Men have no blonde ambition for wives

MEN really do prefer blondes — but not if they are looking for a wife, says a survey published yesterday.

Given a choice of lover or mistress, most men would opt for a woman with blonde hair, the poll found.

Their preferences change, however, with talk of marriage, with brunette emerging as the favourite hair colour for a bride.

The findings come from a survey of 400 men who were shown cards with pictures of the same woman and different hair colours. The poll also questioned 400 women on what colour hair they most liked in a man.

There was bad news for radio DJ Chris Evans, with just 2% of women saying they liked ginger hair best.

Instead, 37% of women preferred brunette men, followed by light brown, 29%, then blonde, 16%. Black hair was not included in the list.

The "blonde bombshell" myth seems to be confirmed among the polled men, with 26% saying blondes made the best lovers, and 37% saying they made the best mistresses.

Just over half said blonde was the hair colour they most associated with

famous women. But blondes were seen as less likely to have a successful career or earn a fortune. Dr Paul Morris, a psychologist at Portsmouth University, said: "What's interesting about this study is that men are now showing an overall preference for brunettes, suggesting this colour provides a safe haven for men looking for longer-term relationships or making the ultimate life commitment marriage."

While 26% of men thought blondes made the best lovers, 22% opted for ginger, 20% light brown hair, and 10% brunette. Black hair was not given as a choice in any of the questions.

For mistresses, 37% of men said their ideal would be blonde, followed by 22% redhead, 13% brunette, and 6% light brown hair. But asked who they would like to walk down the aisle with, 30% of men said brunette, 27% light-brown, 15% blonde, and 7% ginger.

The poll, from hair product manufacturer Garnier, found men thought brunettes would also be the most successful in their careers, 36%, followed by women with light brown hair, 20%, blonde, 19%, then ginger, 7%.

Almost a third of men thought brunettes would also earn most, with 26% saying blondes, 11% brown haired women, and 9% redheads. Finally, 53% of men thought blondes had the look to be famous, followed by redheads.