BrandiLea wrote: I would probably consider you to have red hair. First of all if you once had it, you carry the gene....therefore you can make more redheads!!!

Joools wrote: I agree, if you were once redheaded, you still are. Sorry you lost the color; hair can change, but like Brandi said, you carry the gene.

Joools wrote: Also men who have red beards are technically considered redheads.

...not only technically but LOGICALLY! lol. ;-D  BOTH scalp hair and facial hair are ON the human HEAD! lol.

mrwright82468 wrote: there are seven observable physical traits that define qualification as a "real red head" and the color of the hair on your head is only one of them.. Strawberrysweetie wrote: so what are the seven physical traits, mr.wright?

I'd like to see these listed too, if possible, laddie.

Lunarstorm777 wrote: My step bro's mom was a redhead, he has red facial hair, but dirty dish water blonde... So what does that make him? He's always just considered himself blonde....

He's both a redhead and a blonde; it's his prerogative to say he's one or the other or both.  ;-)

Lunarstorm777 wrote: My half sister was born with bright redhair and shortly there after she became quite very blonde, but as of late it almost seems to be getting darker and possibly even turning red.... So if she turns red what is she?

If she's had a red component ('highlights,' etc.) all along, then she's always been a redhead at least in part--it all becomes a question of 'to what degree' and "in who's opinion," really. When you say 'bright redhair' do you mean flaming/fiery- or orange-red or some kind of light toned 'red+blonde' mix? Typically, once a minimal red-component is gone in never comes back; but there are exceptions to every rule, of course.  ;-)  Also, it seems to me quite normal for red hair early on to go to some shade or another of blonde later in life and then, perhaps, even over to some shade or another of brown...or even go straight from red to brown or even black skipping the blonde step.  But since the hair 'pigmentation scale' (or melanin ratio) runs from flaming/fiery- or orange-red on one extreme (max.-pheomelanin) to 'jet black' on the other (max.-eumelanin) the change quite often goes step by step over time from left to right and not the other way around, normally, it seems to me. ;-)

Lunarstorm777 wrote: My father has dark brown / black hair and my mom's genes still produced me, a complete redhead... But as I get older its getting darker.... So if it turns brown one day, am I no longer a redhead? Hmmm questions questions.....

Are there any bio.-members of your dad's family with red hair and/or freckles?  Does your dad have frecks.? Your dad is responsible for 1/2 of your DNA, so, it might/may be possible that one reason you're a redhead is because of your DAD TOO; even if it doesn't 'appear' so 'on the surface (i.e., phenotype considered without considering genotype for potentially present red-related alleles of MC1R from your paternal side). It sounds like your mom's genetic heritage really 'pushed' you over to the 'red side' very much if not maybe entirely as you state/suggest. =)  Man, methinks your hair is red enough...to a degree enough, that you're probably going to have a prominent red-component in your hair until you loose it entirely late in life due to loss of pigment due to aging.

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Lunarstorm777 wrote: Yikes lol, that was very comprehensive to say the least... Me thinks we haveth a new Redhead expert in our midsts.... Seems the most logical and indepth response I've yet seen on this thread....

Thanks man. =)

Lunarstorm777 wrote: As for the sister, she was born with hair color lighter than my current, but she was definately a redhead.... Everyone thought so... Then she turned so blonde there really was no other pigmentation to it... I just happened to notice a few days ago when it was cloudy out that she suddenly looked strawberry blonde and then it happened a few days ago as well.... Never happened before though...

Does she have any freckles? If she's showing a red component in clouded-sunlight; then she should really be showing red in uncloudy/clear sunlight--see if you can notice it some sunny day. ;-)  

Lunarstorm777 wrote: She clings to her blondeness though, so I doubt she will ever classify herself as a redhead lol. As she told me, "Think about this for a moment.... Me.... Do you really want ME to lay claim to being a Redhead?!?!?". Shes quite the airhead by and large.... Hence clinging to blondeness with such tenacity.

I used to know a straw.-blonde chick with pale skin and freckles; I was in the habit of calling her a redhead, but she always countered with: "I'm strawberry-blonde!" lol.   I used to reply back: "who do you think you're foolin'?!" (I used to drive her crazy like this)   That just goes to show how POPULAR blonde hair can be in certain social quarters...even among certain redheads who would prefer being blonde.

Lunarstorm777 wrote: As for my hair... Well, my fathers side I honestly can't think of ANYONE that had red hair or blonde hair for that matter...

You didn't mention freckles, so I guesses they're not present either, paternally.  Well, as you say, it sounds like you've inherited the gene from your maternal side.

Lunarstorm777 wrote: My mother's side has it consistently... Great grandmother, grandmother, mom, aunt, Uncle, me..... Like this particular sequence of the Redhead gene is VERY tenacious lmao... And to my knowledge my great grandmother married a Burnette, my grandmother certainly married a Burnette, and my mother married a Burnette lol... Hey, I'm living proof that redheads aren't dying out LMAO.

Does your 1/2 sister come from your mom or your dad's side, btw?  Your mom's side is definitely big-time red...no doubt about it. =)  When you say 'BURN-ette,' you mean pale-skinned persons with brown hair?   Of course, my next question about them all would be: who had freckles and who didn't regardless of hair color.   Because, a certain % of them (i.e., your maternal folks) were/are redheads but also this means that a certain % of them had/have to be (with sun exposure) frecklers too (without regard to hair color).

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