While I was researching the "extinction of blondes" I came across similar claims about redheads.

Over the years many news organizations have reported that redheads or "gingers," would eventually become extinct.  Other news outlets and blogs picked up the story, citing the "Oxford Hair Foundation" or "genetic scientists" who claimed that there would be no more redheads by as early as 2060.  It turns out that all those people were wrong. Redheads are here to stay and should be around well beyond 2060.

These articles work on the mistaken assumption that recessive genes -- like the one for red hair -- can "die out." Recessive genes can become rare but don't disappear completely unless everyone carrying that gene dies or fails to reproduce. So while red hair may remain rare, enough people carry the gene that, barring global catastrophe, redheads should continue to appear for some time.

Some of the articles discussing redhead extinction referred to the Oxford Hair Foundation as an "independent" institute or research­ foundation, but a Google search shows that the Oxford Hair Foundation is funded by Proctor & Gamble, makers of numerous beauty products -- including red hair dye.

In the most recent wave of redhead extinction warnings, some news outlets incorrectly cited the September 2007 issue of National Geographic as the source of the extinction claims. Others, correctly, cited that issue of National Geographic for the statistics it presented in a short piece on redheads. In fact, the National Geographic story provided some data about red hair in the world population, but it only said that "news reports" have claimed that redheads were going extinct. The piece did not explicitly back the claim. Instead, the article stated that "while redheads may decline, the potential for red isn't going away". Unfortunately the misconception about disappearing redheads is now widespread.

Experts who have been interviewed agree that the redhead extinction claim is bogus. David Pearce from the University of Rochester Medical Center told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in 2005 -- after the last round of redhead extinction news -- that the scientists behind the original claim should "check their calculator".  Rick Sturm, a researcher in hair and skin genetics at the University of Queensland, told the Australian Broadcasting Company that "there's no shortage of red-heads" and that the Oxford Hair Foundation didn't provide sufficient scientific evidence to prove its findings.

Red hair is caused by a mutation in the MC1R gene. It's also a recessive trait, so it takes both parents passing on a mutated version of the MC1R gene to produce a redheaded child. Because it's a recessive trait, red hair can easily skip a generation. It can then reappear after skipping one or more generations if both parents, no matter their hair color, carry the red hair gene.

(source: Science: HowStuffWorks)

I was hanging out with a few friends earlier today and we were talking a hair (of course we were) and someone mentioned that there wouldn't be any more blondes in a few hundred years.   I'd never heard this before so I thought I'd research their comment.   

The Claim:  A study undertaken by the World Health Organization concluded that natural blondes are likely to be extinct within 200 years.

Well, this is completely FALSE.  

The problem is that blonde hair is caused by a recessive gene.

In order for a child to have blonde hair, it must have the gene on both sides of the family in the grandparents' generation.  

The researchers also believe that so-called bottle blondes may be to blame for the demise of their natural rivals.
 
They suggest that dyed-blondes are more attractive to men who choose them as partners over true blondes.
 
But Jonathan Rees, professor of dermatology at the University of Edinburgh said it was unlikely blondes would die out completely.  "Genes don't die out unless there is a disadvantage of having that gene or by chance. They don't disappear," he told BBC News Online.  "The only reason blondes would disappear is if having the gene was a disadvantage and I do not think that is the case.
 
"The frequency of blondes may drop but they won't disappear."  [source: BBC News].

(Source: Science: HowStuffWorks)

SNOPES.com also debunked this claim.  

Our stylists know things we don’t.
by Jo Confino
​
Are we looking in the wrong place when it comes to finding champions who can turn us away from our environmentally destructive ways?
 
Researchers at a university in the United Kingdom believe that hairdressers, rather than politicians, scientists or celebrities, could be the secret weapon in convincing us to reduce our carbon emissions.
 
Given that hairdressers get up close and personal with billions of customers, they are the perfect vehicle for helping to change people’s behavior, according to Dr Denise Baden, an associate professor at the University of Southampton’s management school. Even better, they deal with many of the environmental challenges that need addressing, such as water and energy use as well as the toxins in many hair care products.
 
A new study by Baden shows just how much difference people can make if they change their routines.
 
A person who carries out a daily hair wash with two shampoos plus rinse-out conditioner creates a weekly carbon footprint of around 9 kilograms, or nearly 20 pounds of carbon emissions. But this could be cut down to just 1 kg (roughly 2 pounds) if they change to a twice-weekly hair wash using just one shampoo plus leave-in conditioner, the study says.
 
Her research, which is funded by the U.K. government, also shows how important it is that hairdressers educate their clients to reduce the use of heated appliances such as hair straighteners, curlers and blow dryers. Not only does taking a more natural approach improve hair condition, but it also reduces energy costs and protects the planet, according to Baden.
 
She and her team have now developed a carbon footprint calculator, which demonstrates the effect hair care routines have on the environment and points out five changes that can make a big difference:

1.     Do not wash your hair every time you shower — and whatever your routine, allow an extra day to go before shampooing.
2.     Shampoo once rather than rinse and repeat.
3.     Cut down shower time by using a leave-in conditioner.
4.     Shower rather than take a bath and limit the time to four minutes.
5.     Let hair dry naturally.
 
This is not the first time that hairdressers have been recognized for their potential to get important information to a mass audience. The United Nations Population Fund, in collaboration with UNAIDS Secretariat, back in 2009 identified barbershops and beauty salons in Guyana as information hubs to help reduce HIV.
 
“We’re not asking hairdressers to become sustainability consultants or to compromise on standards,” Baden said in a written statement. “Instead, we’re trying to educate businesses that less is more and to spread this message to their clients. For example ... [p]roducts such as leave-in conditioner not only save energy, time and money but are also great for giving body to fine or flyaway hair.” 
 
“Our approach has been to train the trainers so they can in turn affect the behaviour of their clients,” she added. “Just one hairdresser can affect the practices of hundreds of clients.”
 
The next step for Baden and fellow researchers is to develop a sustainable hairdressing certificate for salons, hairdressers and training colleges.
 
While all this may seem like a clever approach to helping limit climate change, there is one key challenge that Baden has not yet been able to overcome. While hairdressers are often adept at chatting about topics ranging from relationships to the weather, they do not often make proactive change agents.
 
As Baden pointed out in a 2014 interview: “Early adopters of social innovations characteristically have more years of formal education, greater rationality, higher IQ, higher aspirations and higher status occupations than late adopters. None of these attributes are typical of hairdressers. Therefore it is unsurprising that our pilot research found no examples of hairdressers taking the lead on sustainability innovations.”
 
But the world is changed one person at a time, and Baden points to the feedback from one hairdresser who went through a sustainability-focused training session: “Taking that approach has given me more pride in my work and in my profession as a whole. I no longer feel like ‘a blonde with scissors,’ I feel like a professional who is making a difference.”