Are You a Blonde, Brunette, or Redhead?

Here's the Real Story Behind Your Hair

A Love-Hate Relationship With: Our Hair

Did you know, on average, every person grows just under 600 miles of hair in a lifetime? In other words, you could theoretically have a ponytail stretching from Philadelphia to Detroit.

Even more impressive, hair is incredibly strong stuff. With just the hair on your head right now, you have the potential tensile strength to lift two elephants!

Hair comes in a million different textures and colors, and no two heads of hair are alike. Lots of us end up entering complicated relationships with perms and curlers and hair dye, without totally understanding just how cool our hair really is!

Awesome facts about hair and hair color that you may never have realized.

They say that "blondes have more fun," but there's a lot more to this hair color than that stereotype.

For example, did you know that people with naturally blonde hair have more strands of hair on their heads? Blonde hair strands are thinner than other hair colors, so the scalp can accommodate more hair.

There are four widely recognized hair colors: red, blonde, brown, and black, but many people don't realize that hair that appears to be pure black is the darkest shade of brunette.

Brunette hair is the most common hair shade in the world, with more than 90 percent of the population identifying as a brunette. Still, it's hardly a catch-all term; brown hair comes in so many different shades and variations that we could be here all day debating the difference between auburn brown and chestnut brown.

Red hair is, by far, the world's rarest hair color, and there is even a persistent rumor that red hair is going extinct - but don't worry, this myth has no basis in science.

What is true is that redheads make up just 1 percent of the world's population, and are found overwhelmingly in Northern Europe, with the highest concentrations in Scotland and Ireland.

Despite the popular assumption that red hair comes solely Northern Europe, naturally occurring red hair also historically shows up in Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia.

Redheads are often stereotyped as stubborn, which may be linked to a quality of their hair. Red hair doesn't go gray easily, as hair ages, the color fades, and the hair naturally becomes either gray or white.

Blondes tens to go slightly yellow or brassy as it grays.

Brunettes go gray at all different rates, but brunettes with especially dark hair might be more likely to go "salt-and-pepper" early, possibly for the simple reason that the silver strands are more visible in darker hair.

In addition to all the fascinating tidbits about hair color, hair as a substance which is truly incredible!

Photos, Céline Haeberly for LittleThings