How Common Is Red Hair And Blue Eyes?
Pieter Maas
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Are redheads with blue eyes really going extinct? For every 100 people in the world, only one or two will have red hair. And when you meet a red head with blue eyes, you are looking at the rarest colour combination of all for human beings. The odds of having both red hair and blue eyes sits at around 0.17 per cent. Picture: Shutterstock Around 17 per cent of people have blue eyes, and when combined with, the odds of having both traits are around 0.17 per cent. That’s, out of the 7.6 billion on Earth.
- So with numbers this low, could redheads with blue eyes actually go extinct?
- The reason these looks are so unusual is because they are the result of two different sets of DNA instructions, or mutations, happening in the same person, explains Professor Mark Elgar, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Melbourne.
- “The mutations occurred tens of thousands of years ago, and have now become established as different versions or variants of the genes that help determine our skin and eye colour.
“Red hair and blue eyes are both recessive traits which means a person needs to inherit both of the genes for red hair and blue eyes, from both parents. In contrast, brown hair and brown eyes are dominant traits, which is why they are much more prevalent.” In some regions of the world, red heads are more common, making up 10-30 per cent of the population in for example.
Blue-eyed people are also more common in the Baltic regions of Northern Europe. “There are a number of ways rare traits can be lost from a population,” says Professor Elgar. “A common misconception is that when a trait is rare, it could be lost through a dilution effect – the few individuals that carry the gene don’t reproduce, and so it is lost to future generations.
“But although it is recessive, red hair is unlikely to suffer from this effect. Even when we can’t always see red hair, many people still carry the genes. Red hair can range from strawberry blonde to the deepest auburn. Picture: Shutterstock “Another case is where a gene reduces an individual’s chance of reproducing, perhaps by increasing the risk of early mortality, and again, these genes would become rarer over successive generations,” he explains.
What eye color is most common with red hair?
Red hair occurs naturally in one to two percent of the human population, while just 17 percent of the world’s population has blue eyes. The majority of redheads have brown, hazel, or green eyes.
What is the rarest hair and eye color in the world?
The rarest hair and eye color combination – What are the rarest hair and eye color combinations? That’d be red hair with blue eyes. There’s a little genetic tweak that makes the combination of red hair and blue eyes the rarest of them all. The same Nature study mentioned above found that another gene variant, HERC2, interacts with both the MC1R gene and the OCA2 gene—and it can shut off the redhead gene while expressing blue eyes and blonde hair.
- That makes the blue eye and red hair combination even more unlikely to happen.
- In addition, with both red hair and blue eyes being something akin to recessive traits, having parents that are able to pass on two sets of recessive genes is very unlikely.
- In most cases, you’d have blue eyes and hair somewhere on the spectrum of blond to brown, or red hair with brown, hazel or green eyes.
According to an article by evolutionary biology professor Mark Elgar, PhD, of the University of Melbourne, blue-eyed redheads are the absolute rarest, with 0.17% of the population having that combination of hair and eye color. So if that describes you, you’re most likely one in a million (or more!).
Julie Kaplan, MD, physician at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare World Atlas : “The World’s Population by Eye Color” World Atlas : “What Percentage of the World’s Population Has Brown Hair?” Nature : “Genome-wide study of hair colour in UK Biobank explains most of the SNP heritability” American Academy of Ophthalmology : “Your Blue Eyes Aren’t Really Blue” University of Melbourne : “Are Redheads with Blue Eyes Really Going Extinct?”
Do redheads go grey or white?
Redhead Day: 9 fun facts about red hair Got red hair? It’s National Love Your Red Hair Day! Happy National Love Your Red Hair Day November 5th is a day to bask in all your ginger glory. The holiday was started by two redheaded sisters who wanted to help other gingers embrace and love their fiery locks. To help celebrate, here are nine fun facts about redheads:
The highest concentration of redheads is in Scotland (13%) followed by Ireland (10%). Worldwide, only 2% of people have red hair.People with red hair are likely more sensitive to pain. This is because the gene mutation (MC1R) that causes red hair is on the same gene linked to pain receptors. It also means redheads usually need more anesthesia for dental and medical procedures.Having red hair isn’t the only thing that makes some redheads unique. They are also more likely to be left handed. Both characteristics come from recessive genes, which like to come in pairs.Redheads probably won’t go grey. That’s because the pigment just fades over time. So they will probably go blonde and even white, but not grey.Rumor says Hitler banned marriage between redheads. Apparently he thought it would lead to “deviant offspring.”Redheads most commonly have brown eyes. The least common eye color: blue.Bees have been proven to be more attracted to redheads.Being a redheaded man may have health benefits. A study published by the British Journal of Cancer suggested that men with red hair are 54% less likely to develop prostate cancer than their brown and blonde-haired counterparts.Redheads actually have less hair than most other people. On average they only have 90,000 strands of hair while blonds, for example, have 140,000. However, red hair is typically thicker so it still looks just as full.
