Could your little one be born with red hair? The odds are slim for most people, but you never know. Here’s a genetic breakdown of how red hair is determined.
Wondering if your baby might be a redhead? Only 1-2% of all people have red or orange hair. In Ireland and Scotland, however, about 20% of the population is red-haired.
Why do some people have red hair?
Red hair is a mutation in the human genome that usually traces its origins to the ancient Celtic people of Ireland. The mutation has also occurred in other parts of the world, but this trait has survived better in the north.
Two pigments are responsible for human coloring – eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin colors hair and skin in shades of brown and is responsible for skin darkening. Pheomelanin is present in the lips, nipples, and genitalia. Pheomelanin colors skin and hair pink, red, or orange.
All people have small amounts of pheomelanin in their hair, but in most, it cannot be seen due to the higher concentrations of eumelanin. However, some people have very little or no eumelanin, so the hair appears strikingly red. The lack of brown pigment also causes very light skin that does not darken and the appearance of freckles.
Does red hair have different shades?
There are hairs that are “classic red” and look quite orange. There can be some variation in how bright the orange color appears, but generally, pheomelanin on its own produces a very distinct shade. Some people have a mixture of pheomelanin and eumelanin in their hair, resulting in mixed shades such as auburn and strawberry blonde.
What are the chances of having a red-haired child?
And here are the chances of your child having red hair, depending on your hair color:
Two redheaded parents will have a redheaded baby.
If both parents have classic red hair, you can be sure that their baby will be a redhead too. Most likely, neither parent produces enough eumelanin (if they have any at all), so they cannot pass it on to their child. If, exceptionally, both parents have very little eumelanin in their genes, they could potentially produce a blond baby.
If one parent has red hair and the other has brown hair
This couple will most likely have a child with brown hair. It is also possible to have a blond child if the red-haired parent carries small amounts of eumelanin. If the red-haired parent has rather dark red, towards brown hair, or is strawberry blonde, this possibility will increase.
If one parent has red hair and the other has blonde hair
Genetically, this pair is very similar to the redhead-brunette combination. The child will probably be born strawberry blonde. Blonde hair in the child is another possibility if the red-haired parent carried only one gene for red hair.
If both parents have hair with a slight reddish tint
If both parents have brown hair with red undertones, strawberry blonde, or another combination of red and brown/blonde, there is a 25% chance that their child will be born classic red. This is because both parents carry the gene for pure red hair. At the same time, there is also a 25% chance that the child will be born without any red shades in the hair. There is a 50% chance that the child will have a slight reddish tint in their hair.
These are generalizations because coloration is not based on a formula of dominant and recessive traits, as geneticists once thought. Instead, it occurs as a result of different amounts of two different pigments. This makes things a bit more complicated than high school biology, but the general concepts still apply.
And another interesting thing – family history may be the biggest factor
If you are of Irish or Scottish descent, the chances of your baby being born with red hair are more likely. This is especially true if both parents have such a genetic inheritance.
