
Red Hair Sorority
Explain how red hair becomes red.
The development of red hair is attributed to a genetic variation that enables the body to produce a greater amount of one type of melanin and a lesser amount of another type in both skin and hair cells. The prevalence of red hair can be attributed to a mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene. Individuals with this genetic mutation exhibit a production of pheomelanin, a yellow-red pigment, due to malfunctioning melanocortin receptors, which manifestsin red hair and fair skin (Sessler, 2015).