I read an article that was very interesting to me, and I thought I would share what I gleaned. Did you know that there are only six natural hair colors? Black, brown, blonde, red, gray, and white. What determines the color of our hair? It’s all in the genes!
“Natural human hair is confined to a select palette… These colors are created by melanin, a pigment produced by specialized cells called melanocytes. Melanin gives color to keratin, the protein that forms hair and nails — without it, our hair would be colorless, just like our fingernails…
“Two types of melanin contribute to hair color: eumelanin (a dark pigment responsible for brown or black hair) and pheomelanin (a light pigment responsible for red, orange, or yellow hair). The balance between those pigments determines hair color: Those with more eumelanin have brunette or black hair, while those with more pheomelanin have auburn hair. Blonde hair is a result of low levels of both melanin types. As we age, our bodies lose melanocytes and stop producing melanin for our hair, leading to inevitable graying and eventual hair whitening.
“The amount of melanin your body produces depends on your genetics. One of the key players in hair color is the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene, which influences the production of eumelanin.”1 Depending on how your eyes see the spectrum of colors, there are varying shades of natural colors.
Who would have ever thought that hair color would be so scientific?!? And if you don’t like the natural God-given tint on top, you can choose from nearly 1,000 different colors in a bottle. However, you might want to rethink this avenue. The American Cancer Society released a report that said, “Many people use hair dyes, which can contain different types of chemicals. Studies have looked at hair dyes as a possible risk factor for various types of cancer.”2
While we worry about the color, the Lord has a deeper concern. Matthew 10:26-31 says,
“Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. (27) What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. (28) And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (29) Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. (30) But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (31) Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
It’s estimated that there are between 80,000-160,000 hair follicles on a healthy human head.3 If you were interested in counting the hairs on your own head, there are a couple of different methods suggested which involve time, math, measuring, and tugging to see which strands release. Or you can just leave it up to the Lord to do the counting and forget about it.
Personally, I cannot imagine caring to have an accurate accounting of my hair. This just shows how much the Lord cares for us. He cares about every minute detail of our lives.
Charles Weigle, a Baptist evangelist, was coming out of a particularly dark time in his personal life. His wife had given him a choice; it’s the ministry or me. He knew what God had called him to do and Weigle refused to stop serving the Lord, though he tried to make some appeasing concession. This wasn’t enough and his wife left him and took their daughter, choosing a life outside of the ministry. For three years, Weigle went through a depression that debilitated him. Lost in the fog, he wondered if anyone really cared for him. That’s when his most famous song was given to him by the Lord.
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely,
He did something that no other friend could do.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.
Remember today just how much the Lord cares for you. He has numbered the hairs on your head – regardless of what color they might be. And He cares for every aspect of your life.
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
1https://interestingfacts.com/human-hair-colors/
2https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/hair-dyes.html
3https://completeera.com/counting-hair-on-your-head-is-it-normal/
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