter’s light brown hair, the colours show up fine, especially the brighter ones like blue, green and red. On my darker roots, it was more of a slight tint than a strong colour. If you’re hoping for strong colour on very dark hair, you’ll probably be a bit underwhelmed, even though you can still see something in good light.

Application is straightforward but a bit messy the first time. The chalk feels a little sticky, like the product description says, and if you’re not careful you can get it on clothes or hands. It does wash off skin easily with soap and water, but I quickly learned to put an old towel over shoulders and wear an old t‑shirt. Blow-drying after application actually makes a difference: it helps set the colour and the hair doesn’t feel as tacky afterwards.

In short, it’s a fun toy/product for kids, it works, and it’s safe enough for occasional use. But it’s not perfect: the amount of chalk in each pen is small, and the design makes you think there’s more product than there really is. For occasional parties and school events it’s fine; if you want something for regular use, you’ll burn through this kit pretty quickly.

On value, I’d say this set sits in the “pretty solid but not amazing deal” category. You get 10 different colours, it’s easy to use, non-toxic, and it washes out well. For parents, that mix is worth something: it keeps kids happy, doesn’t wreck the house, and doesn’t lead to arguments about ruined hair. For that alone, I don’t regret buying it. But if I look only at the amount of actual product versus the price, it feels a bit on the light side.

Compared to basic hair chalk blocks you can find online or in craft stores, you’re clearly paying extra for the pen format and the gift-style packaging. Loose chalks often give you more product per colour but are messier and harder for kids to handle on their own. Here you’re trading quantity for convenience. If you only use hair chalk a few times a year, that trade-off is acceptable. If your kid is obsessed with colouring their hair every weekend, you might want something more economical.

The fact that it’s the number 1 hair chalk on Amazon and has a 4.3/5 rating doesn’t surprise me: it’s the kind of product that most people will find “good enough”. It does what it promises, kids are happy, and it doesn’t cause major problems. But a lot of people, like me, will notice that the pens are mostly plastic and air, with a small usable tip. That’s the main thing holding the value back from being really good.

So for me, the value is decent if you see it as a gift or a special-occasion kit. As a regular-use product, it’s a bit pricey for the amount of chalk you actually get. If you catch it on sale, it’s easier to justify. At full price, I’d still buy it for a birthday or Christmas present, but I’d go in knowing it’s more of a fun toy than a long-term hair colouring solution.

The design is clearly made with kids in mind: chunky plastic tubes that are easy to hold and don’t break immediately if they fall on the floor. My 5‑year‑old could use them herself without much help after I showed her once. You basically slide the cap off and rub the coloured tip directly on the hair strands. No brushes, no palettes, no mixing. For a quick colour job before a party, it’s simple and that’s a plus.

But let’s talk about the main downside: the amount of product inside each pen. The way the tube looks, you naturally assume it works like a lipstick where you twist to get more chalk. That’s not the case. It’s just a fixed little chunk of chalk at the top. Once you’ve worn that tip down, that’s it. So visually the design is a bit misleading and feels wasteful – lots of plastic for not much actual chalk. One of the Amazon reviews mentions this and I agree completely.

In use, the pen format is still more practical than traditional loose hair chalk. You don’t end up covering your fingers in powder as much, and you can be more precise on small strands. I found it easier to do streaks on the front sections and tips, especially on a wriggly child. The stickiness they mention in the description is real: the chalk glides, but it has a slightly waxy feel that clings to the hair, which is probably why it holds decently on lighter hair.

From a purely functional point of view, the design is okay: easy grip, clear colour caps, and the product doesn’t crumble everywhere. But they could be more honest with the quantity and maybe add a real twist mechanism to use more of the chalk. As it is, the design is kid-friendly and practical for application, but not very efficient in terms of product usage and plastic waste.

The brand pushes the fact that the hair chalk is non-toxic, non-allergenic and water soluble. I obviously can’t lab-test that, but in real life: my kid has fairly sensitive skin and we didn’t see any redness, itching, or irritation on her scalp, forehead, or hands after using it several times. We also used a couple of colours as quick face paint lines (like whiskers and stars) and again, no reaction and it rinsed off with normal soap and water. So on that front, it’s reassuring.

The texture itself is a mix between chalk and a wax crayon. When you swipe it on the hair, it doesn’t create a massive dust cloud like some cheap chalks do. There is a bit of residue on fingers if you hold the strand, but nothing crazy. The sticky feeling they mention is noticeable when you first apply, but once you blow-dry the hair, it feels more like a light hairspray or styling product. The hair does not feel super soft and natural, but it also doesn’t feel totally crunchy or fried.

One thing I watched for was whether it left any weird film after washing. We washed it out with a regular kids’ shampoo, one wash, and the colour was gone. The hair didn’t feel coated or heavy afterwards. No leftover tint on the pillow that night either. I also checked the bathtub and towels: if you rinse right after using it, the colour goes down the drain and doesn’t leave stains. I still wouldn’t use white towels right after, but nothing got permanently marked in our case.