: Redhead Day: 9 fun facts about red hairAre strawberry blondes redheads?
Gluten, Dairy, Sugar Free Recipes, Interviews and Health Articles Strawberry blonde therefore belongs to the red hair group, ‘Strawberry blonde is the lightest shade of red hair. Other tones in this color group include mahogany, copper and Irish red. |
Are strawberry blondes gingers?
Strawberry Blonde vs. Ginger Hair Many women have been asking the same question: Is ginger hair colour the same as strawberry blonde hair colour? They are not the identical shade. Though both of them have coppery hues, they’re actually two distinct colour numbers. Ginger is colour number 7.4, and Strawberry blonde is number 9.4.
- Ginger hair is the sole colour that has a natural copper tone.
- Some lucky people happen to have the colour naturally within their hair.
- However, there aren’t many people who have that kind of luck.
- Because they’re uncommon and unique, such copper tones are often a very well sought-after hair colour in salons.
- However, you must ask yourself which of the two colours should you pick?
Let us get that right off the bat. Both of these shades are ideal for pale or light skin.
- If your skin is darker we’d suggest a shade which is more toward mahogany or red which are the ideal colour for your skin tones.
- Another question that is frequently asked is in order to achieve the different desired hair colours, are you required to bleach your hair.
- The answer is that it really depends on individual hair.
- If your hair’s base colour is dark, you’ll certainly have to bleach your hair to achieve the desired colours.
- Both colours, ginger and strawberry blonde, are both technically considered as blonde hues.
Hence, in order for them to appear perfect, it is necessary to bleach your hair so that it has a lighter base. This will affect your routine for maintenance. As you’re aware, maintaining copper and orange dyes requires strict adhering to your schedule of hair maintenance.
You’ll have to refresh your shade at least every four weeks, or perhaps to do it more frequently. Also yo u can’t just retouch the roots as you can with other shades! You’ll need to touch up the entire colour from your roots until the hair ends. If you decide to go for strawberry blonde you’ll bleach your hair roots every session you touch up your hair.
Which COPPER-TONED colour is suitable for you? GINGER OR STRAWBERRY BLONDE? Shades that have copper tones such as ginger or strawberry blonde flatter those with pale or light skin. For skin that is very light, then you should consider using ginger 7.4.
This colour will draw attention to your eyes and provide you with the most elegant appearance. If your skin is very pale, you can use strawberry blonde 9.4. This colour softens your face features and gives your skin certain warmth tones. However, if the skin tone is dark, we wouldn’t suggest these colours due to certain reasons.
Firstly, these copper tones can cause any imperfections on your dark skin to be even more prominent as if there is light illuminating on your face. Then, you’ll need to bleach your hair many times because people with darker skin tone tend to have dense and thick hair.
- To achieve the strawberry blonde or ginger shade hair, your hair must be extremely light, thus you’d risk damaging your hair with the multiple bleaching.
- The third reason is that copper tones can make people with darker skin appear to have larger and wider faces.
- It could cause you to look as if you’re looking tired and your face looks bloated.
If you love copper-toned shades in general, we suggest trying other copper tones which are better suited for darker skin tones. A strawberry shade like number 6.6 or a deep red such as 4.7 may be perfect for your skin tone.
- Can you apply these colours on any base hair colour?
- If you’re considering having that strawberry blonde hair, bear in mind that you’ll have to have a light hair base in order to achieve this shade.
- The same applies if you’re looking for the hair to be dyed in ginger shade.
- If your hair’s base colour isn’t that light then you’ll have to consider the bleaching process for your hair.
- Both strawberry and ginger shades are technically shades of blonde.
For the 9.4 strawberry blonde, it can be described as a light copper blonde, whereas 7.4 ginger is actually a dark copper blonde. Thus, to make these colours look more appealing, brands offer cute names for them, such as citrus blonde or strawberry blonde, etc.
- Now you know exactly the hue and its corresponding numbers on the colour scale.
