Dark haired beauties can get a spray tan as soon as the temperatures warm up, but redheads may need to wait a little longer until it is much warmer outside. The sunlight in the atmosphere helps a redhead's tresses to glisten, and that sunlight will shine and help to illuminate her tan.
Researchers previously thought that those with the red-haired gene such as model Lily Cole got sunburned because they did not produce enough melanin. But they were surprised to discover that those with strawberry locks actually produce up to 500 per cent more melanin than those with a darker complexion.
Most caucasian redheads tend to be paler, and less able to tan. However, there are many that do tan and they also tan into more freckles. There are olive skinned redheads all over the world, though their hair tends to be more auburn (they have brown melanin in the hair as well as red). Yes, redheads can get a tan.
That's why it's so important to use a good self-tanner/at-home tanner and to practice that way you can achieve that beautiful, natural sunless glow. And YES, of course redheads look good with a tan!
However, people with red hair produce little of the melanin that is good at blocking the sun's harmful light, and produce more of the melanin that doesn't do as good of a job in blocking sunlight, making them more likely to get sunburned.
The skin of a redhead is thinner compared to others and is derived from the ectoderm. Teeth enamel is also derived from the ectoderm and thus is thinner than usual. Since the enamel coating is thin, the inner layer of tooth-dentin is more visible and offers a yellowish appearance.
Redheads feel hot and cold temperatures more severely than anyone else. In 2005, the University of Louisville discovered this hidden gift and hypothesised that the redhead gene, MC1R may cause the human temperature-detecting gene to become over-activated, making redheads more sensitive to thermal extremes.
People with darker skin and the ability to tan have high eumelanin levels and low pheomelanin levels. Redheads, however, have low levels of eumelanin and high pheomelanin levels. Pheomelanin's pinkish colour also explains the red pigments found in ginger hair, and in most cases, a warm, rosy skin tone, too.
All redheads should have green in their closet— most shades are instantly flattering. Olive green, kelly green, and emerald jeweled-tones all make red hair dazzle. Just be sure to stay away from yellowy-greens and always go for more of the saturated greens.
Natural redheads usually have fair skin with cool undertones, and it's a stunning combination. So if you have cool skin tones, opt for a natural auburn or mahogany shade.
Red hair is most commonly found at the northern and western fringes of Europe; it is centred around populations in the British Isles and is particularly associated with the Celtic nations.
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.
Less than 2 percent of the world's population has red hair, making it the rarest hair color in the world. It's the result of the mutated MC1R gene. If both parents carry that gene, their child has a 25% chance of getting lovely, red locks, even if the parents don't have red hair themselves.
There are dozens of other variants with different powers of your pigmentation, but to try to put it as simply as possible, being ginger doesn't necessarily dictate your skin tone, tanning ability, or freckle-to-paleness ratio. Each of these variants and which two copies you end up with is all hereditary.
Because MC1R affects the body systemically, the mutation also dictates other differences in the ginger-haired. While it makes redheads more susceptible to sunburn, that very sensitivity to ultraviolet rays also allows their bodies to produce more vitamin D, which is essential to bone development and good health.
Just five minutes or less will let the UVB rays hit your skin and kick start your natural vitamin D production. The trick is to stay in the sun half the time it would normally take for your skin to start turning red.
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.
One of the many facts about redheads is that their hair will never turn grey. The pigment in their hair that causes it to be red will just fade over time, causing their hair to turn blonde or white, but never grey.
Red hair is thicker than other colours
Each strand of red hair is generally thicker than other shades which compensates for the fact that redheads have less hair. Apparently they have – on average – 90,000 strands while blondes have 110,000, and brunettes have 140,000.
Research has shown that people with red hair perceive pain differently than others. They may be more sensitive to certain types of pain and can require higher doses of some pain-killing medications. However, studies suggest that their general pain tolerance may be higher.
Someone with red hair has two copies of the MC1R gene, receiving one from each parent. The gene also carries a certain mutation in most people who have red hair. It's this variant that has been identified as playing a role in why redheads may respond to pain drugs differently than others.
Lifespan: up to 20 years in captivity, 5-10 years in the wild.
Researchers think that the ginger gene, known as MC1R, may cause the temperature-detecting gene to become over-activated, making redheads more sensitive to the cold.
Reds have fewer and thicker strands than blondes and brunettes. On average, redheads have about 90,000 strands, blondes 110,000, and brunettes 140,000. Because each fiery strand is significantly thicker and coarser than its color counterparts, it makes hair look fuller and easier to style.