Here's what you didn't know about brunettes!
Number 18. Shouldn't Smoke
They definitely shouldn't take up smoking, according to a study done by TSU E.D.U., all
the melanin (the pigment that determines hair and skin color) brunettes have prevents their
liver from breaking down nicotine quickly. This can prove troublesome for our brown-tressed
darlings, as the longer nicotine stays in your system, the more likely you are to develop
an addiction to it and the harder it will be to stop smoking. So what does this mean
if you're a brunette? Well, for starters, you should probably select a different habit
to take up.
Number 17. More Attractive and Intelligent?
A study was done on this exact matter in 2011 out of the UK and it found that men routinely
rated brunettes as more attractive than when shown the same women's pictures with only
different hair color. Additionally, the study went on to establish that most men considered
brunettes to be competent and intelligent as compared to their blonde or red-headed
counterparts. However, in comparison to blondes, brunettes dropped the ball on approachability;
they were routinely found to be considered as more "stone cold" than other hair colors.
Number 16. The Word
In reference to the word itself, women are often found to be "brunette" while men are
mostly just called "brown-haired." While the word does have a counterpart with a masculine
spelling, B. R. U. N. E. T., it is quite uncommon to use in the English language. Some people
include black hair in the definition of brunette while others don't. What do you think?
Number 15. Middle of the Road
Everyone knows brunette hair is thicker and coarser... but did you know there's actually
more of it? When it comes to counting the number of hairs on a head, brunettes were
routinely found to have more of them than redheads by a pretty large differential. Redheads
consistently rang in at about 80,000 hairs while brunettes won out at 100,000 on average.
Despite this, however, blondes actually took the cake here with 120,000 follicles. Sorry
brunettes, it looks like you're right in the middle on this one.
Number 14. More competent?
Ironically, brunettes are seen as more competent but less likely to become CEO. In a study
by the University of British Columbia, researchers routinely found that brunettes were seen as
more competent and independent than blondes of the same caliber. However, when men saw
brunettes actually leading a team, they appeared to penalize them for it. This was initially
tested using the phrase "My team knows who the boss is." When heard from a brunette's
mouth, she was perceived as being less warm and attractive, whereas the same phrase from
a blonde caused a sort of "Good Witch" effect that caused her to be considered more warm
and attractive.
Number 13. Seeking Brunettes
Several studies throughout the years have established that the bulk majority of men
found on online dating sites are actually looking for brunettes exclusively! When asked
follow-up questions, the men then went on to state that it was because they considered
brunettes to be more humorous, loyal, attractive and successful. They were also seen as much
more honest and reliable than their fellow hair colors.
Number 12. Number 1
It is the most common hair color in the world. Thanks to a couple of highly populous countries
and continents that have a high brunette concentration (we're looking at you India, Africa and China),
the world has an overwhelming majority of brown-headed beauties. They take this title
by a long shot, too, as of the 7 billion people currently living on Earth, a little over 74%
of them are brunettes. That's 4.9 BILLION people! Blonde comes in second in this respect
with 25% and redheads trailing dead last at a mere 1%.
Number 11. Brown and Black Difference
Brown and black hair are not the same. The color of your hair is wholly determined by
a pigment called eumelanin , which is a type of melanin, and how much of it you have determines
how dark your shade is. However, most people don't know that there are two different types
of eumelanin : brown and black. The tone and hue of your hair depend on whether you have
a majority of either one.
Number 10. Earthy tones
Regardless of their exact position on the color spectrum, most brunettes tend to look
good in soft, Earthy colors like mocha, coffee, and tawny eyeshadow and outfit shades. Additionally,
most brunettes also tend to be flattered by purple hues such as plum, lavender or violet.
Brunettes can add depth and contrast to their makeup looks or outfits by adding accent shades
as well such as deep blue, forest green, gold or burgundy.
Number 9. Dark Times
Back before the worldwide industrial revolution hit, travel between continents (and occasionally
between neighboring countries) was much less common. During this time, certain hair colors
in specific countries had very potent stigmas associated with them. In this era, most European
countries were unfamiliar with the concept of darker hair and regarded those possessing
it as agents of evil. Many women with dark hair were branded as witches and exiled (and
occasionally worse). Conversely, the places unfamiliar with blonde hair simply regarded
it as an oddity rather than something worthy of persecution.
Number 8. Composite
A facial mapping expert conducted a survey where he asked people to describe the ideal
person to him. He later took this information and created two composite sketches using police
face-mapping software and surprise, surprise-- they were both brunettes. The female sketch
actually wound up looking eerily similar to Natalie Portman while the male was most similar
to a combination of David Beckham, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt. Now that's one killer combo.
Number 7. Hair Loss
Brunettes are more likely to experience noticeable hair loss. Unfortunately, this fact is one
hundred percent true. Brown hair is physically coarser and thicker than other hair types.
This means that when the hair does start thinning and falling out, the patches are much more
noticeable. Combine that with the fact that seventy four percent of people are brunettes,
and it comes as no surprise that over half of women who experience chronic hair loss
are brunettes.
Number 6. Tattoos
Men also believe that tattoos suit brunettes better. A study conducted by Askmen.com revealed
that men are much less judgemental when seeing body art on brunettes as compared to blondes
or redheads-- in fact, most of the time, they even found it attractive. We aren't sure if
this also applies to humiliating tattoos that should never see the light of day, but the
point still stands.
Number 5. Witch Grey Hairs?
Finally a lucky break for our ladies in brown! Going grey is harder for those with darker,
coarser hair due to the thickness and concentration of the follicles. While it is unfortunate
that those silvery strands stand out more against the darker backdrop, it takes much
longer for the hair to completely change color. As opposed to the quick transition that blondes
experience, the full process can take up to ten years or more for blondes. Way back when
this was another factor that contributed to how often brunettes were persecuted for being
witches-- they seemed to age slowly or not at all compared to others.
Number 4. More Noticeable
Despite the fact that their hairs take longer to go completely grey and lose all their pigment,
it seems to be a fact that brunettes tend to get that salt and pepper look earlier on
in life. However, this could just be perceived as such because of how highly visible grey
and silver strands are in brunette hair. After all, those first few strands of grey on a
blonde or redhead aren't very likely to be observed. In women with those hair colors,
greyness isn't really seen until there are large patches of it, so brunettes need not
be rushing to the salon just yet.
Number 3. Ready, Set, Go!
They take less time to get ready. Now here's a fact we didn't expect. Who knew there would
be a difference in time spent getting dressed up based on hair color alone? Not us! A study
conducted in 2009 that utilized over 3,000 participants concluded that blondes took,
on average, about 6 minutes longer to get ready than brunettes. Imagine what you could
do with all that extra time! Well, not much. Maybe get a quick cup of coffee?
Number 2. Less Tips
Tipping in restaurants isn't quite as substantial for brunettes. Despite the perceived attractiveness
for brunettes, a study conducted by Cornell University in 2009 examined the results from
482 waitresses in a variety of different areas and restaurants and found that blondes were
tipped more heavily in nearly every location. So much for the old twenty percent standard,
eh?
Number 1. A Change
Women who dye their brunette hair lighter reportedly feel more "fun." We were a little
confused by this one too, but it seems to hold up. Women who have lighter brown to blonde
hair are actually proven to go out more. Currently, the statistic is 3 days a week for lighter
hair and 2 days a week for darker brunettes. No one is really certain why this phenomenon
occurs. One theory is that it stems from the influence of Hollywood celebrities (many of
whom are blonde) and another poses that perhaps dyeing the hair lighter returns them to their
youth. Whatever the real reason is the world may never know.