Red Hair

Red hair color is the rarest natural humans. The color is caused by mutations in a gene called MC1R. This article describes the genetic and biological red hair.

Skin and hair color is determined by a pigment called melanin. There are two main types: eumelanin, which is brown-black, and phaeomelanin, which is a sort of reddish brown. A person with red hair have a greater amount of pheomelanin than eumelanin.

The melanin in the skin contributes to the tolerance of UV rays, but people with fair skin lacks melanin levels necessary to prevent damage to DNA induced by UV. Studies have shown that the alleles in ability.It red hair and freckles, increase acceptance bed MC1R was noted that Europeans showing heterozygous for red hair, which is an increased sensitivity to UV.

Red hair works a little differently than other colors. Pheomelanin pigment is important, and here MCR1 operation is the gene that controls.

For people with two normal copies of the production MCR1 pheomelanin is removed and the color is to dictate what other genes: black, brown or blond.

The figure below is an example of Red Hair