Home hair coloring

I do my own coloring. I also do my moms and my bff for the same reason as you. And it makes me want to cry when you don’t like the job somebody did AND you have to then give the a fat stack!! Noooo. So ya, I do my own. It really depends on what you’re starting with and where you wanna go. Do you have any hair pictures?

I have used L'Oreal's  Feria for years. I really like it because the color is not completely uniform but has some variation in shade, just like natural hair usually does. It's easy to use. Takes about half an hour plus washing your hair.

One warning: It does stain fabrics horribly. My MO is to be completely naked in the bathroom and remove the rugs before applying it.

I have been using Madison Reed's products for over a year now and love them.  In particular, I'm glad that they are leaving out the most toxic of the substances typically involved in hair dyes (I think this is particularly an issue if the color is dark), although I've also really liked the smell of the product and how the color comes out and lasts.  The subscription service is handy, I've had good luck with the online color consultation, and best of all, have discovered that I can use just part of a set for root touchups, so each $20 pack typically lasts me three touchup rounds.  I have an ongoing subscription and just pause it until I need another set.  Good luck!

I think it depends on what your natural hair color is and what color you want it to be. The trick with hair color is not to pay attention to the picture on the package, but the level (1 black to 10 Platinum blonde) and to select the tone (warn/neutral/cool) that works with your complexion. If in doubt, go neutral. You can do a Google search to figure out what your natural level is.

Drugstore hair color almost always has a 10% peroxide developer, which means that you can only go one level or so lighter than your natural color. Some products are designed to help you go much lighter. If you want a natural look, or it's your first time trying, stay within +/- 2 levels of your natural color. 

If you have naturally dark hair, a rule of thumb is to use a product two levels higher to go one shade lighter, and one level higher to stay at the same shade. My dark brown hair is level 3, so I use level 5. If I use a level 3 product, my hair ends up almost black. 

Finally, you can try a semipermanent color just to get the hang of it without major risk. Stay away from Henna based colors until you know what you're doing! They're very hard to walk back.