Any hairdressers who can explain hair colour to this idiot please?

[Elaine450]

So I am going more and more grey at an alarming rate. I had hoped to do this in a graceful way, had thought I would get a cool stripe where it started. Instead it is now coming in in patches. It looks silly and it ages me about 10 years I think.
I've been using box colours for about 25 years. Only wash out colours. These would need to be done very often now to keep up with the grey and we have a new bathroom I don't trust myself to not wreck. 😁
I can afford to go and get it done at a salon but how does getting a dye work? I assume I need to make an appointment for an allergy test first, do I need to know what colour I want for that or not yet?
Then how often will I need to upkeep it? Does every 8 weeks to get roots done sound about right, or will the grey be grown out too much by then?

Also if I want to change the colour what do I do? Can you just put another colour over the top? i was hoping for mahogony with copper highlights on my dark brown hair. Would they be able to go over that with a black or dark brown if I was bored with it? I won't want that to be my colour forever. I've heard about stripping colour and things but my hair is frizzy and I don't want to damage it. If that is how it works I guess Im better with boxes?

Sorry this sounds so silly but I was never taken to hairdressers as a child, my mum cut all our hair. So as an adult I was always a bit confused by the whole thing. And made to feel I wasn't worth it. I'm old so I should get it, but I don't. Can anyone explain so I don't look stupid or ask for the wrong thing please?Thanks

Hi OP, I’m not a hairdresser but I’ve been having my hair coloured at a salon for years so hopefully I can answer some of these questions for you.
If I were you, I’d start by booking in a colour consultation appointment, these are usually free. Your hairdresser will be able to take a look at your hair, you can discuss what result you’d like to achieve and they’ll tell you whether it’s possible. They should do a patch test to check for allergies which involves placing a small amount of dye on the skin behind your ear, and a strand test which is where they will snip off a few strands of hair at the nape of your neck to test how well your hair colour ‘lifts’ if you’re looking to lighten parts of it.

Upkeep I think will be personal preference, I have a lot of grey and I get my roots done every 5 weeks. I’ve never had a problem switching colours either, in the last four years I’ve been blonde, bright red and currently dark brown with a balayage.