Blur star Alex James hasn't washed his hair for 10 years

In a revelation that will likely shock even the most shower-fearing of men out there, Blur’s Alex James has confessed that he hasn’t washed his hair in a staggering ten years. That’s a pretty long time we’re sure you’ll agree, particularly for a man who now chooses to spend a considerable amount of time touching cheese.

The 47-year-old revealed that he’d been forced to wash his hair after his daughters covered it in grey hairspray for Halloween, presumably in an attempt to mask the smell.

Speaking to Living, James said: “My hair isn’t really something I’ve ever particularly thought about or fussed over.” Which is fair enough, and is no doubt a sentiment that many guys would echo themselves. However, there’s a bit of a difference between not particularly fussing over your hair and making a conscious decision not to touch a bottle of shampoo for just shy of a quarter of your entire life.

The bassist-turned-cheese connoisseur continued: “Other than this week when both my daughters were keen to give me a Halloween makeover and emptied a whole can of grey-coloured hairspray into it and it set solid, I haven’t washed it for 10 years.”

But what does this sparse approach to grooming actually mean for Alex’s hair?

Well despite common misconceptions, unsurprisingly it can have some nasty side effects. We take a look at the myth vs. the reality of the shampoo free movement...

The myth:

Using shampoo is bad for your scalp

The reality:

While it is true that overusing hair products can have negative effects on your precious locks, shampooing does actually serve a purpose, surprisingly enough!

Washing your hair helps to rid your scalp of naturally occurring yeast and bacteria, left alone this can cause dandruff, which in turn results in an itchy scalp, which causes EVEN MORE dandruff.

The myth:

Your hair won’t actually get that greasy

The reality:

Yes. Yes it will. Your hair will become extremely greasy and this can have really nasty effects for your skin.

If you were to decide to go down the no shampoo route you will likely notice an outbreak of acne – this is due to the excess oil which isn’t being washed away, but it will probably subside after the first few weeks.

Still though, we’d rather just not get the spots in the first place!

The Myth:

Your hair is completely self-cleaning

The reality:

The good news for Mr. James and anyone who comes within a few metres of his barnet is that human hair does actually have natural self-cleaning properties. The bad news is that to reach that point there’s an extended period of extreme greasiness to endure while the hair adjusts to not being shampooed and conditioned regularly.

However, that isn’t a green light to literally do absolutely nothing with your mop, you’ll still need to rinse it with water frequently, and as disgusting as it sounds, massaging a bit of vinegar into your scalp can help to reduce the build up of sebum which will occur when you don’t wash. We can’t imagine it’s going to smell great though.

James has become well-known for his cheese-making exploits, having moved from London to the Cotswolds to start a cheese farm after the runaway success of Blur. He has gone on to produce several award-winning cheeses, as well as actually being called up to judge the British Cheese Awards.

We can only hope that he wears a hair-net.