help - have never dyed my hair

[bouncinbean]

So it's time to admit that I am getting more than the odd strand of white hair and worse they seem to be coarser and stick out rather obviously from my regular hair.
Have never dyed it as its probably been the one feature of my body I've always been happy with so literally no experience and don't really have any female friends I can turn to on this topic.
So what to expect if I start dyeing it - I think there are 2 options - cheaper one is home kits but too scared of making a big mess and it not looking natural but an obvious botch job at home or go to hairdresser and resign myself to giving up something so I can pay for it to be done regularly enough to not look bad - how often do you have to go to ensure roots don't show - am I right in thinking every 6-8 weeks?
How do you find a good hairdresser/colourist? Currently in new area and still haven't found a hairdresser that is as good as one I left behind but haircuts are more forgiving than a colour and I am currently wearing my hair up a lot.
Any tips/advice from folks that are used to colouring their hair?
(in principle I'm actually ok with the idea of grey or white hair - just not liking this current stage of being neither which I can see lasting for a few years till I am fully grey...)

I've never had a salon colour done (I don't enjoy having my head touched TBH and I tend to do dye on the spur of the moment, so to plan it... no no no )

I use Superdrug - it's ok , lots of shades. I use a permenant, can't be doing with hair dye washing over me in the shower if it was a wash out one.

Don't over-expose the colour, it makes it go 'thick' and 'sooty' like when you see ladies of a certain age who dye their hair the colour it used to be, it's too matte.

It sometimes turns out darker than you'd think, so do a strand test and a patch test.

The pack gives you one pair of gloves but you might need more. I cut long strips of clingfilm to wrap my head before I put on an old hair turban.
Rinse loads.
Then leave it a couple of days until you wash it again, prevents fading.

Red fades the quickest.

Good Luck

(Just dyed my hair with a Superdrug dye, really nice -actually looks alot like my real hair colour should be before I started the colouring )

Smear vasoline all around your hairline and ears, thus if any drips down on to your skin it can be easily washed off

And I've been told that hairspray removes any unwanted drips/stains

Thanks - shame about red not lasting as long. I guess my natural colour is a type of gingery brown so was thinking of enhancing the red and hoping that would go with my pale complexion...