Red hair, also known as ginger hair, is a human hair color found in 2–6% of people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and lesser frequency in other populations. It is most common in individuals See more

The pigment pheomelanin gives red hair its distinctive color. Red hair has far more of the pigment pheomelanin than it has of the dark pigment eumelanin.
The See more

Melanoma
Melanin in the skin aids UV tolerance through sun tanning, but fair-skinned persons lack the levels of melanin needed to prevent UV-induced DNA-damage. Studies have shown that red hair alleles in MC1R increase See more

In various times and cultures, red hair has been prized, feared, and ridiculed.
Media, fashion and art
Queen Elizabeth I of England was a redhead, and during the See more

Modern
Northern and Northwestern Europe
Red hair is most commonly found at the northern and western fringes of Europe; it is centred around populations in the British Isles and is particularly associated with the Celtic nations See more

Most red hair is caused by the MC1R gene and is non-pathological. However, in rare cases red hair can be associated with disease or genetic disorders:
• In … See more

Beliefs concerning temperament
A common belief about redheads is that they have fiery tempers and sharp tongues. In See more