Dye my hair its natural color

Finally got this done a couple of weeks ago and I love it. All the women at work think I’m crazy for not keeping the highlights, but I hated the upkeep. Now if I could just find someone who can do a great cut. I still fantasize about going to New York and tracking down the hairdresser I saw when living there.

I’ve had gray hair since I was five, and now there are too many to pluck. I don’t really even care that I have grays anymore, but when I was younger I did, so I used to dye it black.

About a year ago I gave in to the prompting by my co-workers and had my hair highlighted. I loved it. Then the roots started growing in and I hated it. Every time I had it done again, it got lighter. Then I got low-lights. Through all this, the roots make it look like crap unless it’s just been colored. I’m tired of it and just want my natural mousy brown back.

I’m just going to do it myself. So, suggestions, please. Should I use permanent color (#3) or the 38-washings stuff (#2)? Go slightly lighter, or slightly darker than my natural color? I doubt that I can match it exactly. What brand should I use? I just want it to grow out without ugly roots. Any other suggestions?