Thanks for all your hard work Karen! Can't wait to read it in its entirety. Jodi-

I used to cut my own hair. My HS grad picture is a 'selfed' haircut and its really not bad. I would cut my Mom's for her, friends. BUT, that's been a long, long time ago and my cut is the basis for my entire look ;0) I wouldn't consider attempting it myself other than nip 1/4" at the bangs maybe a week before my standing appointment. Really, two people in the last 30 years have gotten the cut right so that its 'fix it and forget it' for all day whether wind, nap, gardening, whatever I'm doing. I've stuck to them like glue. I have an appt April 8 that I don't know if I'll be able to keep. Small shop, two stylists. There is rarely more than 4 total at any one time inside even though spacious square footage. Both stylists seem to begin and complete one appointment at a time and not overlap, no cutting of one while a color is processing on a second. Each customer has their full attention until finished.

ok, to answer the OP's original question-- I've been coloring my own hair since middle school, and have learned a ton about the types of dyes, chemistry involved, undertones, etc. I think that your chosen color - auburn - is relatively easy to DIY for the following reasons: perrmanent dye (as in, ammonia based + a 10 or 20% developer) slightly lifts (aka lightens) the hair as part of the process (or otherwise it won't be permanent). natural hair color tends to go a touch warm when it starts to lighten. if you were trying to go for a "cool" color, such as truly neutral brown or blonde, it's super hard to achieve because those dyes are trying to counteract the warm tones. but you're in luck. auburn has a warm undertone, so the dyes you choose for that are working with it, not against it! if you're somewhat flexible with the exact shade that it turns out, I don't think you will have a difficult time. if you're really picky and aim for a very specific color, keep going to a professional colorist. it's so hard to get exactly the color you want. go to Sally beauty supply and ask a clerk to help you pick out a brand of dye + developer. my fav is Clairol Soy Plex. Liquicolor Permanente. they have an incredibly wide range of undertones: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/35/83/47/358347e3ba673a139fa8d9a44db4417c.png a note on other types of dyes: if you ever used Henna, it's a bad idea to switch to any kind of ammonia based dye, and vice-versa. It will very likely fry your hair. (there are some caveats to this rule. details: https://hairpros.edu/why-does-henna-affect-hair-dye/) there are about a bajillion other types of dyes out there. the ammonia based types found at Sally is tried and true for covering grey. I've tried some of the other types of dyes but I found that they are really hard to get (you need a license to get them, or can get them on amazon but you're really rolling the dice there). for the non-ammonia dyes that are easy to get (like at Sally's), they tend to not be nearly as long lasting as the ammonia based dyes.

I also have frizzy hair. I'd like to try keratin, but I don't think I understand how it works. I'll have to research. When I was in my 20s, I used to comb Toni home perm solution through my hair in the shower. It would come out straight without the frizziness and it also bleached my mousy brown hair so it appeared sunkissed. I only did it once every couple of years because it was so hard on my hair, but man did it look good when I did. Well, you all convinced me and I just cut a couple of inches off the bottom to get back to shoulder length. I'd been growing it out over the summer, I did love being able to pull it back into a loose messy bun, but this is overall a better look for me. I can still get it into a pony tail, so still have some options. On the subject of going short, for me, I try to remember to go slow. I often think I want really short, but sometimes just a couple of inches is enough of a change. If it's not, then I go shorter. I once went from really long to a pixie cut. Big mistake.