Health Matters: Are We Too Clean?

How often do you shampoo your hair – weekly? Every couple of days? Every morning? That’s too often! VERNE MAREE debates the dubious delights of dirt.

In France last summer, I discovered that French women don’t wash their hair nearly as often as most of the rest of us. My friend Anne happily goes up to 10 days, and yet her pretty, long brown hair always looks lovely.

That’s not unusual, it seems. Aussie David Mallett – known as the Perth hairdresser who conquered Paris – says he “likes a bit of dirty hair, the way that French people wear it”. He adds that French women prefer simple cuts, often styled in a loose ponytail or a low chignon, an “understated, sexy, undone look”. Ten days between washes is not unusual, he confirms. What’s more, his clients come for a cut only every three months. (Not altogether surprising, when he charges €250 for a cut and blow.)

A 1952 beauty magazine editor’s “seven-day beauty plan” included a weekly shampoo – or, for women whose hair “doesn’t need washing that often”, a nice head massage. There’s also a vintage 50s instructional video on hair care that recommends “frequent washing” – meaning once a fortnight!