why do some people have red hair?

Answer 1

Because both parents carry the recessive gene that is responsible for red hair .

Answer 2

Long ago, there were no people with red hair and the world was a much darker, unhappier place. So much so, that the gods of Ireland took pity on humanity and sent a great cardinal to fly over the land. Who ever was touched by her wings was given the gift of red hair. And in a short time, the world was laughing and full of grace once again.

Answer 3

Hair color is determined by genetics--aka what did you mom, dad, grandma, great-great grandfather have.

Red hair is recessive to all other colors.

Simply stated, people with dark hair or blonde hair can carry the red-head gene. So...2 people without red hair can have a red headed baby if both sides of the family have redheads in the family.

This is why real red heads are rare, but children still continue to have it in families.

Answer 4

Skin and hair pigment is made up of different types of melanin. There are two broad groups of melanin: eumelanin , which is brown, and phaeomelanin , which is red. Somebody with dark hair will have predominantly eumelanin. Somebody with very bright red hair will have little eumelanin but lots of phaeomelanin. It was discovered that the melanocortin 1 receptor, a protein encoded by a gene previously discovered in mice, was responsible for the production of red hair in humans. Everybody has two copies of this gene but there are slight changes in the gene that are very common in European populations. If you have one of about four or five common changes in this gene and one of these changes is found on both of your chromosomes, then you are likely to have red hair. A little bit of basic genetics: you have two copies of every gene; you inherit one from your mother and one from your father. If both of these genes are different, with respect to the changes that might lead to red hair, then you will have red hair. If however you only have one change, you have an increased chance of having red hair but the chances are that you won't, although you will tend to be more sun sensitive than the average person.

Answer 5

Hair colour is determined by genes inherited from your parents. The gene for red hair is recessive, meaning that if you inherit a red hair gene from one parent and a non-red hair gene from the other, you will not have red hair, although you will carry the gene and can still pass it on to your children. Only if you inherit a red hair gene from both parents will you have red hair. You can see from this that two red-haired parents will have only red-haired children, but red-haired children can also be born to parents carrying the red hair gene but who do not themselves have red hair (although somewhere in the past there will be a red-haired ancestor). Hope that helps!

Answer 6

I'm often asked if I got mine done at a salon because the colors are supposedly pretty--coppers, dark copper, browns. I don't just have bright brassy red hair...and usually I'm embarrassed by my red hair and wish it were dark almost black brown, but this question makes me want to flaunt my reddish brown hair. Hmph!
:p

Answer 7

Because, we were born that way, and some people actually like people with red hair, for I am one of them....natural, from top to bottom.

Answer 8

Well Im Irish so thats why I have beautiful red hair. Its o\all on the genetic side

Answer 9

some people have red hair because it goes back to saxon times when most people had red hair,it is in your genes

Answer 10

my hair is red cause i bought it in a bottle to dye my hair it`s bright ruby red and i love it i think little girls look beautiful with that shade of ginger that looks gold especially when its long and curly i always wanted a daughter with hair like that but all mine have very dark hair but that looks lovely too