Most people remember Cindy Brady’s bouncing blonde curls, but for Susan Olsen, keeping up that look was anything but easy. She was just 7 years old when she joined The Brady Bunch, and behind her cheerful character and shiny blonde curls was a tough beauty routine that caused real damage.
At a recent fan panel, Olsen opened up about what it really took to maintain Cindy’s golden hair. From bleaching every three weeks to sleeping in curlers, the actress revealed the painful price she paid for the role that made her famous.
Susan Olsen’s hair started falling out at just 8 years old
During The Brady Bunch years, Olsen’s naturally straight, darker hair didn’t fit the show’s image of the “perfect youngest daughter.” So producers made sure it was dyed — often. “Every three weeks they had to dye my hair,” Olsen shared, explaining how each season brought a new shade of blonde, depending on the chemicals they used.
But constant dyeing wasn’t safe. “My hair started to fall out,” she admitted. That’s when her mom took over, doing her hair every Friday night instead of letting the studio continue with their treatments. Even then, Olsen still had to wear rollers overnight to get Cindy’s signature ringlets. The process was long, uncomfortable, and full of trial-and-error. “In 1970, trying different things meant a whole cocktail of weird chemicals,” she said.
Behind the scenes, the cast felt like a real family
Despite the pressure to look a certain way, Olsen says the atmosphere on set was filled with love. She and her co-stars, including Barry Williams, Mike Lookinland, and Christopher Knight, spoke warmly about their time together at the recent Chocolate Expo event. “The love was genuine,” Olsen said.
Knight, who played Peter Brady, pointed out how much they all respected their on-screen parents, played by Robert Reed and Florence Henderson. “We didn’t want to disappoint them,” he said. That mutual respect helped create a bond that lasted far beyond the cameras.