In 2011, redhead sisters Stephanie and Adrienne Vendetti created the National "Love Your Red Hair Day" with the primary goal to empower the redheads to be confident, look fantastic and rock their beauty to the world. It was created as an anti-bullying campaign against the redheads, which had been a success.
The festival of the world's rarest hair color is held on Friday, November 5. Redheads only compose 2% of the world's hair color, which makes them so unique. Due to incorrect historical narrations from centuries ago, they are often described as ill-tempered or fiery.
Nonetheless, they equally look beautiful as other people with other hair colors. To celebrate with them, here are some fun facts about them that you should know.
It's all in the DNA
A study by Stanford University scientists has confirmed that the red hair trait is found in the genes. These genes, when passed down to the offspring, will also produce a red-haired child. Even though both parents do not show red hair, they can have a redheaded child as long as one of them has the gene.
There is a close combination wherein a blonde parent and a redhead parent could produce an offspring with "strawberry blonde hair." However, the only way to get a true redhead is through a combination of two redhead parents.
The rarest and most featured hair color in commercials
Redheads only comprise 2% of the world's population, and most of them are in Scotland with 13%, followed by Ireland with 10%. But New Zealand's redhead festival is the biggest annual gathering of redheads. Unfortunately, they need to postpone the event this year due to the pandemic.
Although they are the rarest hair color, they are also one of the most featured in commercials, according to a 2014 study that found that 30% of ads during primetime hours included a redhead. Perhaps it is because of how the redheads stand out in the crowd that they are popular.
Furthermore, several celebrities and royalties have notably red hair like Ed Sheeran and the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry. Also, Pixar's 11th official princess, Princess Merida, is a redhead from the Scottish highlands.
Produce more Vitamin D and lower risk of prostate cancer
According to the website National Today, redheads produce more vitamin D in a shorter time than people with other hair colors. That's quite amazing given that vitamin D has become one of the most essential vitamins these days to fight off COVID-19.
Moreover, a study from the British Journal of Cancer found that redheaded males have 54% lesser chances of developing prostate cancer than other men with black, blonde, or brown hair.
Change temperature quicker and more likely to go extinct
Studies suggest that redhead people are more sensitive to hot and cold temperatures, making them vulnerable to climate change. Although this has nothing to do with their hair color, several researchers said that their genes could go extinct at some point.
Some even suggested that these genes could be gone as early as 2060 and lay dormant for some time before returning to the genetic pool.
Check out more news and information on Hair on Science Times.
