Interesting facts about redheads.

I have a cousin with the prettiest red hair I have ever seen; I am always a bit envious of her luxurious locks. She has a deep auburn red, and I have a brown-reddish, not quiet enough to be labeled a redhead, but more of a dishwater blonde with red streaks.

Her brother also has a beautiful deep red color, as well as his daughter; with so many redheads in my family, I was curious if being a redhead is all that common. In my family, it is, but as I began to research, I realized redheads make up less than 2% of the population in the world.

And there are some interesting facts about redheads.

Redheads are rare; less than 2% of the population in the world are natural redheads, making them unique. Most of the redheads in the world are from Scotland and Ireland, having the highest percentage of redheads.

However, redheads can be found worldwide, including in Polynesia, where they considered having red hair a sign that their ancestors were of noble status. However, throughout the years, redheads have not always been treated fairly.

According to some cultures in Africa, they still believe redheads are witches. It was also a theory during the witch trials in England during the 16th to 18th centuries; they thought redheads were affiliated with the devil and satanic practices. These women were often found guilty of being witches simply by their hair color and murdered.

What causes red hair?

Natural redheads are the result of two recessive genes located on chromosome-16. When the gene has both recessive genes expressed, they modify the MC1R protein. It is a gene mutation. This gene modification creates red hair, light or fair skin, sometimes freckles, a heightened sensitivity to temperature and UV rays, and an increased pain tolerance.

Due to the sensitivity to light, scientists believe this enables their bodies to generate vitamin D more efficiently than someone, not a natural redhead. It would also explain why redheads do well in climates that have cloudy weather, such as Ireland or Scotland.

The rarest form of the redhead is when it is in combination with blue eyes, the rarest combination in the world.

Redheads have also been noted to have a higher pain tolerance than others, which could be why they were called witches. When tortured, they had a higher level of pain. So they deemed them a witch. However, this can be a problem when a redhead needs an operation or procedure; they require more anesthesia than most.

Redheads often have less hair, but thicker strands, giving them a fuller look. Yet, if you want to dye your luscious locks, it will be more challenging than other hair colors because it holds its pigmentation higher.

Also, if you dye your red hair, you must bleach it first and then color it, which can damage the hair. As well as reds don't go grey; they go blonde to white. Since the red-haired gene is recessive, redheads are expected to be left-handed, another recessive gene.

If you are a natural redhead, you are in good company; some famous redheads include:

Nicole Kidman, Ed Sheeran, Marilyn Monroe, and Malcolm X.

So do you or anyone in your family have red hair?

When I was in high school me and my cousins wanted so desperately to be strawberry blondes. We promptly dyed our hair, what looked like a beautiful strawberry blonde.

We all ended up with bright orange hair, and it did not come out for days. Try explaning that to your boss and family members!