A closer look at our redhead genetics, Cause how on earth did we end up with this bright red hair color?
Understanding the roots of red hair is pretty difficult. It’s all in our genes, and believe me our genes had to fight a real battle!
First, You should know that we all have two copies of most of our genes. One from mom and one from dad.
Secondly, our genes can come in different versions. These different versions can lead to different features.
For example, there are versions of the MC1R gene that lead to red hair. And versions that do not lead to red hair.
This means that people can have three possible combinations of the MC1R gene. They can have;
Now it’s pretty obvious that having two non-red versions of the MC1R gene means you will not have red hair and that having two red versions means that you will have red hair. But what if you have one version of each?
This is where “recessive” comes in. Not all versions of genes are created equal -- some versions are "weaker" than other ones. The weaker version is called recessive, and the stronger version is called dominant. The red hair version of the MC1R gene is weaker than any other version of the MC1R gene.
So if you have a red and a non-red version of the MC1R gene, then unfortunately the red hair version will lose and you will not have red hair. But this does mean that you are a carrier for red hair and you can pass this on to your kids.
First, You should know that we all have two copies of most of our genes. One from mom and one from dad.
Secondly, our genes can come in different versions. These different versions can lead to different features.
For example, there are versions of the MC1R gene that lead to red hair. And versions that do not lead to red hair.
This means that people can have three possible combinations of the MC1R gene. They can have;
- Two non-red versions
- Two red versions
- One of each
Now it’s pretty obvious that having two non-red versions of the MC1R gene means you will not have red hair and that having two red versions means that you will have red hair. But what if you have one version of each?
This is where “recessive” comes in. Not all versions of genes are created equal -- some versions are "weaker" than other ones. The weaker version is called recessive, and the stronger version is called dominant. The red hair version of the MC1R gene is weaker than any other version of the MC1R gene.
So if you have a red and a non-red version of the MC1R gene, then unfortunately the red hair version will lose and you will not have red hair. But this does mean that you are a carrier for red hair and you can pass this on to your kids.
Long story short,
Becoming a redhead is pretty damn hard. But I do believe that we redheads have some strong-ass genes! Fighting up against all those blondies and brownies, We redheads are real survivors.
It’s in our genes!
Becoming a redhead is pretty damn hard. But I do believe that we redheads have some strong-ass genes! Fighting up against all those blondies and brownies, We redheads are real survivors.
It’s in our genes!