While living in a part of the country with a strong Scandinavian heritage, a solid majority of women in the Twin Cities area are choosing a shade other than blond when it comes to dyeing their hair.

Fantastic Sams, a Massachusetts-based national hair salon chain, commissioned a survey of 200 women in the metro about hair color. All of the women questioned color their hair. Among the findings:

• Nearly 35 percent color their hair a shade of brown, 30 percent choose light brown or sandy blond tones, 21 percent go blond, 12 percent opt for red. Black was the choice of 2 percent surveyed.

• Nearly half have natural brown or brunette hair; about one-third are blondes.

• The St. Paul side of town boasts four times as many red heads (14 percent) as the Minneapolis side. Must be the Irish influence.

• Women in the suburbs visit the salon to touch up their roots more frequently than urban dwellers, who tend to wait 12 weeks between visits.

The survey was conducted by the Twin Cities-based Stir Strategy marketing firm.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482