hair colorIt is a misconception that when it comes to hair color, dark hair is a dominant genetic trait and that light hair is recessive. When you see a Latina mother with a red-headed daughter or a black mother with a blonde child, it calls into question the meanings of “dominant” and “recessive.”

Anomalies in hair color — for example, dark-haired parents with light-haired children — occur because hair color is not determined by a “yes/no” genetic formula. Hair color is determined by additive genes, not on/off genetic traits.

Alleles and Additive Genes

Alleles are different forms of the same gene. Two alleles were traditionally thought to determine color. The amount of eumelanin in a person’s hair determines if he has black, brown or blonde hair. The amount of pheomelanin is responsible for any red tint.

Both melanins — in the hair, skin, and iris of the eye, — the more eumelanin a person has, the darker brown the hair is. The less eumelanin, the closer to blonde it is. The more pheomelanin a person has, the closer to orange the hair is.

But there is a twist. Everyone has, to some degree, both eumelanin and pheomelanin in his hair. It is the combination of the two that determines the color of a person’s hair. What would otherwise be bright red hair becomes dark red or auburn with the addition of eumelanin.

Again, the more eumelanin, the darker a person’s hair is. Enough eumelanin will completely cover any red created by the pheomelanin in someone’s hair. What Determines the Amount of Eumelanin and Pheomelanin in Someone’s Hair?

This is the aspect of hair color that scientists are still struggling to understand. It is not uncommon for parents with dark hair to have children with light-colored or red hair. If dominant genes always produced dominant colors, there would never be the appearance of red and blonde in the children of dark-haired parents. But, there is.

This is because there are hundreds of alleles for every gene. Furthermore, not all alleles of a gene type interact with other alleles in the same manner. The combination of two alleles may produce a very different outcome, with respect to hair color, then the combination of similar alleles. In other words, it’s really anyone’s guess what color a child’s hair will turn out to be, even if a “dominant” gene is apparent in both parents.

Predicting a child’s hair color is like predicting whether or not you’ll lose your hair due to genetics. Who knows? But if you are suffering from hair loss you can get your look back, color and all. At Genesis II, we will determine which hair loss restoration procedure is right for you. To schedule a free consultation call us at (315) 458-1074 or to contact us via email click here.

 

Photo Credit: langll Via Pixabay

 

Sources:

http://www.indiana.edu/~oso/lessons/Genetics/RealColors.html

https://udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythredhair.html