So in practice, the material quality is decent for a kids’ product: safe enough for occasional use, easy to wash out, and not too dusty. It’s not the nicest feeling on hair compared to a normal styling product, but for temporary colour that’s meant to be washed out the same day, it’s acceptable. Just don’t expect salon-quality texture.

When we talk about durability here, there are two angles: how long the colour lasts on the hair (which I covered a bit already) and how long the pens themselves last before you run out. On the hair, this is clearly a one-day product. You apply it, it survives a day of activity, and you wash it out. I wouldn’t expect more from something that’s marketed as temporary and washable. If you want something that lasts several days, this is not it, and honestly that’s probably better for kids anyway.

The real question is how many uses you get out of the pens. That’s where it’s a bit disappointing. Because the chalk tip is short and doesn’t twist up, you can go through a colour pretty quickly if you’re doing full streaks on long hair. After two fairly heavy uses (front strands, some tips, and random streaks) I could already see some pens wearing down noticeably. If you’re only doing small highlights or using it on short hair, it will last longer, but if you’ve got two or three kids using this set often, don’t expect it to last months.

The plastic casing itself is sturdy enough. None of ours cracked or broke, even after being dropped a few times. The caps stay on well, so the chalk doesn’t dry out or crumble in the box. So from a physical durability standpoint, it’s fine. It’s just the ratio of plastic to actual usable product that feels off. One Amazon reviewer mentioned ending up with “a lot of plastic waste”, and I get that complaint.

To sum it up, the pens are durable physically, but the content isn’t generous. For occasional use – birthday parties, Halloween, school events – it’s okay. If you’re picturing weekly hair chalk sessions all year, you’ll probably need to rebuy fairly soon or look for a product that offers more chalk in each stick.

In the box you get 10 pens: a mix of colourful, metallic and glitter shades. The set I got had glitter dark pink, silver, glitter blue, light pink, glitter purple, green, orange, yellow, red and light purple. So on paper it’s a nice range. For kids, just seeing that rainbow line-up already gets them excited. The product is clearly aimed at girls in the marketing, but in practice it’s unisex – my nephew happily used the blue and green and didn’t care about the packaging at all.

The pens themselves look like big crayons or twist-up lipsticks. That’s where the slight disappointment comes in: at first glance you think the whole tube is filled with chalk that you can twist up, but in reality there’s just a short chalk stick at the top. There’s no twist mechanism to reveal more product; what you see is basically what you get, and it gets used up faster than you expect, especially if you’re doing full streaks on longer hair.

On the positive side, the colours are quite clear on lighter hair. The glitter ones are the kids’ favourites, obviously. On my daughter’s shoulder-length light brown hair, a few passes give a visible streak. If I really want it bright, I go over the same section 3–4 times. On darker hair, we had to go over it more and the result was more muted. It’s still visible in good lighting, but don’t expect the same effect as on blonde hair shown on the product page.

Overall, in terms of what’s promised versus what you get, I’d say it’s mostly honest, except for the visual impression that the pens hold more product than they actually do. It’s presented as a full “salon” kit, but in reality it’s more of a party toy that will last a handful of uses if you’ve got several kids using it enthusiastically.

In terms of effectiveness, I’d split it into three points: how visible it is, how long it lasts, and how easy it is to remove. On visibility, like the product page says, it clearly works better on light hair. On my daughter’s light brown hair, colours like blue, green, and red show up nicely after a few passes. The glitter shades add a nice shine under indoor lights. On my darker hair, the colours are there but more muted; you see them more in bright light or outside. If you have very dark brown or black hair, you’ll get more of a tint than a strong colour.

For hold, I’d say it’s decent for a day. We applied it in the morning, blow-dried it to set, and it survived a kids’ party: running around, sweating a bit, and general chaos. By the end of the day, the colour had faded slightly but was still visible. It doesn’t fully transfer everywhere once it’s set, but if you rub the hair on a white t-shirt you might get a faint trace. Nothing like permanent dye, obviously, but you do need to be a bit careful with light clothes right after application.

Washing out is straightforward. One normal shampoo was enough to remove all visible traces for us. No need for clarifying shampoo or multiple washes. That’s one of the main things I liked: you get the fun without committing to a long-lasting colour. For kids who change their mind every two minutes, that’s perfect. One Amazon review mentioned it washing out after the first wash even when not sealed with straighteners, and that matches what I saw.

So overall, as a temporary colouring tool, it does the job. It’s not super intense on darker hair and it’s not going to survive several days, but that’s not really the point. For one-off events, school dress-up days, or just playing at home, it’s effective enough and doesn’t cause hassle when it’s time to go back to normal hair.