There's about a 1 in 600 chance of a baby having this striking look.
Brown eyes, hazel eyes, green eyes, blue eyes — these are the standard shades for the windows to our soul. But which hair color most typically accompanies each? Blond hair and blue eyes are a common classic, as are brown hair and brown eyes. But, what’s the rarest combination of hair color and eye color to see together?
According to The University of Melbourne, red hair and blue eyes is the most uncommon pairing. The traits for both red hair and blue eyes are recessive, so the chances of these two coming together are very rare.
Only 1-2% of the population has red hair and only 17% has blue eyes. That means the odds of a person having both traits are around 0.17%, according to The University of Melbourne. They estimated in 2018 there were about 13 million natural redheads with blue eyes in the world.
If you have red hair and blue eyes, you’re basically a human unicorn.
Interested in learning some other fun facts about redheads? Here are just a few:
1. Redheads Go Gray More Slowly
Red strands hold their pigment a lot longer than other colors, so redheads don’t have to be concerned with graying, according to Cosmopolitan. Their ginger locks will simply turn more rose gold with age and eventually will turn completely white.
2. Redheads Are Better at Making Vitamin D
According to a 2020 study published in Experimental Dermatology, redheads are able to synthesize more vitamin D from less sunlight than those who have darker skin or hair. This may be an evolutionary development that came from redheads historically living in areas with less sunlight.
3. Red Hair Is Thicker
Redheads have fewer strands of hair on their heads than those with more common hair colors but the hair is thicker to make up for the difference in volume. Madison Reed’s haircare blog says redheads have 90,000 strands on average, while blonds have 110,000 and brunettes have 140,000.
4. Gingers May Need More Anesthesia for Surgeries
UCLA Health cites a pair of studies done in the early 2000s that found natural redheads may feel pain and changes in temperature more sharply than others. This is apparently because of the gene that causes red hair, MC1R. The university cites another medical study that found women with red hair may need up to 20% more anesthesia than dark-haired women to stay sedated.
About the Author
I have a B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I’m an avid writer with a genuine sense of curiosity. I feel the best way to absorb the world around you is through fashion, art and food, so that’s what I spend most of my time writing about.
