Once a dark matter (DM) signal is discovered and confirmed in direct detection experiments, we must set about the task of measuring the DM properties. However, measuring the mass and interaction cross sections of this new particle typically requires some assumptions to be made about its distribution in the Milky Way. I will discuss some of these astrophysical uncertainties, outlining how they can affect our analysis of direct detection data and presenting some previous attempts to overcome them. I will then discuss a parametrisation of the DM speed distribution which allows the mass of the particle to be extracted without the need for unreliable assumptions. By including data from future neutrino telescope experiments, this method also allows us to pin down the DM cross sections as well as the form of the speed distribution itself.