- If you’re looking to bleach your hair we would suggest looking for your colourist to do the job.
- This involves a chemical process during bleaching of your hair and it can cause damage to it.
- This is the reason you should be cautious about it if you are in the process of going for the bleach.
If the hair colour of your base is very dark, for instance:
- Dark brown 3
- Brown 4
- Medium brown 5
- It is necessary to bleach your hair in order to make it lighter by at least 2 to 3 levels before you can apply either ginger or strawberry blonde dye.
- You may need to complete more than one application of bleach, and please keep in mind that you can lighten your hair to 3 levels every time when you bleach the hair.
- We advise not to perform this by yourself If you’re not knowledgeable with regards to hair colour.
- Please seek advice from a trained colourist.
- However, if you’re still planning to perform this procedure at your own home here’s some suggestions:
Do not use more than 20 volumes of peroxide in your hair. If you apply too much, your hair may get burned or, worst case, it may even break and you’ll have to cut it off. Please use white bleaching powder since it is more effective and will lighten more than blue bleaching powder.
- It is beneficial to mix a few drops of coconut oil into the bleach mixture to aid in hydrating your hair while bleaching.
- Do not leave the bleach mixture in your hair for more than 30 mins if you aren’t looking to damage it irreparably.
- Begin by applying the mixture onto the middle as well as at the ends of your hair, however you should leave the hair’s roots to the final.
- Keep in mind that these guidelines are only for you if you intend for bleaching your hair yourself at home.
- After bleaching your hair, you are able to apply the colour you’ve decided on.
- Is it difficult to maintain these colours at home?
- As we’ve mentioned, you should adhere to the strict schedules for maintaining your orange or red coloured hair.
- While it’s true these colours contain a great amount of pigmentation and it is also the fact that these colours fade rapidly.
- As we have stated in the first paragraph of this article that ginger and strawberry blonde are not the same colour.
- We will give you advice on how to maintain every different colour.
- How do you maintain the STRAWBERRY BLONDE hair colour?
- If your hair’s natural colour is dark, for example, medium brown 5 or brown 4, after you have touched up the strawberry blonde hair, you’ll have to bleach your hair’s roots.
Keep in mind strawberry blonde hair is actually a lighter copper-toned blonde. So when you are ready to touch up your hair, you have two varying methods for doing it.
- You can bleach the roots, and use dye for your entire hair including your roots.
- You can dye your hair with a developer of 30 volume, so that this will lighten your hair and ensure that the strawberry blonde appearance is perfect.
- You’ll need to retouch your strawberry blonde every 3-4 weeks which means that you’ll have to touch up all your hair completely.
- This is due to the fact that it’s an extremely light shade, which entails that the pigmentation is washed away rapidly after every wash.
- In order to make your colour last longer, try replacing your regular shampoo with a copper or orange toning shampoo.
- This way, each time when washing your hair, you’ll be adding a tiny amount of colour into your hair.
- How to Perform Touching Up for Ginger Hair Colour?
- It’s not necessary to perform the bleaching of your roots in order to touch up the ginger hair colour.
- The necessary requirement is to apply the ginger dye from the hair roots to the end and your colour will completely change.
It is recommended to retouch your colour every 4-5 weeks. You may notice that during the last two weeks before you touch up, the shade may appear opaque. It is again possible to revive and refresh your hair by using copper-toning shampoos to give it more life and energy towards the end of the cycle.
- If you are considering investing and joining the ranks of celebrities and superstars with beautiful and stunning strawberry or ginger hair colours, then you have come to the right place.
- Here at salons, we have highly experienced and skilled international colourist and stylists expertly trained in all advanced hair colouring, highlights and balayage techniques ready to guide you through every step of your hair transformation journey.
To ensure you are delighted with the results, book a free consultation to discuss your hair type, style, and desired outcome with one of our specialists. All our products are ammonia and PPD-free ensuring healthier, shinier hair. Whether you’re thinking of a dazzling, neon change or a simple, sun-kissed look, please do not hesitate to book a consultation with our colourists at Hera Hair Beauty salons in Singapore! To book your appointment or call to book at : Strawberry Blonde vs. Ginger Hair
Is red hair the rarest hair color?
Overview In the array of possible natural hair colors, dark hues are the most common — more than 90 percent of people worldwide have brown or black hair. That’s followed by blonde hair. Red hair, occurring in just 1 to 2 percent of the population, is the least common.
