Red hot: How sexy is your hair?

Blondes may have all the fun, but it’s the flamehaired men and women who are top of the charts. By Michelle Robinson.

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hot, REDHEADS ARE according to Kiwis.

Flame- haired women beat blondes and brunettes when it comes to what men, especially Aucklanders, look for in a date.

Around 1000 New Zealand men gave their hair and eye colour, vice and education preferences to auction- dating website What’sYourPrice.com.

The American site surveyed users, measuring the popularity of female features according to what men offered to pay for a first date with someone.

While red- heads are often teased as gingas, the revelation is no surprise for celebrity model manager Sara Tetro.

‘‘I love red hair, it’s different. It’s not as commonplace as brunettes or blondes.’’

NZ’s Next Top Model, which Tetro presented, was responsible for peddling auburn twins Nellie and Elza Jenkins into the spotlight in season two.

‘‘ Historically red hair hasn’t been favoured. Why it hasn’t been popular from the start I’ve no idea,’’ Tetro said. ‘‘Anything that’s a rare feature should be treasured.’’

Men seeking flamehaired beauties are in luck at the moment, thanks to the fashion industry, Tetro said. ‘‘People are dyeing their hair red, it’s cool.’’

Copper and auburn were the most popular trends in salons this year, according to Rodney Wayne staff.

Males with red hair have also been getting good PR, with the likes of American drama Homeland’s heart-throb Damian Lewis.

An article in British newspaper The Independent called him ‘‘ powerfully erotic’’ on screen. ‘‘Tall and athletic, he looks like a man who instinctively understands why people should wish to look at him.’’

But the penchant for red hair surprised Go Girls’ Wellingtonbased actress Alix Bushnell, whose character Britta has flaming locks.

‘‘I’m very surprised by this. Are you sure statistics haven’t been tampered with? Maybe it’s because red hair different.’’

The rest of the country is yet to catch on to Aucklanders’ preference for red tresses, especially Christchurch, where gentlemen still prefer blondes, preferably with the blue eyes too.

Reactions were mixed when it came to education. Auckland men prefer a doctorate degree but Cantabrians weren’t so fussed about education.

Men around the country prefer non-smokers and casual drinkers, with the exception of Manukau which likes heavy drinking women.

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Red locks rock: Twins Nellie and Elza Jenkins, Damian Lewis, and Alix Bushnell. For a video of model Marijke Van Dillen talking about why she loves being a red head, scan her photo with your smart phone using the Link+ function on your stuff.co.nz app.