What does your natural hair colour say about your health?

Hair colour is often associated with personality traits – “blondes aren’t as intelligent”, “redheads are quick to anger”. We aren’t so sure about what your hair says about your character, but surprisingly, your hair can actually tell you more about your health. If you’re a brunette, you’re more likely develop a nicotine addiction, according to a study done in 2006. What? Is that even possible? Apparently so. It seems that your hair colour can define certain health patterns and issues, and could even map out risks associated with diseases like Parkinson’s.

Curious to know more? Here’s a breakdown of your health traits, according to your hair colour.

Brunette

Interestingly, the darker your hair, the more coarse and thick it is. But don’t let its texture fool you into thinking that it is abundant! It is a fact that brunettes have fewer hairs on their head compared to their blonde or redhead counterparts, meaning you’ll have less hair to lose and might mean hair loss is more noticeable.

The pigment of your hair is caused by an increase in melanin, which also means you are less likely to develop skin concerns due to UV damage, but strangely enough, this also means you are more likely to develop a nicotine addiction as nicotine is known to accumulate in the tissue that contains melanin. Unfortunately, this also means that the drug can stay in your body longer.

Blonde

Blondes are also susceptible to surprisingly complex health issues. Because of the lack of melanin in the body, blondes can be more prone to developing skin and eye problems. In fact, if your blonde hair is accompanied by blue eyes, you’ll be at a higher risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, which could lead to irreversible vision loss. Fortunately, it is possible to prevent this condition through vigilant protection from sunlight exposure – remember to put on your sunglasses when you’re venturing outdoors!

With a lack of melanin, your fair skin will also need to be shielded from the sun, lest you develop melanoma. Sunscreen is a must.

Red

While brunettes are common, redheads are hard to come across these days. Red hair is the rarest natural hair colour in the world – in fact, redheads make up less than 2 percent of the world’s population. Those who sport this hair colour have been found to be more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. A study found that the genetic mutation responsible for the bright hair colour can also put redheads at a higher risk of developing this degenerative disease.

And surprisingly, this same genetic mutation makes people with red hair more tolerant to anesthesia – probably not such a good thing if you need to undergo a painful surgery.

But not all is bad for those with red hair. Redheads are able to naturally produce higher levels of vitamin D.

Angela Goh

Photos: Getty Images

Read more:

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