Blue eyes are similarly uncommon, and they may be becoming rarer. One study found that between 1899 and 1905, more than half of non-Hispanic white people in the United States had blue eyes. But from 1936 to 1951, that number fell to 33.8 percent, Today, estimates suggest about 17 percent of people worldwide have blue eyes.
Your hair color and eye color come down to what genes you inherit from your parents. If one person has both red hair and blue eyes, there’s a good chance one or both of their parents do, too, but not always. You must inherit two sets of genetic information for both your hair color and your eye color to have these less-common characteristics.
Do redheads age slower?
Redheads stand out from the crowd for more than their brightly-hued hair. Less than 2% of the world’s population are natural redheads. But in addition to being relatively rare, people with red hair have unique medical concerns. Here’s what you should know about how DNA associated with red hair may increase your risk for certain health conditions and provide protection against others.
- For starters, redheads typically have fair complexions and are more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer,
- Some people with red hair also experience pain differently, or they can look older than they are.
- At the same time, redheads are better at manufacturing vitamin D and have a lower prostate cancer risk.
The reason for those differences is rooted in DNA. People with red hair carry two copies of a variant melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene. According to the National Library of Medicine, the MC1R gene is involved in pigmentation and melanin production.
- Melanin is a pigment that gives your skin, eyes, and hair their natural colors.
- It’s no secret that their pale skin makes redheads more susceptible to sunburns and skin cancers.
- However, some research has found a link between redhead DNA and an increased risk of melanoma,
- Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in melanocytes, cells that produce melanin.
The MC1R gene determines the amount and types of melanin melanocytes in the skin produce. Those types of melanin include eumelanin and pheomelanin, which make up our skin, eyes, and hair color. Eumelanin is a black-brown pigment in dark hair, skin, and eyes.
Pheomelanin is a reddish-yellow pigment responsible for red hair, green eyes, pale skin, and freckles. Redheads have more pheomelanin and less eumelanin. According to a study published in 2015 in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, the redheaded variations in the MC1R gene reduce the amount of eumelanin, resulting in fair skin.
Eumelanin protects the skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. So, a lack of the pigment leaves skin vulnerable to sun damage that causes melanoma. But keep in mind: non-redheads aren’t off the hook. According to a study published in 2013 in the British Journal of Dermatology, carrying just one copy of the recessive MC1R variant may increase the number of mutations linked to melanoma.
- It’s another reminder of how important it is to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful UV rays, especially if you’ve got fiery locks.
- Per the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD), wearing a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher is essential to preventing skin cancer.
Fortunately for redheads, it doesn’t take much sun exposure for their bodies to manufacture a healthy amount of vitamin D, Your body generates vitamin D when the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays penetrate the top layer of your skin. The UVB rays interact with a protein in your skin (7-dehydrocholesterol, or 7-DHC) and activate a process to convert the protein into vitamin D3.
- Per a study published in 2020 in Experimental Dermatology, redheads are more efficient at synthesizing vitamin D.
- The vitamin is crucial for bone health and may protect against depression and fight off colds,
- A vitamin D deficiency may be linked to several health conditions, from hair loss to cancer.
Additionally, the researchers speculated that redheads have a genetic advantage in gloomy climates, such as Scotland and Ireland. People with red hair can churn out more vitamin D in low-light conditions than others. People with red hair appear to have altered pain perceptions and sensitivity to pain medicines and anesthesia.
- But some studies examining that link come to conflicting conclusions.
- Depending on the research, redheads either feel pain more acutely or have a higher pain tolerance than others.
- Similarly, studies on pain medicines and anesthesia show redheads need more or less than people with other hair colors.
- Per a study published in 2015 in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, researchers stated that past studies found that people with red hair have a lower pain tolerance and are less receptive to lidocaine than others.
Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that blocks pain receptors in the skin. However, the researchers found no difference in anesthesia requirements between redheads and people with other hair colors. In a randomized controlled trial, the researchers could not find a statistically significant difference in postoperative pain management by hair color.
Though, the researchers found that redheads metabolized anesthesia differently than others. But the researchers said the difference was not clinically significant. The reason why redheads can have altered pain perception and respond differently to pain medication isn’t entirely apparent. But according to a study published in 2021 in Sciences Advances, there may be a link between the MC1R gene and heightened neural activity in the part of the brain controlling some pain sensations.
The researchers also found the MC1R gene altered the production of hormones that enhance pain perception, block pain, and affect opioid receptors. For those reasons, redheads may be more sensitive to opioid pain medicines, like OxyContin and Percocet (oxycodone), and may require lower doses.
