What is your natural hair color?

I have two sisters with red hair. One has MS.

I think vitamin D does have something to do with MS. I don't tan. I either burn, or am super-pale. Therefore, I either have on super-duper sunblock, or stay inside (atleast in the shade).

I agree with the Vitamin D link. I'm blonde, 62 years old and not one gray hair yet! The rest of my siblings have streaks of gray, but not me. They say I "inherited" my Dad's hair genes since he died at 83 with only a touch of gray over his ears. My 3 second cousins with MS are linked through Dad's side of the family too. Hmmmm, a genetic link?

Growing up I never tanned, just burned. I really didn't avoid the sun, but used sun block. And I hate milk. From age 14 and up, I resisted Mom's urge to drink the stuff. So my daily intake of vitamin D was deficient.

I marked blond, but over the years I have had (naturally) reddish-blond to auburn hair. This is from the Irish side, which also ties in with the MS.

I've had very limited sun my whole life.

I was blond as a child, medium brown as an adult (now 40).

As a kid and through my teen years, I was always outside in the sun. I was one to tan, not burn. I gave up milk after kindergarten - just didn't like it at all.

I have dark brown hair and I spent a lot of time in the sun. Born and raised in Texas, I did many outside activities--including being a sun-worshiper. I lived in Canada for three and one-half years, during my 20's, but the remainder of my 62 years has been in Texas.

My sister and I have MS, and despite our fair skin, became tan every summer as kids. We were outdoors together all summer long, and never used sunblock. Even in the winter we walked home from school, played in the snow, etc. We also both drank a lot of milk. We both have dark brown hair, though my sister has blue eyes/ more pale complexion. As we became teenagers, we spent much less time in the sun. And now that we've reached 30/32, we are paler than ever. Seems like the problem started in the late teenage years, maybe later, maybe due to this gradual decrease in sun exposure?

I have brown hair and loving the outdoors have always spent time in the sun, through all the seasons and despite all the natural vitamin D I acquired was still blessed with PPMS at age 46. So much for it helping.

Here is a link to some data on the distribution of hair pigment in people of European ancestry in US and Australia. Should be good for comparing when the poll is over.

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Art Mellor, Accelerated Cure Project for MS, art-msnews -at- acceleratedcure.com

I had very light brown hair as a child and now it is medium brown with red (natural) hightlights. I, too, am very lucky to have 'few' gray hairs at the age of 54.

Interesting comparison.

Thanks, Art.

Kathy

OK, I've dyed my hair dark so long I forgot, I used to be naturally red headed....oh and I'm black too. A red-headed black chick! Talk about your double blind studies. :o)

Art,
If this really is a D issue, I think it is less about the amount of sun one gets, and more about what the body is able to do with that sun. Something about the MC1R gene and the ability (or inability)to make the sun into nutrition.

I have blond hair and fair skin even at 60. Living in Florida my entire life, I basked in the sun from the time I was born. We rarely used sun screen. In fact in the 60' and 70's we used sun enhancers like baby oil with iodine and foil blankets. I always had a tan. I loved the sun. Now however, I've learned that I am very heat sensitive so my days of just laying out in the sun and sweating are over. That did not stop me. I discovered that I could "lay out" with a spinkler running on me to cool me or on a raft in the water for cooling. Anything for the tan.

Now, of course I have developed many skin cancers. But lack of vitamin D has never been an issue for me. Just the endless fear of not having air conditioning.

I have natural dark brown hair withh red highlights, green eyes and very fair skin, never tan, Irish descent. My Mother, who has MS, has naturally auburn hair, ivory skin, light blue eyes and never tans. She got grey hair early, aroung age 30 and I am in my mid 50s with just a little grey. My aunt had Lupus, natural red hair, blue eyes and ivory skin.

I grew up in New England and wasn't a sun worshipper, but got a fair amount of sun as a child.

I had dark brown hair - some people think it's black. Spent a fair amount of time outside as a kid, and never burned. Like most people, I spent less time outside as I grew up, but I doubt that time away from sunlight was really the tipping point for MS.

Oh - and (under the L'Oreal, in my mid-50s) I now have a full head of glossy white hair -- started turning at about 30, and decided not to follow my mother, who had a white streak by the time she was 21, and didn't color until her 50s.

Sing to Cure MS 2008 - October 26 in Arlington, MA

My birth hair color was blond, and then darkened to a dark reddish blonde in my twenties. I, too have wondered about the vitamin D connection since I have never sat in the sun and have always worn sunscreen since I never tan, only burn. There are lots of redheads in my extended family.

I have brown hair and grew up and live in MA. I have always loved the beach, lakes swimming, boating and being outdoors. I used to ski in the winter. I wonder if the lack of Vitamin D in the winter months could be the problem. So much in the summer then so little.
Also, as kids we had powdered milk for a number of years. Wonder if it had the right amount of D in it at a crucial growing point?

I had blonde hair growing up and in my 30's it
changed to a darker blonde. I was always out in
the sun, used baby and vegetable oil to get tanner.
Still suntan even though I've had basal skin cancer.
Always drank milk, still do. Since I've had MS(dx at 47)
now 52. I take 4,000i.u. of Vit.D daily. So I don't
fit the Vit.D deficiency profile at all.

I'm 100% Spanish (from Spain) and have the typical Mediterranean olive skin, brown eyes and brown hair (okay, I have a bit of grey already at age 45). As a child I spent a lot of time outside in the sun, particularly in the summer time. My 6 siblings and I were always beautifully tanned. I still tan very easily. I drank lots of milk growing up - and usually whole milk - and still enjoy milk daily - 2%, and in my "cafe con leche". I am the only one of the 7 siblings with MS, and no one else in my extended family has it.

I'm a redhead who was diagnosed with RRMS at age 52 -- 3 years ago. My older sister who is presently 57 has brown hair and was diagnosed with RRMS several years ago.

I'm a 54 yr old Black american born and bred in Boston, MA. I moved to California when I was 21. There, I had a lot more exposure to the sun (natural vitamin D). I had no debilitating symptoms and was not diagnosed with RRMS until I came back home to Boston 16 yrs ago. There was one incidence of spots in my vision in CA when I was 30. That was probably the first of my MS symptoms. The physicians were very puzzled and finally decided I had a virus which would go away in a couple of weeks. My diagnosing neurologist here in 1994 says it was optic neuritis just from looking at the scarring in my eye. While in CA, I also failed a balance test to be employed as a lineperson for the phone company. I never could walk a straight line without wavering. I say all that to say I feel the warm weather (without humidity) and constant exposure to the sun (vitamin D) kept my symptoms in check. It has not been fun for my body being back in Boston.

What about the people whose hair changes color? Although I had black hair, both of my brothers were born with white hair that gradually turned to black by the time they reached school age....
Funny...I'm the only known family member with a demyelinating disorder. At age 4, I was forced to carry an umbrella to avoid copious nosebleeds when I went into the sun. This suddenly disappeared along with my severe allergies at puberty. I became a sun-worshipper, tanning with ease and spent the next 30 years basking in the sun. After a bout of acute transverse myelitis, I was diagnosed with MS. I now have an incredible intolerance of heat & light and so avoid my beloved sun.
While vitamin D may play a role, most likely it's role is within some sort of immuno-cascade that occurs within the disease process, but it's an avenue for research. Hey, anything that could bring relief, huh?