A “damaged hair epidemic” may be rampant among American women, but a new survey suggests that Boston is partly immune to such bad coiffing habits as excessive blow drying, coiling a pony tail too tight, and running a brush through wet hair.

Those are some conclusions from an online survey of women in 10 cities conducted by Procter & Gamble Co., the consumer-products giant whose brand portfolio includes the Head & Shoulders hair-care line. On a Head & Shoulders list of top 10 cities with the most damaged hair, Boston ranked 10th.

The US epicenter for damaged hair? According to P&G, that would be Chicago, with Los Angeles second, and New York City third.

If the survey is to be credited, the Windy City is awash with enough bottle blondes to make Sassoon weep. (The Head & Shoulders survey found that 57 percent of Chicago women color their hair versus 46 percent in Boston.)

When it comes to self-inflicted hair damage, coloring the hair can be as nearly ill advised as submitting a lustrous coiffure to Delilah for a Samson trim. Other damaging habits include braiding the hair and using curling irons and blow dryers.

Now the thoughtful reader won’t be surprised to learn that researchers at Head & Shoulders think they have devised a cure for the damaged hair epidemic that now plagues so many US women.

“New Damage Rescue shampoo helps prevent and rescue hair from damage every day, leaving hair up to 10X stronger after just four washes and makes hair more resilient against future damage,” Head & Shoulders said in a press release. “Damage Rescue conditioner nourishes damaged hair with a light peach scent.”

In a statement, Head & Shoulders brand manager Michael Sabbia gave a further explanation of some of the thinking behind the new Damage Rescue line.

“With a good percentage of the global population suffering from dandruff, consumers shouldn’t have to make a choice between beautiful hair and anti-dandruff efficacy,” Sabbia said. “We are excited to be able to offer consumers a way to treat their scalp issues and have damage-rescued, great-looking hair with no trade-offs.”

Meanwhile, celebrity stylist Sunnie Brook Jones has been booked to do a damaged-hair intervention in Chicago. Plans call for her to join the Head & Shoulders Rescue Team on Tuesday to give women a “Damage Rescue makeover” at a Chicago salon called Blowtique.

Source: The Boston Globe