If you are a natural blonde, you may have already experienced this, finding the random crimson hair – then you may have asked the question that blondes have always asked: can blonde hair turn red?
Blonde hair is one of the less common hair colors—after all, only about five percent of women in North America have naturally blonde hair, while only one percent of people worldwide have red hair. But what is even more surprising is that the colors can overlap!
Can blonde hair turn red?
Yes! In short, both natural and artificial blonde hair can turn red.
For natural blondes, a number of physical and environmental changes can cause a “red shift”, usually hormonal developments. On the other hand, those with dyed blonde hair may find their hair turns red due to the chemical breakdown of the hair dye.
Why can natural blonde hair turn red?
If you’ve been blonde all your life, it may come as a surprise that you’re developing reddish hairs on your head. However, do not panic, because there are many benign explanations.
Hormonal changes
One of the most common reasons is a hormonal change. Here’s some background. The DNA determines the specific pigments (omelanin and pheomelanin) that your hair can produce.
However, the genetics of hair are still not very well studied. Scientists aren’t exactly sure of all the factors that go into hair color, but it’s clear that your genes set the contours of the pigments your hair can produce, while your hormones signal which pigments should be produced and in what amounts at any given moment.
For this reason, hormonal changes, from puberty to pregnancy to menopause, can give hair cells different instructions to produce pigments. This is the same reason fair haired children will develop darker colored hair during puberty, but it can cause a change from blonde to red in some cases.
perception
A related reason for the blond to red change is related to perception. Although it may seem intuitive to think that there are four natural hair colors (red, blonde, brown and black), this is not entirely accurate; Many people have hair that technically crosses the line, from strawberry blonde to auburn.
This is because there is no on/off switch for red – it has to do with the production of pheomelanin. It connects to Blond hair Because your hair may have always been red, and it just looks blonde to the naked eye.
Thus, when the aforementioned hormonal changes happen, it only appears that your hair is suddenly red because you are noticing the redness for the first time.
diet
Another reason for blonde hair turning red is related to diet. When a person is severely malnourished, your body can develop a protein deficiency like kwashiorkor. These conditions will cause your body to “analyze” the proteins it produces, divert them from your hair and use them to maintain your body.
As a result, both hair and skin can turn a brittle, dry and rusty orange shade. However, this is an extremely rare reason for blonde hair to turn red. Although malnutrition is more common among the elderly and vegans, it would have to reach a very severe point for it to blossom into full-on kwashiorkor.
However, if you suspect you are experiencing a nutritional deficiency, contact your doctor, or perhaps see a nutritionist.
Why is my blonde (dyed) hair turning red?
if you Get your blonde hair colored In the salon rather than genetics, there are also reasons why your locks can take on a crimson hue.
Simply put, the chemicals once Bleach hair “Lift” the pigment from your strands – but depending on how your hair reacts, it doesn’t remove it all. In that case, it may leave behind the naturally red pigments that are present in many people’s hair.
as the faded colorThis orange-red hue becomes more prominent, which can, again, create the illusion that your blonde hair is turning red.
If you don’t like these red pigments showing their crimson faces, you should use a green or purple shampoo to neutralize the red or yellow-orange colors (following the basic principles of color theory, use green to neutralize red and violet to neutralize yellow-orange).
So can blonde hair turn red?
Long story short, blonde hair can turn red. This change can occur due to both genetic and perceptual changes – it could be that your hormones are activating different pigments in your hair or you’re just noticing your red for the first time.
if you color your hairThe discoloration may be a result of the bleaching process, in which case you can simply correct it with a pigmented shampoo.