Some evidence suggests redheaded adults often appear older than their actual age. For example, one study published in 2016 in Current Biology found that adults who carry two copies of the MC1R gene variant are more likely to look two years older than other people their age. That wasn’t because redheads had more wrinkles, which you might guess since they’re more prone to sun damage.
The researcher showed the MC1R gene variant correlated to thinning lips, sagging skin along the jawline, and other visible signs of aging. On a positive note: Redheads are less like to develop prostate cancer. A study published in 2013 in the British Journal of Cancer showed that redheads have a significantly lower risk of prostate cancer than those with light brown hair.
- The study followed more than 20,000 men in a long-term health study.
- The researchers found less than 1% of redheads were diagnosed with prostate cancer, compared to 40% of men with light brown hair.
- The precise reason why people with duplicate MC1R gene variants are less likely to develop prostate cancer is unclear.
The researchers guessed that it might be related to redheads’ abilities to make vitamin D. Another study published in 2015 in Clinical Cancer Research found low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of prostate cancer. People with red hair may have an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.
- A study published in 2015 in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology analyzed rates of Parkinson’s disease among people with different hair colors and found a surprising correlation.
- The lowest rates of Parkinson’s disease were among people with black hair, while redheads had the highest rates.
The researchers observed that rates of Parkinson’s disease increased as hair colors became lighter. Digging deeper into genetic variants, the researchers also found that risk to be even greater among redheads with MC1R variant p.R151C than others. But people with variant p.R160W, also responsible for red hair, do not have a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease.
According to researchers, redheads may have more sex than people with other hair colors. The study was conducted by Werner Habermehl, PhD, and published in the book Das Sexualverhalten der Deutschen, Habermehl interviewed German people about their sex lives and found redheads had the most sex. However, the study did not differentiate between natural redheads and those with dyed red hair.
So, it’s unclear whether genetic or social factors are behind the supposed phenomenon. Redheads often stand out from the crowd with their fiery-colored hair. But their genetics, namely two copies of the MC1R gene, may put them at a higher or lower risk for many health conditions than others.
What is so special about redheads?
Thanks to higher concentrations of red hair and pale skin in cloudy European environments, redheads gained a greater ability to create their own vitamin D. When they go outside, he or she produces more vitamin D in a shorter amount of time than people with other hair colours.
Will red hair go extinct?
Despite plenty of debunked ‘studies’ that pop up around the internet every few years, redheads are not going extinct.
Are brown eyes common with red hair?
They’re super unique – Did you know that red hair is the rarest hair colour on earth, ever? Only around 2% of the world’s population has this hair colour, making it super unique. And, while red hair and brown eyes may be the most common combination with this hair colour, they’re still totally rare.
How rare is red hair and blue eyes percentage?
For every 100 people in the world, only one or two will have red hair. And when you meet a red head with blue eyes, you are looking at the rarest colour combination of all for human beings. The odds of having both red hair and blue eyes sits at around 0.17 per cent. Picture: Shutterstock Around 17 per cent of people have blue eyes, and when combined with 1-2 per cent having red hair, the odds of having both traits are around 0.17 per cent.
- That’s 13 million people, out of the 7.6 billion on Earth.
- So with numbers this low, could redheads with blue eyes actually go extinct? The reason these looks are so unusual is because they are the result of two different sets of DNA instructions, or mutations, happening in the same person, explains Professor Mark Elgar, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Melbourne.
“The mutations occurred tens of thousands of years ago, and have now become established as different versions or variants of the genes that help determine our skin and eye colour. “Red hair and blue eyes are both recessive traits which means a person needs to inherit both of the genes for red hair and blue eyes, from both parents.
- In contrast, brown hair and brown eyes are dominant traits, which is why they are much more prevalent.” In some regions of the world, red heads are more common, making up 10-30 per cent of the population in Scotland and Ireland for example.
- Blue-eyed people are also more common in the Baltic regions of Northern Europe.
“There are a number of ways rare traits can be lost from a population,” says Professor Elgar. “A common misconception is that when a trait is rare, it could be lost through a dilution effect – the few individuals that carry the gene don’t reproduce, and so it is lost to future generations. Red hair can range from strawberry blonde to the deepest auburn. Picture: Shutterstock “Another case is where a gene reduces an individual’s chance of reproducing, perhaps by increasing the risk of early mortality, and again, these genes would become rarer over successive generations,” he explains.