Interesting Facts About Redheads You’ve Never Heard Before Today

It’s common for humans to fear the unknown and turn their backs on strange or oddball things. History is rife with inequality based on gender, race, and religious tendencies, but it turns out that hair color can also cause people to go wild. Redheads are quite rare in nature, and most people don’t understand them or why they are there.

In fact, some communities worldwide often thought of them as magical or supernatural. It turns out that these people are just regular human beings, but they did suffer at the hands of those who didn’t understand. Let’s learn some interesting facts about people with red hair!

Left-Handed

There’s research out there that shows people with red hair are often left-handed because of the recessive trait they carry in their DNA. Just like redheads are rare, so are left-handed people. This only affects 10-15 percent of the population!

National Redhead Day

Love Your Red Hair Day, or National Redhead Day, is an annual celebration held on November 5. It’s not just in the US; many other countries celebrate it. This holiday was established to help welcome people with red hair so that they’re loved!

Different Red Hues

People born with red hair often notice that the vibrancy and darkness can differ between people. Ginger hair comes in six shades, such as strawberry blonde to dark auburn. That classic red color is the most common image we get, though.

Red Hair Means Vampire

In ancient times, the Greeks associated people with red hair as Thracians or those who lived up north from the Greeks. They believed that those with red hair turned to vampires upon death because of the barbaric behavior associated with the hair color.

Surnames Reflect the Hue

Redheads from the British Isles often have surnames that indicate the color of their hair. For example, Flannery means red eyebrows. Flynn implies that the hair is bright red. Reid is another, but that person often has a ruddy complexion.

Fear of Red Hair

Gingerphobia is a real thing and means that the person who has it fears or dislikes those with red hair. Extreme cases can lead to hating all redheads in general. Who could hate someone just because of their hair color?!

Cats and Red Hair

Mark Twain, the famed author, once said that he believed redheads came from cats. The quote came from a common belief at the time that redheads were hot-tempered compared to others. It’s led to many stereotypes throughout the many cultures of the world.

Possible Extinction

Studies are now suggesting that the red hair gene might be completely eradicated from DNA by 2060. Other scientists claim that the gene will stay dormant for a few generations and then return in full force. Who knows!

Harder to Dye

Natural red hair is harder to dye because of its firmness and pigmentation. It requires a bleaching process to turn the hair a lighter shade. However, that significantly damages the hair, so it’s prone to dryness and breakage because at least two rounds of bleach are needed!

Dark to Red

Kwashiorkor is one type of severe protein deficiency that is often found in areas with starchy diets and less protein. The symptoms were often found in kids whose hair turned red because of the disease. Other manifestations include edema, rashes, and dry skin.

Prone to Parkinson’s Disease

Scientists have learned that people with red hair are more vulnerable because of the MC1R gene. Less dopamine gets released into the brain, which can lead to brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.

Neanderthals with Red Hair Gene

Research indicates that Neanderthals had a version of the red hair gene we see today. It wasn’t as vibrant as redheads have now, but this suggests that they didn’t inbreed with each other!

Hitler and Redheads

Hitler was the Auschwitz dictator who tried to kill all the Jews, among other nationalities and ethnicities. He forbade those with red hair from marrying because he believed it would produce bad children. No further explanations were provided.

Common Sacrifices in Egypt

Ancient Egyptians often used redheads to sacrifice to Osiris. It happened in the early days and was quite common. In fact, they would burn all redheaded men, scattering those ashes with winnowing fans.

Culturally Common Myths and Rumors

History has shown many myths and prejudices about people with red hair. Therefore, many redheads have been ridiculed. Ancient beliefs indicated that they were associated with the devil because of their aggression and temperamental attitudes.

More Value in Redheaded Slaves

Everyone in the ancient times believed that redheaded slaves were more valuable and did better work. It became a symbol of high status and wealth. However, red hair was rare then, too, so many slaves had to dye their hair to be seen as the best.

No Gray Hairs

Scientists discovered that redheads retain their pigments longer than other hair colors. Therefore, the vibrancy will fade to copper and then blonde. Inevitably, those with red hair will have silver-white tresses as they age.

Lilith, Adam’s First Wife, Had Red Hair

Lilith is mentioned as Adam’s first wife in the Old Testament of the Bible. You can read about it in Isaiah Chapter 34. Though translations may change, the original text did mention a mass of flaming red hair!

More Anesthesia to Sleep

Scientists believe that redheads need more anesthesia because of their low pain tolerance. To prove this, a 2004 study found that they do need about 19 to 20 percent more for medical procedures. It’s definitely one of the stranger facts!

