chicky wah wahh

i am thinking of colouring my hair,and add hi-lites to it,because i've read somewhere that says if you have thick hair,and you dye it all-over with one colour,it'll make the hair look like a wig.i dont want THAT to happen!but to get colouring treatment from a salon would cost bucks.im thinking of doing it myself,but am not sure how and what combination of colours should i use.arghhh lalallala -_-