I have a friend who dyes her hair when traveling for work so as not to mess up her bathroom at home. LOL

Put an old towel/rag on the floor of the bathroom. I have started just staying in the bathroom while the dye sets so I can go topless while I apply the dye.

If you do get dye on your forehead or other skin, you can use Windex to get it off. That's what my salon hairdresser uses, and I just tried it at home when I dyed my roots. I don't know if it helps on bathroom surfaces, though.

I have dark hair and find that using "medium brown" alone leaves a reddish tint that i hate. My salon stylist told me to use mix medium brown with an ash brown to combat those red tones. Seems to work somewhat, but a few weeks later I do find it looks reddish. I'm using the ammonia-free L'oreal or garnier nutrisse boxes so maybe that is the problem!

Dab vaseline around your hairline to create a barrier for your skin.

concentrate it up toward your roots as opposed to the ends which are drier and will absorb more color.

Be very careful about getting the solution anywhere. The stains don't show up until later. From just combing the color through my hair, I have little specks of color on my bathroom walls that I never noticed until later. Use bleach cleaner asap to remove the stains.

Go a shade or two lighter than you think you want. Dark brown can come out really dark at home.
Search makeupalley.com for hair color brands -- lots of reviews and tips on brands and colors.

Do not get anything with "ash" in the color name. It will sometimes make greys green etc. Try something with a simple name like "medium brown". I have found that the color comes out a touch darker than you would think. Have your DH help if possible, it can get messy. I always section my hair to do it b/c my hair is very thick! Good luck!

I am hair-ignorant. I have always gone to a salon every 4-7 months to have my hair professionally dyed. I can't afford it anymore. Please tell me what I need to know to do this at home, beyond what's printed on the box. Even if you think it's obvious, it's not obvious to me - i can't even blow my hair out straight. In your tips, please include how to decide which shade to dye your hair (my hair is dark brown, I want to dye it dark brown and cover the greys), how to make it shiny like it is after I leave a salon, and how to avoid getting hair dye all over my body when washing it out in the shower. Thank you so much.