Blonde hair: a love 11.000 years long

Blond hair, cross and delight of our time. Platinum blonde, Titian blonde, cool blonde, strawberry blonde, blonde highlights, blonde balayage… the list could go on. Everyone has wished for it at least once, each with a precise vision of their perfect blonde in mind. And yet, we know that go blonde and preserving the color hasn’t always been a piece of cake (at least until now). Although natural non-blondes often require bleaching treatments and a constant maintenance routine, the fascination with golden locks knows no obstacles on its way.

Thinking about blonde hair, it comes naturally to believe that it was born with us, as one of several genetic options that decree hair color. But the truth is slightly different. Scientists and scholars from all over the world have come to the conclusion that blonde hair has not always existed: in fact, it would have appeared at some point in our relatively recent history.

Evolution and fortuitousness, as history teaches us, are often inextricable from one another.

Primal blonde

The first humans with blond hair appeared during the last ice age. This was established by genetic research that identified the appearance of the gene responsible for this mutation, dating it to about 11.000 years ago.

In all likelihood, admiring those unusual golden strands sparkling in the sun, our ancestors immediately understood that blond hair was there to stay.

What would have led to the appearance of what would later become the most admired and coveted hair color in history? Scientifically, there are many hypotheses. One of the most widely accepted theories traces this mutation back to the production of vitamin D: for all human beings, a daily intake of vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin”, is essential, often called this way because our skin is able to synthesize it autonomously through exposure to UV rays. At latitudes where sun exposure is shorter and less intense, a pale color of skin and hair would be connected to a greater absorption of sun rays, and therefore would help with the synthesis of vitamin D.

This could be one of the reasons for the permanence of this mutation over the millennia, which could have allowed it to cross history up to us, making its appearance in literature and artistic production.

Another theory would instead argue that the survival of the blond gene in our evolutionary history, would be due to sexual selection: this hypothesis would seem to give once and for all scientific basis to the famous saying that, at least during the last ice age, men prefer blondes.

Muses, ladies, saints: all the nuances of blond hair

Blond hair has always been associated with positive and “special” characters, because among the Italic, Greek and then Roman populations, a golden hair was anything but common: blond hair became extremely sought after, to the point that, especially after the first contacts of the Romans with the “barbarian” populations of Northern Europe, Roman women began to dye their hair with a mixture of saffron powder, undergoing an expensive and rather unpleasant procedure, in order to ensure a shiny hair.

Dal Medioevo alle dive del Silver screen

This fascination continued unaltered until the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, centuries in which blond hair became a symbol of high social rank, as well as the highest aesthetic expression. We find traces of it especially in literature and painting. It is enough to think of Petrarch’s sonnets that describe a beautiful Laura with “golden hair scattered in the air”, or of the numerous Renaissance portraits, depicting elegant ladies with very light hair gathered in intricate hairstyles and protected by precious veils.

Sacred art is no less important, depicting saints with their eyes turned to heaven and their faces crowned with flowing blond hair. It will be like this for centuries to come, in which golden blonde will alternate with other shades of blonde, such as the famous Titian blonde, made great by the renown Italian painter, and characterized by a warmer and coppery hue.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, during the Roaring Twenties, blond was temporarily put aside in favor of a very short chestnut bob, the distinctive feature of the flapper girl style. The cinema of the 40s and 50s will soon take us back to the origins, with its Hollywood divas of unforgettable beauty, and unfailing golden hair styled in perfect waves. A few years later, Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve and Monica Vitti, with their bangs and straight, voluminous hair, will be the ultimate icons of style and beauty and their blonde hair will set the standard for the look of all the girls of those years, and not only!

Blonde nowadays

Today, the quest for the perfect blonde takes advantage of the progress made in professional hair treatments. Years have passed since the first chemical bleaching, techniques have become incredibly refined, new ingredients and new technologies are available to make it easier to achieve the desired blonde. Insight Professional has developed the Blonde line specifically dedicated to processed blonde hair. This is a specific line to preserve the cool highlights of blonde, eliminate the brass, or yellowed effect, and keep the color as perfect and bright as the first day.

In short, being blonde has never been easier.

Check out the Blonde line from Insight Professional!

Sources:

Origin and genetics of blonde hair, on corriere.it

The genetics of blonde hair, on sciencemag.org

Blondism, on wikipedia.com