That said, lightening up a too-dark dye job is not impossible. (Plus, it’s easier to deepen, rather than lighten, color if you don’t get it right the first time).

Stay on the safer side, and you’ll be saving yourself a lot of time and money in the long run. That’s one reason many pros recommend picking a box of color that’s a smidge lighter than you think you want because, more often than not, DIY color will process darker than expected. For new at-home colorists, finding your best shade right out of the box (pun intended) is tricky.

“This is the most common complaint I hear,” says Candy Diaz, a hair pro in New York City.