TikTok can be a great source of weird and wonderful information that you didn’t know you needed… but not everything you see and hear on the app is right.
On TikTok, one claim (which has now been debunked) stated that the colour – specifically the lightening – of a man’s beard was directly linked to the acidity levels of the woman who he is intimate with. A woman with higher levels of acidity in her own body may bleach the hair of the man she is with.
Of course, science has since stepped in and completely debunked this story.
The Real Reason Behind a Red Beard
The most likely explanation for a red beard, even if the hair on a man’s head is brown or a much darker shade, is that these men may have genetic exposure to a gene called MC1R.
An individual with fully red hair will have two MC1R genes – however, those with just one MC1R gene may find that red hair pops up in surprising places. In short, it is not the dominating gene, but it is present enough to impact the colour and tone of a man’s beard or another patch of hair.
Take TikTok With a Pinch of Salt…
If nothing else, we hope this tells you to take TikTok claims with a pinch of salt – particularly when they make scientific or biological claims.
Unless proven otherwise, many of these claims and “enlightening” trends are a plot to maximise airtime and increase the chance of going viral.
We hope this helps! Red beards unite!