Satan Portrayed with Red Hair

Red is often associated with sexual desire and moral degradation, so it makes sense that Satan is shown as having red hair or being red in general. Likewise, the Meroviants from ancient Gaul thought redheads had magical powers.

Redheaded Adam

Certain scholars believe Adam had red hair, and that idea comes from the root of his name. He’s also supposed to have a rosy complexion from one statement in the Bible: “…was that of the early atmosphere.” That could refer to the sunrise being red.

Africans Believe Redheads Are Witches

Africans heavily believed in witchcraft and witches, which led to several murders, though this is in the past. However, some parts of the country still accept this as true, which adds to the stigma against people with red hair.

Eve as a Redhead

A few art pieces show Eve with red hair, such as Domenico Zampieri’s The Rebuke of Adam and Eve. There are others, including Eve, Serpent, and Death and The Garden of Earthly Delights. They’re quite interesting to see.

Bruise More Easily

Medical experts have confirmed on numerous occasions that redheads bruise more easily after surgery. Research indicates that the MC1R gene alters the blood vessel lining. Therefore, other cells that help with immunity might be compromised.

Influential Throughout History

Scholars note that many people who influenced history were redheads, such as Galileo, Vincent Van Gogh, Thomas Jefferson, Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, and Napoleon Bonaparte. This shifts to the modern world for the entertainment industry, too.

Pigs and Birds Help Us Understand Redheads

Scientists now suggest that a redhead’s red pigmentation could be associated with smaller brains. To understand how the red color might affect health, they tested more than 1,400 boars and birds.

Pagan Witches Dyed Their Hair

Shamans and pagans believe that hair is associated with vitality and strength. Therefore, folklore often states that the witch’s power is in her hair. They believe red hair gives more magical energy, so many people dye their hair red to perform certain rituals.

Bees Prefer Redheads

Scientists think that bees like redheads more because of the bright pigmentation. The hair resembles flowers. When you add a fruity or flowery shampoo, you will probably attract even more of them!

More Vitamin D

Redheads internally produce melanin when they don’t get exposure to Vitamin D. The deficiency affects about 50 percent of the world’s population. However, redheads can’t absorb enough of it, so their bodies work harder to make it.

Idon of Mu as the First Redhead

Idon of Mu is a legendary figure said to have gotten red hair when he visited Atlantis. He found it while fleeing from his home. Marveling at the red pigment in the clouds and sky, his hair just turned that color.

Conceived During Menstruation

In medieval times, people believed menstrual blood was dangerous or even poisonous if men and women had intercourse during that time. If a child were conceived while the woman menstruated, they would have red hair or even be deformed.

Blue Eyes and Redheads Are Rare

The combination of blue eyes and red hair is found among a very small percentage of the population. The odds are about 0.17 percent, so it’s quite rare. Both traits are recessive, so both parents require the MC1R and blue eyes genes.

Perfect Poison

George Chapman wrote the Tragedy of Bussy D’Ambois, which is based on real events that led to the murder of Louis de Bussy d’Amboise in 1579. The play mentioned that the fat of a redhead was needed to create the perfect poison.

More Prone to Skin Cancer

Redheads have a higher chance of developing melanoma than those who don’t have the MC1R gene because of the mutation. Melanoma is the worst skin cancer type in the world and is very dangerous. There were about 3 million active cases in 2015.

More Sexually Active

German scientists conducted a study researching a woman’s hair color and their sex life. It found that those with red hair are generally more sexually active than brunettes and blondes. Maybe it’s because redheads are sexier or more desirable because they’re rare.

Sensitivity to Temperature Changes

Research indicates that redheads are more sensitive to pain and can sense temperature changes faster. That sensitivity is more intense compared to other hair colors. It might be because the red hair gene mutated their senses.

Redheaded Witches

Redheaded women were often burned alive in the 16th and 17th centuries when witch hunts were prominent. Many times, they were stripped down and shaved to help “remove” the magic. They’d also be killed and tortured because of the fear surrounding their unnatural features.

Fewer Hair Strands

A redhead has, on average, about 90,000 strands of hair on their head. However, blondes have more than 140,000! Red hair is generally thicker, though, so they still look like they have a ton!

Tiziano Vecelli and Red

Tiziano Vecelli, often called Titan, was known for creating paintings of redheaded people. “Assumption of the Virgin” is one of his most famous works. Since he painted them so much, he was associated with the red hue for the rest of his life.

Recessive Trait

To have the trait, people require two copies of the original gene. Therefore, when both parents have the gene, there’s only a one-in-four chance that their kids will have red hair. That’s why they’re so rare, and it’s amazing!