Can Redheads Ever Tan?

[rei]

there are 80 different variants of the redhead gene and some variants have the ability to tan while some do not.

Are you sure there is a gene that "causes red hair" ? With 80 identified it seems more like factors that play in some direction in some processes.

 

[redsun]

Are you sure there is a gene that "causes red hair" ? With 80 identified it seems more like factors that play in some direction in some processes.

I seem to remember the red pigment is caused by tyrosine (or sulphur) addition to the pigment. There must be some reason the tyrosine is being shunted to hair pigment instead of skin tan (as it is commonly associated with, if i'm not mistaken) Maybe the low level of sunlight necessitates no blocking of it trough melanin, so it is better used in some other function like to turn the pigment red ?

All melanin needs tyrosine but I believe the big difference is pheomelanin has cysteine added to it while eumelanin does not. So another you could guess that the skin has less antioxidant protection (less cysteine going into glutathione, more into hair pigments etc) making it more likely to burn.

So perhaps one of the ways taking certain substances can perhaps change the color of hair is that somehow its depleting cysteine which can be used for pheomelanin, forcing eumelanin production. It makes more sense to me why high dose zinc would have done that for my hair as well which was light brown almost dirty blonde before. Very neat but imo it seems like a bad idea if certain pro-tanning substances could depleting cysteine, don't want to deplete a vital amino acid for glutathione imo.

 

[stumpus]

Why even worry about "nutrients" or other supplements? I am a two on the Fitzpatrick scale and can get as dark as I want using MT-2. I've used it for years and have had zero ill effects.

 

[mangoes]

Can you please share the details of this? I have for some time been thinking about a theory of hair color, and what you wrote seems to be a n1 confirmation of a key aspect of it.

What’s your theory? I don’t really remember all the details. He used melanotan 2 iirc. He was ginger, type 1 skin I think, then he became blonde. Tbf he could’ve just dyed his hair but he said the melanotan changed it and I do think he used it, because he tanned well which he couldn’t before. Other people say it can change the pigment of hair and even eye colour aswell, although I think it usually turns hair brown? Idk really

 

[SQu]

I have red hair. Or I should say had - it greyed - whitened - very rapidly on a low carb diet, even my eyebrows, which have since reversed to a sandy colour and my hair is a little better too. My understanding was it greyed like that because of too much meat and possibly also too much supplemental zinc but I don't know for sure.

My skin is fair and freckled. I do get a little bit tanned. But sunburn, sometimes severe, is always a risk. I would say I am better in the sun than I used to be. I use a spray with aspirin, caffeine and niacinamide before and after time outside. Generally this is sufficient to protect me from burning, if I am outside but not too much in direct sun. The spray definitely helps speed up sunburn healing. It's sunny year round here so it's really testing. I used to cover myself in sunscreen but now that I've read how bad that stuff is I try to manage without it and I only use it if I am going to be in direct sun for a long time.

I sometimes used to get a dark spot or two on my arms that would go if I took cancer bush (sutherlandia). Now I don't seem to get them.

 

[rei]

All melanin needs tyrosine but I believe the big difference is pheomelanin has cysteine added to it while eumelanin does not. So another you could guess that the skin has less antioxidant protection (less cysteine going into glutathione, more into hair pigments etc) making it more likely to burn.

So perhaps one of the ways taking certain substances can perhaps change the color of hair is that somehow its depleting cysteine which can be used for pheomelanin, forcing eumelanin production. It makes more sense to me why high dose zinc would have done that for my hair as well which was light brown almost dirty blonde before. Very neat but imo it seems like a bad idea if certain pro-tanning substances could depleting cysteine, don't want to deplete a vital amino acid for glutathione imo.

You are right, i mixed cysteine with tyrosine. Cysteine contains the sulphur i mentioned.

 

[Beastmode]

My pasty Enlgish buddy who has reddish hair conditioning himself to get tan by starting off with sunrises and slowly exposed himself more. He mentioned something about the early sun building his system to eventually tan. He's a bit more in line with The Kruse folks, so maybe it has to do something with that approach.

 

[milkboi]

My pasty Enlgish buddy who has reddish hair conditioning himself to get tan by starting off with sunrises and slowly exposed himself more. He mentioned something about the early sun building his system to eventually tan. He's a bit more in line with The Kruse folks, so maybe it has to do something with that approach.

I think it’s true that you have to build your sun exposure to increase the time you don’t burn in the sun.

I remember summer 19, where before my vacation I didn’t get much sun exposure at all, and I got a sunburn when the vacation started. And I avoided PUFA for a year at that point.
Whereas Summer 18 I ate significantly more PUFA, but I tanned a lot before the vacation and didn’t get any sunburn.

