Your natural hair color first determines where to start," Celebrity hair colorist Sharon Dorram told InStyle. "People with warmer base tones can take on different colors than someone with a cooler starting hue." So before you even start the process of changing your look, it's important to know what color your natural hair really is. Although you may think it's just light brown, for instance, a difference in undertone can give you a drastically different result. "

If you're going to a salon to get your hair professionally done, don't expect your stylist to be a mind reader. Hair color ambassador for L'Oréal Paris, Kari Hill, told Cosmopolitan that it's helpful to book a consultation before your actual appointment so you can make sure you're both truly on the same page.

If you are going the DIY route, it's important to know what condition your hair is in before you start slapping on the color. "Your ends are very absorbent and will end up appearing darker than the rest of your hair if you're using a single-process dye," colorist Eric Muroski of the Marie Robinson Salon told Allure. One way to fix this is to do some type of conditioning treatment prior to coloring, so your hair's moisture level is equal throughout.

Whether you're the most seasoned vet of at-home hair coloring or a newbie, you can still get overly ambitious and end up with some unfortunate outcomes. Cassondra Kaeding, a Sally Hershberger colorist, told Refinery29, that in general, you should "stick to two levels lighter or two levels darker than your natural color." Surprisingly, there's actually a lot of variety in two levels and that way you know you won't have any stark or garish results.

Kyle White, lead colorist at the Oscar Blandi Salon, told Everyday Health that you should wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo the day before, not of, your color appointment. This will get out any product build-up so your hair can absorb color more easily and it also gives your hair's natural oils time to replenish themselves.

There's just something enticing and exciting about the idea of donning a fiery red hue. Yet you should know that, just like flames, their brightness can fizzle out quickly. "The problem with red is that it fades," celebrity hair stylist and colorist, Aura Friedman, told Glamour. "Try not to wash too often, use a glossing treatment, and color every four to six weeks."

Although there are never really any hard and fast rules in the fashion and beauty world, there are some words of wisdom that have successfully withstood the test of time. For instance, did you know your skin's undertone can play a role in your hair color experience? Expert colorist, Laura Estroff, told Marie Claire, that for pink undertones, "you should avoid warm colors, and, "olive skin should choose gold colors." Similarly, if you have a neutral skin tone, go for warm or cool blonde shades."

When doing your own hair, there are few situations worse than getting partially finished applying color only to realize you've run out. "Depending on the length and thickness of your hair, you should always buy a few boxes of dye," Dorram advised InStyle. Better safe than sorry, right?

It's easy to be a little short-sighted when thinking about dyeing your hair, but what you do after it's done is just as important as the coloring process itself. Estelle Baumhauer, color director for the mail-order hair-color service eSalon, told Refinery29, that "a color-safe shampoo is more acidic than regular shampoo," which helps your hair hold the pigments longer.