How Do You Get a Ginger Child

In order to be a redhead, a baby needs two copies of the red hair gene (a mutation of the MC1R gene) because it is recessive. This means if neither parent is ginger, they both need to carry the gene and pass it on — and even then they will have just a 25% chance of the child turning out to be a redhead.

What are the chances of having a ginger child?

ParentsNatural redheadNon-redhead with geneNatural redhead100%50%Non-redhead with gene50%25%Non-redhead, no gene0% but will carry the gene0% but will carry the gene

Do I carry the ginger gene?

The gene for red hair is recessive, so a person needs two copies of that gene for it to show up or be expressed. That means even if both parents carry the gene, just one in four of their children are likely to turn out to be a redhead.