Trend for longer locks takes shine off shampoo sales

A TREND for long, flowing hair means that women are washing it fewer than three times a week for the first time in a decade, research has revealed.

Very short and styled hair, once made fashionable by Victoria Beckham and Rihanna, has lost its appeal as the number of women with long hair has increased by 20 per cent since 2010.

As a result, some 15 million women in the UK are now sporting long flowing tresses, data from consumer analysts Kantar Worldpanel shows.

Long hair is particularly popular among British women, who are now more likely to have such a style than their French, German, Italian and Spanish counterparts.

The trend is also not confined to young women. Over a quarter (27 per cent) of over-55s now wear their hair long, up from 16 per cent in 2010, the study showed. Meanwhile, the phrase “long hair, don’t care”, which was associated with the hippie movement in the Sixties, has made a comeback. The hashtag #longhairdontcare has appeared on almost eight million posts on Instagram.

In keeping with that spirit, British women with long hair are choosing to wash it less. They now do so on average 2.9 times a week, down from 3.3 times in 2007. According to Kantar, one in four women with long hair washes it just once a week. By contrast, one in five short-haired women washes their hair every day.

This has led to a fall in shampoo sales, with five million fewer litres sold last year – a loss of £17 million to the industry – the study said.

Instead, sales of dry shampoos have shot up, with brands like Batiste booming in popularity. Research by Herbal Essences, the shampoo brand, has found that over 25 per cent of women are using dry shampoo to refresh their hair rather than wet-wash it. To en- courage women to wash their hair in water more often, shampoo makers have begun selling ranges that encourage more regular use.

Typically, these are “low-sulfate” products that claim not to strip colour from dyed hair or oils from long hair.

Anna Cofone, a hair stylist, said that less frequent hair washing was good for hair health.

She said: “Our hair loves the oils that are produced naturally by the scalp; they help to keep hair moisturised and healthy. Ideally, you should go for three or four days between washes.”

Celebrities who have admitted washing their long hair less frequently include the actress Jennifer Aniston and the reality television star Kim Kardashian.

Gwyneth Paltrow, the Hollywood actress, is reportedly an advocate of abandoning shampoo altogether (sometimes known as the “no poo” movement), in a bid to maintain hair health.