Help! I am paranoid about hair dye etc (i.e. ending up with dodgy hair esp. after I got stripes for highlights in odd colours - NOT what I asked for!).

I have been toying with the idea of starting to use home kits to colour my hair. It has only ever been done in a salon and I get half a head of highlights.

I am very grateful for experiences of people when going from salon to home kits and any advice re. how to do this, what to expect, good brands to try.