Hair Chalk And Self-Defence Hair Sticks At Empire Stores On Commercial Street

Have you wanted to colour your hair but a trip to the salon is way out of your budget? Dreamy curls for the {un}fortunate ones with straight hair? And if you’re not the daring kinds, but love your locks enough to want to take good care of it, and haven’t really figured out where to get everything, Empire Stores on Commercial Street is your one-stop shop for all your hair needs. The store’s been around for 40 years and massive, yet surprisingly easy to miss. We’ve picked some of our favourites and trust us, you wouldn’t want to go anywhere else after discovering this.

Seriously, this isn’t chalk for the blackboard, it’s for the hair. You take this beauty and use it like a hair straightener, and the colour from the chalk will come on to your hair. You don’t need to bleach your hair for this, and the colour will wash out in one shampoo rinse. They come in funky blue, green and orange, and each chalk will last ten uses, on average.

Brand: Glide On

Price: INR 290 each

In a variety of bronze, blue, red and green, hairsprays are the easiest and quickest way to colour your hair. Just gotta spray it on your hair, and you’re set. So nineties, right? Do follow instructions on the bottle though to be sure of precautions and allergies. This is a temporary colour and will wash out in one shampoo rinse, and will last around twelve to thirteen uses.

Brand: B Blunt

Price: INR 350 each

If you have super straight hair, don’t have the time to sit around with curlers, and you’re not a big fan of using hair sprays to set your hair, this super cool wig is an amazing substitute. No damage done, this wig comes with a clip, so all you have to do is make a bun at the back of your hair and clip the wig onto it. Time to nail that 70s look now!

Price: INR 650 each

So you aren’t ready to go all out and get your hair coloured, but you’re feeling particularly crazy on a certain day, this red hair extension will cater to your whims and fancies. Wear one for that subtle look, or many if you’re feeling experimental. Go ahead, take a walk on the wild side.

Price: INR 150 each

All you gotta do is make a ponytail and use this pin to make a pouf at the back, so it can immediately add some bounce and volume to your Plain Jane look.

Price: INR 40 each

So hair spas can be expensive, yeah, we get it. And your hair is badly in need for one, like desperately. This one by L’Oreal works wonders, leaves your hair feeling soft and even smells great. Mix it with hydrating capsules for best results, and use every three to four months or as and when required. This will last you for an average of two years, so this is a pretty cool investment.

Brand: L’Oreal

Price: INR 750 for the hair spa cream and INR 600 for the hydrating concentrate

Now don’t be afraid. If you really want to colour your hair, there is no better bleach than this. I’m not going to lie and say your hair won’t be damaged, of course it will, because it has chemicals. This hair bleach lightens the colour of the hair faster than any others I’ve tried, so that would mean you don’t need to bleach your hair too many times, depending on what colour you want.

Brand: Streax Professional Ultralights

Price: INR 550

You will need hair developer to mix with your blonder {hair bleach mentioned above}, so that the bleach actually does its work. Developers come in different volumes {10, 20, 30 and 40}, so the higher the volume, the faster your hair gets lighter. A volume 20 should work fine with least damage. Once your hair is bleached, you can use whatever colours you like — from purple to red to blue! I recommend though using vegan hair colours that do minimum damage to the hair. Those using vegan hair colour, you’ll need this before colouring your hair.

Brand: Streax Pro

Price: INR 100

There are the regular light browns and dark browns of the world, but in fact, blue is a great colour for Indian skin tones. You can either streak your hair intermittently, or go all out and colour it entirely. This hair colour comes with a peroxide mix so you don’t need to bleach your hair beforehand, and it lasts up to 30 washes on average.

Brand: Berina

Price: INR 190

This is such a cool product, because you don’t have to put your hair through that burning iron. Just apply this cream and straighten your hair out with a comb. It will last until you wash it out.

Brand: Berina

Price: INR 390

Serious swag here, guys! A metal hair stick that doubles up as a self-defence weapon, now who wouldn’t want that? And they come in such nice golds and silvers. Gotta get these, ladies!

Price: INR 60 each

This oil is expensive for all the right reasons. People from all over the world use it to moisturise their hair and skin and it really does work wonders. It’s packed with Vitamin E and people with oily skin, this won’t even make the face greasy. No more pimples, even! For the hair, it’s going to make it healthy, shiny, and manageable. You gotta use it to believe it.

Brand: Arganik

Price: INR 2,500

This hair serum, I totally swear by. It makes the hair so manageable and so soft and leaves it smelling great. Plus that shine, ah!

Brand: L’Oreal Liss Ultimate

Price: INR 650