This week over at Stylelist they have some advice from the pros for at home hair coloring. We acknowledge that going to the salon can get pricey, and if you must do your color at home these are good guidelines to follow. But we must warn you: please use caution and restraint on the slippery slope of do-it-yourself.

We're talking about the scourge of Sun In.

Alright, alright so at home hair color isn't the best way to go we admit. However, with the dollar floundering around like a fish out of water, $200+ salon trips just ain't happenin. So we've had to resort to that $10 box with high hopes that one day, just maybe one day, we'll get that at home color right.

We've known girls who had a natural talent for painting their nails. They could do left and right hands and feet with equal ease -- a French manicure was no challenge for them. And they never ended up with nail polish all over their digits.

We were not so lucky.

Laser hair removal is hugely popular, and with bikini season approaching faster than a skeezy guy with suntanning oil approaching a lone, busty babe at the beach, the popularity of getting unwanted hair zapped is only increasing.

Fortunately, for those of you who are interested in laser hair removal but don't have the time, money, or desire to visit a specialist's office to have the procedure done, there will soon be some at-home options.

I'll be honest with you -- I have seriously botched my hair color with at-home products. I've turned it green and I've turned it brassy gold, and I've definitely learned that hair color is something to leave to the pros. Most of the time.

With summer coming up, many of you will be heading to the salon to get some highlights, and chances are it won't be cheap. Personally, I love the look of subtle highlights, but I'm not into roots, and I hate having to spend $140 every six weeks. And so, I've found a great solution -- Clairol Natural Instincts semi-permanent hair color.

Natural Instincts has loads of shades and it's easy to find the right one for you -- their Find Your Shade function is excellent. It actually gave me the exact three colors I switch between (Amber Shimmer, Toasted Almond, and Navajo Bronze, depending on time of year and how light my highlights are). What makes this product even better is that it smells great, cleans up easily, only takes 10 minutes, and leaves my hair feeling really soft.

Of course, if you're preparing for an event and your hair has to be just right, see a professional or at least try the product out months beforehand to make sure you'll get the result you want. In my experience, though, Natural Instincts is a huge time saver, and, at under $10 a box, it's a big money saver, too!

Do you have an trick to extend time between visits to the salon? Do tell!