i want to dye my hair dark brown

First of all, welcome, and thanks for posting to the pre-eminent hare-die advice forum in the Englishy speaking world. May I just say that you've come to the right place.

Second. I love your hair. LOVE it. You have that Felicity vibe going with both barrels, and it's fabulous. Down side, you inherited your mother's ankles. Girl, it happens.

Do you still have that rich boyfriend? I haven't been to the grocery store lately, and conseq. haven't kept up with the romance. I don't trust him, by the way. You know why, but I won't mention it here.

Oh yes, the hair. Girl if your hair is dirty, wash it. End of story. I know you were raised by George Stephanopoulos, but he of all people should know that.

If you want to dye it, the best thing to do is a test run to make sure you're satisfied with the color. Go down to Staples or Office Despot and get a package of multicolored Sharpie markers. I know they say permanent, but really, what is permanent in this day and age. Believe me, I kid you not, they come out. Not out of white linen, but girl, your hair ain't white linen, you feel me? Pick three or four shades, complementary, and use the Sharpie to actually paint your hair strand by strand. This will give you a great idea of how the finished effect will look.

Once you're happy with the result, go down to CVS and buy four or five packages of dye that approximate your Sharpie color choices. Use an applicator cunningly fashioned from steel wool and broken glass to apply the dye to your hair. Voila. You look mahvelous!

Good luck with the dad thing. Based on my experiences with him, a belt of Jim Beam makes him much easier to deal with. Doesn't matter which of you drinks the Jim Beam, either.

Cheers!