I have been coloring my hair for years. Seems to me every time I have it professionally done it turns out worse the when I do it myself, so I really rather not go to a salon first. My problem is that my ends are always so much darker then the rest of my hair. Most of my hair is a really gorgeous medium reddish brown, but about 4 inches or so of my ends are a dark brown to black with some red when in sunlight. Is there a way or a technique I can use when coloring my hair so that my hair is more even all over? Should I color the ends first and then the roots or vice versa? Any advice will be appreciated. What about Prell to lighten it a bit? Like I said I really don't want the salon to be my first stop as it has never been a good experience when it comes to color. Also, I don't mind the darker color as long as its pretty even all over. I've used Color Oops before and it worked pretty well, but I'm not sure I want to do that again. Thanks for everyone's response in advance.

I suggest getting the ends trimmed regularly so you're not cutting it all off in one go which I'm sure you don't want to do. I think once you've done that you'll be getting a nice even colour. If you're only been to one salon and they've always mucked up your hair I suggest you try a different salon. Also, don't just keep putting colour over it because the ends will stay dark. If you apply prell it could end up lighter than the rest of your hair. Good luck.

Color on top of more color goes darker every time. If you are touching up haircolor, don't pull it through the ends every time. Every time you color, the color should only go on the previously uncolored part of your hair. If the ends have faded, comb the color through for the last 3-4 minutes or just lather up with water to tone ends just before you shampoo the color out. I also agree with Ramona. Make sure you are getting regular haircuts as well. Older hair that is not trimmed regularly can become dry, damaged, and very porous which can lead to soaking up the hair color like a sponge. I'm sorry your experiences to a salon haven't been the greatest so far, but you really shouldn't give up on finding a professional hair stylist you can trust.