Natural Hair Colors

A person's genes determines the hair-, skin- and eye color since before his or her birth. The determinants for hair color are known as melanocytes. These cells form the natural hair colors, or pigments and distinguish between black, brown, and red. Depending on the percentage of each pigment, the person has blonde, brown, red or black hair. As the melanocytes decay during a lifetime, the hair becomes a dull gray and later on it turns into a whitish color.

Hair types

Mankind is put into 6 skin- and hair-type categories:

Celtic type

• Has red-blonde or sandy hair
• Has very pale, sensitive skin
  
• Often has freckles

Self-protection time*: 5-10 min

Northern type

• Has blonde to dark blonde hair
• Has pale skin
• Self-protection time: 10-20 min

European type

• Has middle blonde to brown hair
• Has slightly tanned skin
• Self-protection time: 20-30 min

Mediterranean type

• Has dark to black hair
• Has light brown skin
• Self-protection time: 30-40 min

South Asian type

• Has black hair
• Has dark brown skin
• Self-protection time: more than 40 min

Negro type

• Has black curly hair
• Has almost black skin
• Self-protection time: unlimited

*Self-protection time: this value indicates how long the human skin can protect itself against harmful ultra-violet rays.

Views/opinions and prejudices

"Whether blonde or brown I love all the women..." sings Jan Kiepura in the film "I love all the women" (music by Robert Stolz, Austria).
According to surveys this quotation is not true for all men. Investigations have shown that men are mainly interested in blondes, while women prefer men with dark hair.

Special character traits are assigned to each hair color, but they are by far not always true. As early as the 18th century, Mozart wrote the opera "Don Giovanni"; there he let Leporello explain his masters preferences with the words: "He will praise a dark one’s constancy, a white-haired one’s sweetness."

Blonde: stupid, naïve, childish, aroused protector instinct, jokes about blondes

Red-haired: rare, attractive, seductive, cheeky, clever, queer, charming, dishonest, mean, underhand, dangerous

Quotation: "Red hair and freckles are the devil’s mates."

Black-haired: lively, fiery, wild, romantic

Such statements can be heard again and again in connection with natural hair colors. It is indeed a fact that most descriptions can be said, or could have been said in history about small "stereotypical" groups. Only around two to three percent of all people are red-haired; in England and Scotland red-haired people are up to 10%.

Scientists believe, however, that red hair might totally disappear in the future.

Red hair - blessing or curse?

In the Bible: In some biblical stories, evil is depicted by red hair. For example Judas, who betrayed Jesus for money, is described with red hair. Eve, too, is often drawn with red hair when eating the fruit of the Garden.

Middle Ages: Red-haired women were often regarded as witches; they were persecuted and not rarely executed.

Renaissance: In the 16th and 17th century, red hair was fashionable.

In the 19th century: Red-haired children were "evidence" that their mother had had an affair with the devil. Many pieces of advice went around explaining what might be done against red hair. Quite often those ideas were rather unhealthy.

During the World War II: The Nazis discussed whether two red-haired persons should be allowed to get married for fear of "degenerate" children.

End of the 20th century: Red hair is currently considered as a sign of youth (often women from 30 onwards have their hair dyed red). Red hair is a symbol of emancipated women and for women who sometimes and assertively act nontraditionally.

Today red hair is almost considered common. Red tints and dyes for hair are constantly in much demand.