 

[Soren]

Are you sure there is a gene that "causes red hair" ? With 80 identified it seems more like factors that play in some direction in some processes.

I agree that is in large part of the premise of my post, that there are likely environmental factors that greatly contribute to Redheads ability to tan and that they may be able to be mitigated by proactive dietary strategies.

 

[RWilly]

Eating tomatoes might help. I've been thinking that ketchup could be a superfood in this regard, as the lycopene in tomatoes is more available after it has been heated.
Dietary Tomato Paste Protects against Ultraviolet Light–Induced Erythema in Humans

 

[Ben Stone]

I am Fitzpatrick skin type one. I developed a very moderate tan for the first time in my life as an adult, after practising a carnivore diet and training my skin with early morning sun exposure before the UV was strong, and overtime increasing my exposure to mid day UV. I can now take you UV12 for 30 to 40 minutes without issue, but I tend to take the majority of my sun in the morning and afternoon, with just a large vitamin D generating dose at solar noon. My hair has also photo-bleached blonde. I now eat meat, dairy and fruit, never take supplements, and have not seen any changes negative or positive with respect to tanning. I do eat liver and oysters weekly wrt some of the nutrients others have mentioned here.

 

[Luke]

I had red hair as a child. It's gone dark now but I used to still be able to tan (not as much as my siblings with dark hair, and I tan more easily now). I'm part maltese which probably explains it. Genetics. Ftiw my hair started to go darker once I hit puberty so likely a hormonal shift caused a change in gene expression? I also got diagnosed with crohn's at this time.

Don't think you can do much without unwanted sides tbh. Just get into the sun enough but not to burn.

 

[cedric]

Forskolin could help.
Scientists Have Discovered a Chemical That Causes Any Skin Type to Tan
Of course I supplement L-DOPA.

 

[Soren]

Forskolin could help.
Scientists Have Discovered a Chemical That Causes Any Skin Type to Tan
Of course I supplement L-DOPA.

I was just about to post the same study. Your link is more detailed then the one I found.

Having read through the article it I'm trying to figure out if this is something that someone could actually do themselves. I can tan but quite slowly and I'm tempted to give this a try myself.

"researchers have come up with a solution that they think will actually work on us - a different class of compounds that can not only boost the pigmentation process, but also squeeze through the outer layers of our epidermis.
These tiny molecules work by inhibiting SIK (Salt Inducible Kinase) enzymes in the skin, which is like a 'master off switch' for melanin production."

Don't really know what the SIK enzymes are and if it is dangerous to interfere with them.

The full study was published in Cell and can be found here: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/f...m/retrieve/pii/S2211124717306848?showall=true

 

[Waynish]

Regardless of skin color your resistance to "tanning" (change from your natural color) goes down as vitality & metabolism go up. However, "your natural color" also changes based on your health. Just think of the flush/reddish skin tones that make-up tries to replicate. Higher estrogen makes skin darker, and serotonin seems to make eyes darker as well - though I'm sure it isn't that simple.

 

[Hgreen56]

Regardless of skin color your resistance to "tanning" (change from your natural color) goes down as vitality & metabolism go up. However, "your natural color" also changes based on your health. Just think of the flush/reddish skin tones that make-up tries to replicate. Higher estrogen makes skin darker, and serotonin seems to make eyes darker as well - though I'm sure it isn't that simple.

i love to see studys about that.

 

[golder]

What are peoples/Rays thoughts on Melanotan 2? I've seen some very compelling before and after photos of this even as a nasal spray from redheads getting quite a nice tan. Obviously raises the melanin pigment, but I don't know the mechanism so I couldn't comment on the safety? Would be great to get some optinions on this!

(Just realised it's been briefly mentoined in the thread earlier, although no one has mentioned the safety profile or rays opinion on it)

 

[Soren]

What are peoples/Rays thoughts on Melanotan 2? I've seen some very compelling before and after photos of this even as a nasal spray from redheads getting quite a nice tan. Obviously raises the melanin pigment, but I don't know the mechanism so I couldn't comment on the safety? Would be great to get some optinions on this!

(Just realised it's been briefly mentoined in the thread earlier, although no one has mentioned the safety profile or rays opinion on it)

No idea I was trying to find out that myself. I am very weary though and my instinct is that it is not safe.

 

[golder]

No idea I was trying to find out that myself. I am very weary though and my instinct is that it is not safe.

Interesting, thanks. Why do you think it’s not safe?

 

[Redshine]

Interesting, thanks. Why do you think it’s not safe?

Thought there were people wich developed cancer on this stuff. I also think its a little unnaturel...