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Fun Facts About Redheads

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 15:09 PST, Nov 13, 2016

Red is the rarest of all hair colors, and seemingly, the most controversial. People seem to either love or hate hair of the ginger variety, but there are certain facts that are undeniable. Whether it’s National Redhead Day or National Kiss A Ginger Day, redheads are actually special everyday.

But with all things that are unique, redheads need special care and handling, says the Inquisitr. Red hair is so brightly colored, often with fair skin, and that means that finding effective make-up shades can be a challenge. Brows and lips can be the biggest challenge for a redhead, because matching brow fixative to red hair can be difficult. Redheads often have light or even somewhat blonde brows, and filling them in with the wrong color often looks odd. For lips, there seems to be a fine line between stylish and Bozo the Clown for a redhead, so knowing some tips about color palates can be of help.

WCSH shared some fun facts about redheads that can make them seem even more special than originally thought. While Ireland is often thought of as the headquarters for redheads, Scotland actually beats Ireland in percentage of redheads with 13 percent (Ireland is 10 percent), but both are Celtic countries. Worldwide, redheads are just about two percent of the population.

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Red hair is linked to the MC1R gene, which is actually a genetic mutation. Because of this mutation, redheads are uniquely sensitive to pain, and require more anesthesia than others. It is thought that this is because red hair is on the same gene linked to pain receptors. So if a redhead is having a dental or medical procedure, they will probably take longer to get numb, or get knocked out.

Since red hair is a recessive gene, and recessive genes also come in pair, redheads are more likely to be left handed (and/or have blue or green eyes). There is much mythology about redheads, and some things fall into the category of rumors. Red hair is often linked to fiery tempers, or the devil, and there is a rumor that said that Adolph Hitler banned marriage between redheads for fear that it would lead to “deviant offspring.”

Though redheads are more likely due to fair skin to get skin cancer, they are 54% less likely to develop prostate cancer. Redheads tend to have less hair than other people, but their hair tends to be thicker. Red hair is the thickest of all hair colors. On average, redheads have 90k strands of hair, while the other colors average 140k, though the redheads hair will look just as thick.

The Austin Statesman had a few more fun redhead facts to add to the list. The ancient Greeks believed that redheads turned into vampires when they died, and during the Middle Ages, it was believed that redheads were conceived through “unclean” sex. During the witch hunts of the 16th and 17th century, redheads were burned at the stake, because they were thought more likely to be witches.

Scholars have noted that redheads have been “influenced history out of proportion to their numbers.”

“Famous redheads include Roman emperor Nero, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, the ancient god of love Aphrodite, Queen Elizabeth I, Napoleon Bonaparte, Oliver Cromwell, Emily Dickinson, Antonio Vivaldi, Thomas Jefferson, Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Twain, James Joyce, Winston Churchill, Malcolm X, Galileo, and King David.”

Do you have a redhead in your family? Are you a redhead? Are there any other fun facts not mentioned here?

[Featured Image by Chris Hopkins/Getty Images]

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