# Why don't humans have blue hair?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-humans-have-blue-hair/92>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [June 11, 1999, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-humans-have-blue-hair/92 "1999-06-11T09:58:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 1999, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-humans-have-blue-hair/92/1 "1999-06-11T09:58:00Z")

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Oh, but we shall. A recent article on [ABCNEWS.com](http://ABCNEWS.com) reported that a U. of Penn team looking for baldness genes managed to manipulate gene coding for an enzyme known as beta galactosidase, which turns the hair follicle blue. They grafted pieces of the blue human scalp to specially bred mice. What a resume builder.

[http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/baldness990610.html](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/baldness990610.html)

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 1999, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-humans-have-blue-hair/92/2 "1999-06-11T11:29:00Z")

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Old hat for some of us… you’ll recall that in the old Superman comics, his black hair had blue highlights. Probably a Kryptonian trait, surprising that no one noticed it on Clark Kent.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 1999, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-humans-have-blue-hair/92/3 "1999-06-11T23:06:00Z")

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I have seen women with blue hair, I guess it only happesn when you get to a certain older age.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 1999, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-humans-have-blue-hair/92/4 "1999-06-12T03:43:00Z")

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Whoosh me if you were being funny…the old ladies with blue hair have a rinse on. When hair gets white, some factors on some people give it a yellow sheen. Blue rinses (or shampoos, etc.) counteract the yellow. The hair looks blue because they have too much on. 🙂

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MaryAnn  
Sometimes life is so great you just gotta muss up your hair and quack like a duck!