"Every three weeks they had to..." - Susan Olsen reflects on her Brady Bunch days and the habit that brought 'serious damage' to her hair

Susan Olsen, who portrayed the character of Cindy Brady in the popular 1970s sitcom, The Brady Bunch, recently opened up about her experience of playing the 8-year-old character over the series’ 5-season long run.

According to People Magazine, during a question and answer session with the audience of a panel organised by The Chocolate Expo taking place at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, Olsen spoke about some difficulties she had to undergo as a cast member during the filming of The Brady Bunch, particularly to do with her hair. As per People Magazine, Olsen said, 

“Every three weeks they had to dye my hair. If you look at the third season, my hair is kind of a different shade of blonde every episode.”

Olsen spoke in detail about the challenges she faced with regard to her hair, particularly concerning the changes her natural hair required in order to fit into the screen image of the character she was portraying. Olsen also shared that the artificial meddling with her hair caused irreversible damage to her locks.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Susan Olsen (@thesusanolsen)

One of Susan Olsen’s co-stars from the show, Mike Lookinland, iterated her comments about hair products back when The Brady Bunch was filmed in the 70s. As per People Magazine, Lookinland said, 

“In 1970, trying different things meant a whole cocktail of weird chemicals”

People Magazine also reported that Olsen recalled the extensive damage to her hair because of the constant dyeing. As per the news outlet, Olsen’s hair had even started to “fall out.” 

When Susan Olsen recalled a near fatal accident on The Brady Bunch set

Hair damage wasn’t the only thing Susan Olsen had to suffer while playing the role of the young Cindy Brady on The Brady Bunch. In late April this year, during the podcast, The Real Brady Bros, Olsen reminisced about a near fatal incident that occurred while she was filming the first episode of the iconic series. 

As per Fox News, she recalled,

“I was standing on a makeup chair and something from the catwalk, where they keep all the lights and everything, fell…it hit the makeup man first, [bounced] off the body makeup woman, and hit me in the face.”

Olsen recalled that her face was swollen for a long time, and as proof, she shared that if the publicity photos of the show are observed closely, her injuries would become apparent. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Susan Olsen (@thesusanolsen)

As per New York Post, Susan Olsen even joked during the podcast The Real Brady Bros that she could have sued the makers of the show for the accident she suffered during the shoot of the first episode, and perhaps could have made more money than what she made from her acting gig on the show.

The Brady Bunch originally did not do well on the parameter of ratings. When the show originally aired for between 1969 and 1974, it failed to make a dent in the rating charts, as per Britannica. However, the sitcom earned an enduring legacy for itself, when it was aired again in the years to come.

The popularity of the show in the years following its original run could be gauged by the fact that it spawned multiple spin-offs and television films, some of which include The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Brady Bride and The Brady, as per Brittanica.