Tag Archives: hair color

Sorry, took a bit of a break from the blog for a few days but I am back!

Today I am going to approach the subject of all the grief that redheads receive for their naturally beautiful hues.  I believe British Media often uses the term ‘Gingerism’ in reference to the prejudice against redheads, as it is fairly prominent in the UK.  And North America is not much better, especially with the ‘help’ of South Park and the terrible Kick a Ginger Day.

Red hair occurs in approximately 1 to 2% of the human population and happens when people have two copies of a recessive gene on chromosone 16 which causes a mutation in the MC1R protein.  The more pheomelanin your hair has the redder it is, resulting in a variety of red hues.  What the MC1R protein does is it lets the conversion of pheomelanin into eumelanin happen, so as a result red hair is pretty rare.

The fact that red hair is rare is one of the reasons why I think it is pretty cool, and why it gets picked on because the bully mentality certainly loves a minority.  Over the years, I have attempted several shades of it though colouring.  The one thing that is a pain in the ass is maintaining red hair though, as it can fade so fast!  Here are a quick few tips to maintain that red colour.

1. After colouring, try not to shampoo your hair for 24-48 hours.
2. Use a colour enhancing shampoo.  There are several shampoos on the market that are specifically for red hair and have a bit of a tint to them to keep your colour bright.  Bumble and Bumble makes a great red shampoo & conditioner.
3. Exposure to sun and chlorine are going to fade your colour faster, so keep your hair protected.
4. Try out some dry shampoos to alternate with your regular shampoos so that your colour will last a little longer.

Last but not least, here is a shout out to some of my favourite Gingers!

Christina Hendricks

Prince Harry

Isla Fisher

Molly Ringwald

Rupert Grint

Lucille Ball

Marcia Cross

Megan Follows

Rita Hayworth

Conan O'Brien