Regardless of which coloring route you take (salon vs. at-home), you absolutely must prep your fragile hair for the transformation. Dellinger recommends these steps in the weeks and days leading up to your appointment:

Two months before appointment:
• Remove braids, weaves and/or extensions.
• Do not blow dry or flat iron the hair.

One month before appointment:
• Deep condition your hair with heat or steam and a protein rich conditioner, like CURLS Curl Ecstasy Hair Tea Conditioner, $20, once a week for two weeks. Weeks three and four, use a moisturizing conditioner like CURLS Coconut Sublime Moisturizing Conditioner, $16.
• Moisturize the hair daily with a humectant rich leave-in conditioner like CURLS Cashmere Curls Leave-In Moisturizer, $20, and seal with a natural oil (coconut oil is always a good pick).

One week before appointment:
• Trim the hair before coloring.

Day before appointment:
• Deep condition to even out porosity and create a healthy base for hair color.

If your hair isn't chemically straightened and you're just looking for a nice wash of color, you can dabble in dyeing at home. Willhite and Dellinger both suggest looking for semi-permanent dyes that are ammonia and PPD-free, like Lush Henna Hair Dye, $29.95, a natural option that also deep conditions. "Relaxers dramatically increase porosity, so if you've relaxed your hair, it's best to use ammonia free products like demi-permanent color (which lasts a little longer than semi-permanent) and wait two weeks between chemical treatments and color," says Estelle Baumhauer, color director of at-home color specialist eSalon. You can also try a gloss to boost color or a temporary treatment like eSalon Tinted Love Color Enhancing Treatment, $12.45.

For the best results (and to minimize the chances of royally screwing up), experts suggest staying within one level of your natural hair color and using a gel or liquid formula, which do a better job coating curly and thick hair. The most common mistakes experts see with at-home application? Baumhauer says women often botch their dye job by overlapping new color onto previous colored ends (a big no-no) or pick the wrong color altogether. Others apply color to hair without treating dryness first, causing the color to absorb unevenly. If you're not confident in your at-home know how, it's time to book an appointment.

Even if you're putting your hair in the hands of a pro, Baumhauer notes that you need to be upfront about your hair history for the best results. That means dishing on everything: if you've chemically treated your hair before, with a relaxer, a keratin treatment, another color, your current gray hair percentage, anything. "Just because you can't see the treatment doesn't mean it's not there -- it will affect your color unless the previous treatment has been cut out," she adds. Here are other things Willhite says to be aware of so you don't freak out during your actual appointment:

• If you're getting highlights: Your colorist will be more cautious when deciding on the strength of product and take much more time with placement -- highlights make more of an impact on curly hair in terms of movement and enhance structure.

• If you're getting overall color: Your colorist will want to use slightly lighter or warmer color on your ends to add more dimension.

• If you're getting ombré: Your colorist can use bolder pieces and chunks of color than they usually would on straight hair because finer strips of color would get lost in the mass of the curl.

Once you have a fresh coat of color, damage control is essential to keep your fragile hair and color intact. Don't co-wash per usual -- instead, use a sulfate-free, cream-based cleanser. It's gentler on your hair and scalp and slows fading, says Dellinger.

As a curly girl, you shouldn't wash every day, but if you do, Friedman recommends Nexxus Color Assure Pre-Wash Primer, $17.99, a treatment that shields water to lock color in and prevent fading and Nexxus Color Assure Glossing Tonic, $17.99, a moisturizing product that adds shine and protects hair from heat styling. When your color starts to fade, work a gentle color booster like eSalon Tinted Love Color Enhancing Treatment, $12.45, or Ouidad Color Sense Shine Boosting Color Extender, $26, to extend the life of your color without harsh chemical ingredients.