Hair-color horror stories: everybody has heard them. Whether it was your own maimed mane or a loved one whose highlights went awry, the situation’s happened to the best of us.

Today though, it’s time to let the past go, break out the gloves and give the dye another try. After all, freshening up hair color is one of the easiest ways to restore confidence, boost a blah mood and help express that shining personality of yours. Plus, with a little know-how, it can help stretch visits to the salon, too.

“Approach it with caution,” recommends Arturo, a Manhattan-based celeb hairstylist and the owner of Arturo New York Salon. “Hair colorists get many years of training to perfect the art—do your research and read what people are saying about the color lines you are interested in.”

Tempted to DIY? First, some Locks Lingo you need to know:

Semi-Permanent Hair Color: Great for commitment-phobes and amateurs! Usually washes out within four to six weeks. Great solution for masking grays, deepening natural color, and adding shine to dull hair. Plus, since it’s temporary, dyers won’t be left with noticeable roots in a couple of months.  

Permanent Hair Color: Exactly what it sounds like. Permanent. As in, not going anywhere. The hue will fade in time, but leaves the hair’s natural color pigments irreversibly chemically altered. Permanent hair color has the most flexibility, meaning that it can lighten or darken, as well as change tone or color. Best left to the professionals.

To DIY hair color or not to DIY hair color

Depending on the level of change you’re after, at-home hair color might be the perfect solution. If you’re wanting to warm up color or hide the occasional whisper of silver, home hair color is a good option. That is, unless you have damaged or chemically-treated hair, in which case the salon is probably your safest bet.

Lusting after Jennifer Aniston’s sun-kissed highlights? If your natural hair color is light brown, adding a few honey highlights from a kit is do-able. But, if you’re interested in going more than two or three shades lighter than what mother nature gave you—play it safe with a professional.

Finding the right hair color

Knowing whether you have a warm or cool skin tone will help in finding a color that is flattering for you. Don’t know which you are? Look at the veins on your wrists. People with cool skin tones tend to have blue veins and warm skin tones tend to have green veins.

Next, choose a hair color that compliments your skin tone. Platinum blondes, ash blonds, ash browns, and blacks generally look good on cool skin tones. Golden browns, golden blondes, and warm reds favor warm skinned gals.

“Go a shade lighter than you’re aiming for,” suggests Arturo, whose client roster includes celebs like Shakira, Julia Roberts, and Heidi Kum. “Box color generally has a reputation for being a shade darker than your target color.”  

The first-name-only stylist recommends selecting a shade that’s no more than two shades lighter than your natural color and paying close attention to the base color on the box. “Greens and blues are drabbers and will add ash to your color,” he explains. “If your hair is already ashy, it may make your hair look too solid, in turn making the color look fake.”  

Arturo’s Quick Hit Hair Tips:

• Sectioning is key to a good application. Watch tutorials on YouTube to learn how to section hair properly.
• Use a plastic cap to make certain that the color stays moist for the entire processing time. Dried-out color loses umph.
• When reapplying color after having already done it once, avoid damaging the hair by not running the color through the ends.
• Over-the-counter shampoos tend to strip color. Invest in a color-saving shampoo like Kerastase or Goldwell, to keep from having to color hair as often.
• Get rid of stains with Clean Touch hair dye remover. If it doesn’t work, a less conventional solution is to mix cigarette ash (gross!) with Clean Touch and rub off the stain. According to Arturo, “It’s like using a Magic Eraser!”

Finally, if you do find that your at-home color didn’t turn out as planned, don’t panic and don’t try to fix it yourself, either! Harsh over-the-counter products can amplify damage to already stressed strands. Instead, call your salon, as a color expert will be better able to determine the best approach to restoring your color and ensuring that your hair care journey is a happy one.

Natalie Bogan is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor. Her work has been published in a variety of lifestyle magazines, newspapers and online publications including KC Brides magazine, Houston Brides magazine, Houston Modern Luxury and Southwest Airlines' Spirit magazine.