Redheads have a hard time of it. They’ve been seen as evil for thousands of years, and even today many people are suspicious of the gingers among us. Scientifically speaking, redheads are a little different from the rest of us, but there’s no need to fear them. Read on for the truth about redheads.
1. It’s harder to dye natural red hair than any other shade. One of the only ways to do so is by bleaching, which unfortunately, is incredibly bad for hair. This is especially true for red hair, which is fragile to begin with.
2. On the note of fragility, gingers have less hair than most other people. They typically have 90,000 strands of hair, while blondes have 110,000 and brunettes have 140,000. Thankfully their hair is usually thicker as well, so they have the appearance of lustrous, full hair.
3. Red hair never turns grey. It takes longer for red hair to fade in the first place, and when it does it goes through a series of copper and rosey-blond before it turns white.
4. Most redheads have brown eyes, although it’s not rare for their peepers to be hazel or green. But the rarest combination in the world? Red hair and blue eyes. Both of the traits are recessive, leaving only about 1% of people in the world with the combo.
5. It might be a stereotype that gingers are sensitive, but there is real research showing that redheads need more anesthesia during surgery and are more sensitive to changes in temperature because their bodies change temperature more quickly. They’re not just being dramatic.
6. In Nazi Germany, gingers were not allowed to marry each other just in case they produced “deviant offspring.”
7. An amazing ability of redheads is that they can produce their own Vitamin D. Because they can’t absorb enough from the sun, they’re able to make their own.
8. While most people assume that Ireland has the highest concentration of redheads, they actually come in second. Ireland’s population is 10% redheaded, while Scotland’s is 13%.
9. Redheads are actually mutants! Red hair comes from the recessive gene MC1R, which is actually a genetic mutation. Alas, no X-Men powers included.
10. Redheads are more likely to be left-handed than the general population, thanks to the fact that many recessive genes come in pairs.