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Alexa, play "She's a Rainbow."

If you've been coveting a ~new hair color~ like the rainbow hair trend you've seen on your favorite influencers lately, you're absolutely not alone. But, if you're new to the whole hair color situation (or if, like me, you used at-home kits to dye your hair a bunch in college but haven't done it since), fear not because hair chalk is the answer. This temporary coloring solution can come in pen, spray, pomade, or even cream form and lets you have glorious color—for a few days.

"Hair chalk is really fun for if you want to try out a fashion color—like blue or pink—but aren’t ready to make the leap and actually dye your hair," says Bridget Kinney, senior hairstylist and colorist at the Patrice Vinci salon in Boston, MA, and the person I trust to do my hair 24/7/365. "It works best on light hair colors as then you'll actually be able to see the true color. On darker hair colors, the color may not show up as vibrantly as it’s supposed to be—or at all."

Don't worry, tho, because we've hand-picked products that work with the different hair types. Note: A lot of hair chalks are marketed to kiddos, but they'll work just as well on your hair. Trust.

So get out there with the My Little Pony hair of your dreams with these 10 picks below. Alexa, play "She's a Rainbow."

Hair chalk that you apply with a pen or wand doesn't always give you the most intense color. But not this one! It's got a bunch of deep, longer-lasting colors that'll even show up on brown hair.

THE REVIEWS: "I have yet to see anything that compares to this stuff. The pigment is bold and bright and stays in place even after brushing following application. Best of all it rinses right out."

These sample sizes will let you test out ~a whole bunch~ of temporary hues before committing to a vibrant, trendy color you love in a larger size. These won't color your whole head, but they'll give you several strands-worth of chalk. You can also mix to create a custom color!!

THE REVIEWS: "I love these small sample sizes! It allows me to mix up my faux-hawk whenever I want!"

These "fantasy hair colors for a day" will let you color your whole head, highlights, or even an ~ombre~ effect. (Note that this is technically a hair color "spray," but it functions similarly.)

THE REVIEWS: "Fun! If you have really light hair plan for it to stick around for a couple washes."

The application couldn't get easier, TBH: The chalk comes built into a brush that you can just use directly on strands. You have to go over them a few times to get really good color, so just bear that in mind.

THE REVIEWS: "The color is very vibrant (I have reddish hair, my daughter's blonde), my daughter and I love these and have so much fun! Have gotten a few uses out of them so far and still have a ton left!"

You're basically your own hair painter with this kit: It comes with a palette so you can dump out as much as you need and mix and match colors for a fully custom effect.

THE REVIEWS: "Comes as a powder, easy to mix and adjust thickness. I was very impressed with how bright it is, and it sparkled in the sun. It washed right out in the shower with just baby shampoo. Did not stain skin or the bathtub!"

This has a bit of a ~paint~ texture to it, but the application is the same: Grab a bit between (gloved) fingers, then pull it through your hair. The sealant gel helps reduce transfer and gives you color for longer. Note: The instructions for applying it on curly vs. straight hair are slightly different, but there are SO many gorge colors you can pick from this collection.

This kit has five bright and five metallic colors (so you can figure out which looks better on your hair), and they're safe to use on your skin if you wanna draw yourself a lil temporary tattoo, too.

These pens are ~really intense~ (and scented!) if you've got hair that doesn't always pick up color easily. Also, they come with Y2K-style clips you can use to section your hair while using the chalk or in your hairstyle afterward.

THE REVIEWS: "These are great! We use them to color hair and faces. No mess, it doesn’t rub out of the hair even when sleeping, but it rinses right off with water!"

The "compact" version of hair chalk is a tiny bit trickier to use, says Kinney: "You take a small section of your hair and close the compact around it and slide it down your hair." But once you get used to it, you don't have to worry about painting the front and back of your strands.

THE REVIEWS: "It's a really great product for when you want to add a little color to your hair without making a permanent decision. I use to put it all on the ends of my hair and it was amazing!!"

With this creamier texture comes the intensity that you need to get semi-permanent color to stay on darker hair. Just know that it might need a few passes before it gives you that full vibrancy, and you'll want to use type-4 products to protect your hair before and after.

THE REVIEWS: "Love the the ease of use and the color is so vibrant. Love, love it. It leaves my hair soft and moisturized, didn’t need to add anything. I am now on day four and I sleep with a silk bonnet on and the color still looks fresh and bright."

Hair chalks can vary by product, and always (*always*) consult the direction on the packaging first, but the basic gist is this:

Sometimes you add the chalk to your conditioner, then apply it to your hair. Or, sometimes, the chalk is already premade, and you can apply it directly. If you wet and/or put oil in your hair, the color will show up deeper, so if you want something softer, keep your hair dry. Set up all your materials before using the chalk, especially if you're going for more than one color.

Put a towel or cover-up on your shoulders so the color doesn't transfer onto your clothes. Use the applicator to dab the chalk on your strands (and, if there's no applicator, make sure you use plastic gloves, so your hands don't stain). It helps to twist the strands as you go because that will cover more surface area. If you don't do this, remember not only to paint the top of your hair; Paint the other side, too, for a fuller look.

Don't opt for super-high heat for obvious reasons—you might damage your hair—and a low setting should do the trick anyways (The heat "locks" the color in place by opening the cuticle). You can also lock the color in with a little spritz of hairspray.

Remember: Think about your upcoming schedule for the next couple of days. Once, Kinney had an important event and wanted to look super-polished...then she forgot and put fuchsia chalk in her hair a couple of days beforehand. "I worked the whole day with pink hair, but I kinda loved it," she remembers. Note: There is such a thing as coverup powder that you can use to dab on your roots gently. It functions similarly to hair chalk in that it's temporary, but you're usually looking to match the color of your existing hair to be less noticeable, not more.

Hair chalk usually only lasts until the next time you wash your hair, says Kinney. Depending on the formula (and whether you can "seal" the color in), it might last a liiiittle longer than that, but even if it does, the fading will mean you'll probably have to reapply. Also, if you don't wear a bonnet or cap at night, you'll have to wash your hair to avoid color transferring onto your pillow at night.

The benefit of this is you can experiment with a ton of colors. The downside is that if you love it and want something more permanent, you have to upgrade your product to something stronger. So chalk is your best option if you're trying to test out color.

Any chalk will dry out the hair by absorbing oils and other moisture from it, but as long as you care for your hair properly afterward, there should be no permanent damage. Look into hair masks and moisturizing sprays if your hair's looking lifeless after a bout with some chalk. If you color your hair often, consider working with a stylist who can help you do something more long-term in a way that's not going to damage your hair as much.

Katherine J Igoe is a contributing editor at Cosmopolitan, and has eleven years of experience as a freelancer—with nearly five of those years writing about beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, including sand hair detanglers. Her hair chalk picks were based on product reviews, ratings, and personal testing, along with information from experts.