I'm a proud, third-generation, home hair colorist. My grandmother stuck to a particular shade of blonde nearly her whole life. My mom did her hair herself when I was very young, and then switched to having it done professionally when she and my dad got more established and she could afford to not do it herself. When I was in high school and wanted to color my hair, she did mine for me, passing along a lot of knowledge along the way, which I then took off to college and shared with others in the dorm bathroom.

My most eccentric round of hair coloring was the two years I spent dyeing my whole head hot pink. That was great, but hard on my towels and bathtub. My most elaborate hair coloring was done on a freshman-year roommate who asked me to turn her head "calico like a cat." It took three separate colors and worked out great.  Here is a whole lot of advice and information about how to do your own hair coloring.

Please note: I am not a professional hair stylist, have no formal training and am not responsible if you read something here and then ruin your own hair... got it?

Make sure you have time - The most mistakes and hair disasters happen when people rush. It just starts a snowball of hair hell, so if you really can't take as much time as you might need, don't color your hair that day.

Read ALL the instructions and MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THEM - Most people mess up their hair by trying to do something they think they understand but don't really. If you have a question and the answer your brain comes up with is "I don't know..." it means you need to stop what you are doing and get better advice or help.

Do the patch test - There's a reason that home hair dye kits tell you to do a patch test. It's in case you are sensitive to the chemicals in the product. It's really worth having a small spot of rash on your arm if it means you don't lose all the hair on your head.  The most common sign that you are having a problem is a burning sensation.  Dyeing hair should NOT be uncomfortable.  If it stings or burns, rinse the dye off immediately!

If you mess up, stop and get professional help - If you accidentally dye your hair some hideous color, just stop and go get it fixed professionally. A lot of people compound one mistake with another and then wonder why their hair turns to straw or breaks off or falls out.

Get the proper tools - Beauty supply stores can provide all that you need: plastic bowl, dye brush, cream to protect your hairline and gloves.

Grey hair - Hair that has gone grey will act differently from non-grey hair, so be sure to use products made especially for it if that's what you are trying to color over.

Don't dye your hair black and then try to dye it blonde - Seriously, the worst stories I hear are from people who dyed their hair really dark and then decided a few weeks later that they didn't like it and tried to then dye their hair something really light.  This is a really good way to either turn your hair green or damage it so badly it breaks right off. 

Temporary - often done by using a vegetable dye, this type of hair coloring is non-permanent.  It makes a color deposit on the hair fibers that will wear off after a few weeks.

Permanent - This type of hair dye most often involves using bleach to strip off or lighten the natural hair color and then a new color is deposited on the hair.  Most often, this type of hair dye has to be grown out and then cut off.  Care must be taken if the hair is dyed repeatedly, as this can burn or damage the hair fibers.

Highlighting - this refers to partial coloring of the hair, applying a color which is lighter than the natural color.

Lowlighting - this refers to partial coloring, where a darker color is applied to add depth to the appearance of the hair.

Henna - derived from a Middle Eastern plant, this is a permanent form of hair color that does not involve bleaching, and results in a reddish change in color.