Why Natural Blondes Are One of a Kind

We may have seen many people with these sun-kissed shades of hair on the silver screen, but in reality, blondes are a lot less common than that. Famous blondes such as Marilyn Monroe, Gwen Stefani, and Reese Witherspoon were not actually born with those luscious locks of golden hair. But there’s just something about being blonde that makes powerful women opt to bleach their hair to a lighter shade.

Bright Side finds it amusing to know just how special blonde people are. After all, they do seem to have a lot of fun.

Only 5% of Europeans and North Americans are natural blondes.

Being born with a yellow shade of hair is so rare that it’s found almost exclusively in Europe and Oceania. As light hair tends to darken over time, adults with untouched blonde hair are even more unique.

Natural blondes with dark skin are rare, but they exist.

People of Melanesia, a group of islands near Australia, have some of the darkest skin outside of Africa. And about 5%-10% of them have naturally blonde hair.

Some light hair is a result of a mutation.

It’s believed that blonde hair evolved not once, but twice. With the evolution of light skin came the evolution of light hair in Northern Europe. However, for some people from the Solomon Islands in Melanesia, their golden locks came from a single mutation of a particular gene.

People born with golden locks have more strands of hair.

They have about 150,000 strands of hair as compared to those with black, brown, and red hair, who can have an estimated 110,000, 100,000, or 90,000 strands, respectively. This could be because the hair evolved partially to protect the scalp from potentially damaging UV rays. Darker hair contains more melanin which gives more protection so it doesn’t need as much hair to do the job.

Blonde beards look like they grow slower than darker beards.

The color of your hair doesn’t determine how fast or slow it grows. Beards with lighter hues are just finer, so they may not look as full as darker beards. Hair growth actually depends on genetics, testosterone levels, and lifestyle choices.

Women with golden hair are more alluring.

A number of studies have found that women with golden locks attract more men. It doesn’t even matter if the hair is just a wig. Interestingly, another study discovered that the perks are not shared with blonde men — they weren’t more successful when asking women to dance, for example.

Women with blonde hair get paid more.

A study conducted by the University of Queensland found that women with hair the shade of the sun earn 7% more than women with other hair colors.

They also marry wealthier men.

The same study also revealed that blonde women marry men who earn 6% more than husbands of other women.

Bonus: There were naturally blonde people in ancient Asia.

Although Asian people are typically brunettes, naturally blonde Asians exist among different ethnic groups. But their origins may have come from ancient times because mummies with yellow hair have been found in China and Mongolia.

Can you think of anything else that makes blondes special? Let us know in the comments and share this with everyone you know who loves the sun-kissed hue!