Pro hair color tricks for dyeing your hair at home

Roughly 43 million women in the U.S. have dyed their hair in the past six months, according to research from Nexxus. But with the huge array of hair color products, shade options and techniques available, it's hard to know how to get it right when it comes to dyeing your hair at home. Whether you're thinking balayage, dark brown, auburn, blond, highlights or beyond, we have Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab and pro secrets for getting (and keeping) the head-turning hair color of your dreams.

Is it safe to color your hair at home? Yes, it is generally safe to color your hair at home as long as you follow the directions on the product's packaging. A few exceptions: You should skip a DIY dye job if you've recently relaxed or permed your hair, since both processes can cause damage.

What you’ll need: The GH Beauty Lab's best-tested boxed hair color: Revlon ColorSilk Beautiful Color; color brush and bowl; makeup removing wipes; disposable shower cap; handheld mirror; latex-free disposable gloves; and clear solid lip balm

Now, let's get started with top hair color expert and GH Beauty Lab tricks for how to dye your hair at home like a pro!

1. Select your best shade: To find your best shade at the store, eye those close to your current one. Boxed dyes are usually displayed in color order on a shelf. Hold a section of your hair up to a box to find a close match, then choose from the next two shades on either side.

2. Buy two boxes of hair dye: You don't want to run out of dye halfway through the process. If your hair is shoulder length or longer, you may need two boxes to cover your whole head, depending on hair thickness. If you end up with a leftover box, you can always save it for next time or return it.

3. Don’t mix shades for a “custom color”: Unless you're a professional, combining multiple different shades of hair color is not recommended (ever!). None of the major companies we spoke to would guarantee that the resulting color would be a predictable combination. In fact, even when you stick with a single color, the result usually varies slightly from what's pictured on the box. Your best bet is to simply pick one shade and follow the instructions to the letter, strand test included.

4. Don’t skip the strand test: Though bypassing it is tempting, the strand test is key, especially when trying a new shade. Color a few trimmed or hidden hairs first, then look at the result before you commit. A common horror story from testers who didn't do this: hair that turned orange or purple!

5. Protect your skin from dye: There's nothing worse than ending up with telltale stripes of color on your forehead. Rather than using a goopy salve to protect skin from dye, guard your skin against stains by gliding a clear solid lip balm along your hairline, including around your ears, before applying color.

6. Start dyeing on dry hair: Hair color experts (and hair color packaging directions) recommend dyeing your hair when it is dry. When hair is saturated with water, the dye may not take to the hair strands, or it may become diluted, producing an undesirable result.

7. Stop squeezing from the bottle: Squirting the dye out and spreading it all over your hair may be easy (and fun!), but this method can be messy and imprecise. Get a bowl and a brush, like salon colorists use, to mix and paint on dye with less mess and the most even, professional results.

8. Start dyeing at the roots: You should begin applying hair dye at the roots. Because they are where regrowth occurs first and the least damaged part of hair, they need the most color and processing time. Let the hair color develop for the amount of time indicated on packaging directions. Then comb it through the rest of your hair to distribute it evenly and avoid a two-tone effect. Work in four to six sections like salon pros do (use hair clips as you go if you wish) to ensure full coverage.

9. Highlight hair with a toothbrush: Here's a smart trick from GH testers who color their hair at home: When applying highlights or lowlights, use a clean toothbrush or mascara wand to paint on the dye precisely and subtly. Genius! Place them sparingly where the sun would hit — around the hairline and stemming from your part.

10. Use a color boosting gloss weekly: The GH Beauty Lab has found that using a color-depositing shampoo, conditioner or hair-gloss treatment once a week between dye jobs can revitalize hair color. Try Beauty Lab test winner John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss, which comes in seven shades and deposits a low level of pigment, from blond to red, brown and black. It topped the Lab's test for enhancing and extending the life of testers' color and leaving a healthylooking shine.