Which hair is considered the most common in the world, and which is the rarest? How does it change over time, and what shades are the most popular for coloring?
It’s no secret that many of us pay attention to certain traits in people that we find beautiful. You may be wondering if you belong to the large group of people with the most common hair color in the world or the small group of people with the rarest color. In this article, you will also learn how hair color is defined and changes over time, what factors affect pigmentation, and which shade is most often considered the most attractive.
In both Europe and North America, many people have dark hair. This might suggest that brunettes are the largest group. However, in fact, black is the dominant hair color throughout the world. This is pure statistics. Black is followed by brown hair (and the brunettes you might think of). Blonde is less common. Even rarer is red hair.
Blonde and red hair are scarce in their natural form, but the rarest of all-natural shades is red. There are also statistics regarding halftones. It would be correct to say that strawberry blonde, an incredibly light shade of red, is the rarest shade among all-natural hair colors.
Black hair
Black hair includes shades from a deep or dark brunette to jet black. In North America and Western Europe, black hair is considered one of the least common natural hair colors.
However, in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Eastern and Southern Europe, most people have black or dark brown hair. Because the combined population of these areas is quite large, black hair makes up the majority of natural hair colors in the world. In fact, the figure fluctuates between 75% and 85% of the world’s population.
Brown hair
Surprisingly, natural brunettes make up only 11% of the world’s population. Most people consider dark brown hair black because it doesn’t reflect light the way lighter brown hair does.
However, on closer inspection, muted brown is more noticeable. Lighter shades, in which the pigment is immediately noticeable, range from light brown to dark chocolate. These hair shades are found all over the world, although the highest concentrations of brunettes are found in Europe and areas where the descendants of Europeans live.
Blonde hair
Natural blonde hair is quite rare. Blonde-haired people make up only 3% of the world’s population. Since it is one of the most popular colors for colored hair, this statistic may shock those who see blonde women everywhere, believing they all have a natural color. Blonde is most common in Northern Europe – Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark. However, it also occurs naturally in parts of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. For example, the Solomon Islands have fair-haired inhabitants in the Pacific Ocean.
Red hair
Red hair is the rarest and only makes up 2% of the world’s population. In this category, you can find a variety of shades: from the strawberry mentioned above blonde to dark red. This hair color is mainly found in Scandinavia, Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland. However, redheads can be found worldwide among the descendants from these areas. Of course, this range is trendy in coloring.
Dyed hair
Thanks to progress, we no longer need to limit ourselves to natural colors, being able to choose from the broadest possible palette. Despite this, the most common color of dyed hair worldwide is blonde. Shades for coloring vary from light ash blonde to dark blonde.
Though blonde leads the way, trends can vary based on geographic location, culture, and periodic trends. It will not be surprising that women are more attracted to hair coloring than men. In the US, more than 75% of women have dyed their hair at least once.
White hair
It can be assumed that white or gray hair appears only with age, but there are other reasons for this. For example, people can have piebaldness, a disease in which a gray part of the hair appears on the front of the hairline.
In addition, there is albinism or lack of pigmentation in the eyes, hair and skin. Regardless of exactly how white or gray hair appears, gray-haired people make up less than 5% of the world’s population, distributed in all geographic regions.
How does hair color change?
You may notice that some people’s hair color changes over time. For example, the most common change is the change in gray hair color with age.
Melanin determines the hair color. Over time, hair follicles produce less of this substance, resulting in a lack of hair pigmentation. Scientists believe that a specific gene, specifically the IRF4 gene, may play a role in this age-related loss of pigmentation. Remarkably, however, this process can also occur in the opposite direction.
For example, very light blonde and even gray-haired children often have darker hair when they become teenagers. There have also been studies showing that gray hair can be reversed.
One of the reasons why hair color can change over time is due to drastic hormonal changes. Because of this, hair color can change when children become teenagers, when women are pregnant or after childbirth, when women go through menopause, or when people experience disorders, illnesses, or treatments that disrupt hormones. This is because hormonal changes can often lead to a decrease or increase in melanin production.
Can stress lead to gray hair? It is known to activate the fight-and-flight response, which is transmitted throughout the body. Chronic stress can have serious consequences for all parts of the body, including hair follicles. It causes the body to release a special chemical, norepinephrine, into the hair follicles. It changes stem cells that were supposed to become pigment cells. In an orderly manner, they move into the hair. Since this happens at an accelerated pace, there are no new cells that would perform their former function.
What hair color is the most desired?
Any master dealing with hair can easily answer this question. It is always the color that does not match the client’s natural shade. Few people call their natural shade the most desirable and pleasing to their owner. Perhaps that is why coloring is still dominated by shades that imitate natural hair rather than replicate the colors of the rainbow, which are less durable.
