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In addition to the annual November celebration of National Love Your Red Hair Day, redheads enjoy yet another unofficial holiday in May.

This holiday has become an essential feature of the unofficial holiday calendar, albeit its origin is unclear.

The greatest concentration of redhead gene variant carriers is found in Edinburgh, Scotland. Although 13% of redheads worldwide are from Scotland, this does not imply that everyone has red hair. Redheads, however, come in all colors and ethnicities, and it is thought that the genetic mutation originated in Asia.

Make sure you read 10 Fascinating Things About Redheads.

10 Interesting Facts About Redheads
10 Interesting Facts About Redheads

What is the number of redheads?

The percentage of people with red hair is less than 2% globally. Scotland (13% of the population) and Ireland (10%) have the largest concentrations of redheads. For the summers of 2010–2016, thousands of redheads gathered at the Irish Redhead Convention to celebrate. The longest hair and beard contests, as well as the crowning of a redhead king and queen, were all part of the celebration.

The most unusual combination of eye and hair colors is red and blue. About 0.17 percent of the population have both of those recessive characteristics. The majority of redheads, as reported by Medical Daily, really have green, hazel, or brown eyes.

Is it true that redheads feel pain more acutely?

It has been suggested that a mutation in a gene (MC1R) that controls hair color makes redheads more sensitive to pain. Redheads often require approximately 20% more general anesthetic compared to individuals with dark hair or blonde hue, according to a 2004 study.

Do most redheads prefer to use their right or left hand?

Additionally, many redheads end up favoring their left hand! One possible explanation, according to researchers, is that the two traits in question are recessive traits, which typically occur in pairs. For those fortunate individuals, May 26 is World Redhead Day, November 5 is Love Your Red Hair Day, and August 13 is International Left-Handers Day.

Interesting Facts About Redheads

10 Interesting Facts About Redheads

1. Natural red hair is harder to dye than other shades

Ginger hair, with its naturally fiery disposition, retains its color longer than any other shade. If redheads wanted to change their hair color to something else—and who would?—the only way to see the difference would be to bleach their hair first. The color won't stick unless you do this.

Bleach is obviously harmful to hair. Particularly red hair, which is naturally more delicate than other colors.

2. Redheads have less hair on their heads

Gingers, with their reddish-brown hair, have the fewest individual strands of any color.

Blondes typically have 110,000 hairs, brunettes 140,000, and flame-haired beauties an average of 90,000.

Redheads don't seem to be thinning out quite yet, thanks to the thicker natural ginger hair that gives the impression that redheads have more hair overall.

Jealousy is justified because these thicker, fewer strands are easier to style.

3. Redheads never turn grey

10 Interesting Facts About Redheads

Defiantly living up to its reputation, ginger hair keeps its color for far longer than other tints.

Red hair naturally goes through a beautiful fading process from copper to rosy-blonde to silvery-white, so there's no need to be scared of becoming grey.

4. Ginger is capable of producing its own vitamin D

Redheads may be more likely to be sunburned due to their fair complexion, but there are times when being pale really works to their benefit.

The low levels of eumelanin in redheads' bodies prevent them from absorbing enough vitamin D.

Men with red hair have a 54% lower risk of prostate cancer than men with brown or blonde hair, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer. Even if you are a redhead, you should still check your vitamin D levels because they are also better at producing it.

5. Those with red hair could age more quickly

Current Biology published a study in 2016 that indicated persons with two copies of the MC1R gene (which causes red hair) looked up to two years older than those without both copies. This, say the scientists, was comparable to the impact of smoking on how old people felt they were.

Contrary to what one might think, the correlation between red hair and aging had little bearing on skin damage caused by excessive sun exposure, which results in wrinkles and dark spots. As it turned out, the gene variations were linked to mechanisms that controlled sagging skin and other related issues. The authors claim this as the first proof that one's perception of their own age is based on genetics. It remains to be seen whether it will indeed lead to the mythical fountain of youth.

6. Skin cancer is more common in redheads

Redheads have a higher risk of skin cancer due to their fair complexion and sensitivity to UV radiation. Natural redheads had almost 2.5 times the risk of developing the deadly illness compared to persons with other hair colors, according to a 2010 analysis in the International Journal of illness.

Although it may come as disappointing news, gingers are actually rather adept at making their own vitamin D when exposed to low light circumstances, thanks to their lower melanin-concentration.

7. More children may be born to redheads

10 Interesting Facts About Redheads

Frost co-authored a study that found redheads may have a higher childbearing rate despite a higher rate of infertility. There are a lot of possible, but not definitive, explanations for this: It appears that redheads tend to have children at a younger age.

The redhead Colliss Harvey has her own theory. She explains that redheads are more likely to be sexually active because their bodies produce more vitamin D. Above all else, our robust pelvis and skeleton allow us to carry and birth children. It may have its roots in an ancient bond. The likelihood of a successful mating cycle was enhanced when men preferred redheads.

READ MORE: Physiognomy: Which People Are Luckier with Long or Short Hair?

8. Redheads may have more sex

Experts wonder if the increased sexual activity among women with red hair is a result of their attractiveness to suitors or not. Redhead women reported higher levels of sexual desire, more sexual activity, and more sexual partners, according to a 2022 research published in Frontiers in Psychology that examined 110 women (34% of whom were redheads). Additionally, they entered puberty before those of different hair colors.

The reason for this is unclear; it's like earworms. It may not be the woman's desire, but rather her partner's increased efforts to start sex, according to the authors. It could be because of the foreign novelty, Frost muses.

9. Red hair and blue eyes are the rarest combination

Hair, skin, and eye color are all influenced by the MC1R gene. There is a mutation—or maybe more than one—in the MC1R gene that causes redheads. This explains why redheads are unusual. The genetic stars aligned for those who possess the rarest hair and eye color combination—red hair with blue eyes. Mark Elgar, PhD, an evolutionary biology professor at the University of Melbourne, estimates approximately 13.0 percent of the world's population possesses both characteristics. This works out to about 13 million people out of a total of 7.6 billion.

If blue eyes aren't the most uncommon eye color, then why is this combination so uncommon? Roles are played by numerous genes and variants in genes. Beyond that, though, neither feature is dominant; it's highly improbable that a child could inherit two sets of recessive genes from a single set of parents.

10. They experience heat pain more acutely

Researchers have examined the genetics of redheads' purported heightened or diminished pain sensitivity in countless studies.

Redheads have a higher temperature pain threshold and can regulate their core temperature significantly more rapidly, according to studies.

Additionally, ginger hair may necessitate around 20% more anesthesia during surgical procedures compared to other hair colors. No one knows for sure why this is happening, but it may have something to do with the mutant MC1R gene.

In Summary

Can you say that you've ever encountered a redhead in person? Although they only account for approximately 2% of the global population, redheads have produced a wealth of folklore: Supposedly, they are witches who, upon death, transform into vampires, are prone to tantrums, and have ties to the devil. Even though redheads have never been shown to be the rarest hair color, they do hold a special place in human history.

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