[Opinion] Shampooing Everyday

Many people are obsessed with getting their hair done. They say things just do not work right when they can`t get their hair done right. Some say it is like telling what it will happen for the rest of the day. If you are a mother and tell your children ˝stop shampooing and spending too much time on hair every morning,˝ you must be treated as an outdated mother. Even president-elect Roh, who looks like least care about looks, spends much time getting his hair done. Then it seems quite natural for teens and women to care about how their hair looks.

▷Professor Arther Burger at San Francisco University who studies psychology of everyday habits, said that the habit of shampooing every day is becoming a ritual for present-day people. The habit aims to attack the enemy called `grease` and recover the `virtue` of beautiful hair. Our body is a source of sin that produces grease, a pollutant. Shampoo purifies the pollutant with good smell and work of washing to save hair and mankind from contamination. Foam is soft yet powerful in that it tenderly removes the contaminant. A survey conducted by a shampoo manufacturer found out that about 80% of young women in this country wash their hair everyday, that is, do the ritual of purification according to Prof. Burger.

▷Everyday shampooing is not good for health of your hair, however, Wall Street Journal reported. Dr. Walter Woonger at Medical School of Mountain Sinai of the U.S. says that by shampooing too often, people rid the least greasy substance their hair needs and make it hard to maintain healthy hair conditions. Dermatologist Dr. Barney Kenet warns that too much washing can result in deteriorating health, pointing out ˝Americans wash too much too often.˝ Dr. Scott Weise at Harvard University even argues that those who have grown up with dirt and germs and skipped inoculation shots are more immune to allergic diseases such as asthma and eczema.

▷The fact that scientists tell us not to be squeaky clean and instead to be moderately dirty, in fact, gives us a kind of relieved feelings. Our immune system work diligently when there is an enemy to fight with. The obsession about being squeaky clean all the times might lead to a disease. Excessiveness do harm than good with everything. Likewise, we feel close to people who have shortcomings than those who look just perfect. The rub is where to draw the line between the two cases.

Kim Sun-deok, Editorial Writer, yuri@donga.com