Black hair

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This article is about hair that is black in color. For information regarding hair that is the texture of unprocessed African hair (sometimes called "black hair"), see Natural hair.

Black hair is the darkest and most common color of human hair. Black hair is found in people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. It has large amounts of eumelanin and is less dense than other hair colors. It can be a very dark brown. Black hair is known to be the shiniest out of all other hair colors.[1] In English, black hair is usually described as "jet-black", "raven black", rather than "brunette".

Outside of Europe, many humans have black or dark brown hair. [2] This is likely the original hair color of Homo sapiens, and is found in its greatest distribution in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the pre-Columbian Americas. Among White people, black hair is particularly common in people of Southern European, e.g.: Greek, Spanish, Mediterranean, Eastern European and Italian ancestry. Black hair is less prominant in people from Nordic countries. In Africa, many individuals have blonde, reddish, brown and black hair colors, as well.

Black hair comes in a variety of textures. Many people of African descent have diverse hair textures ranging from afro-textured hair, to straight, curly or wavy.. Straight black hair is common in Asians and Native Americans, as well. Curly, wavy, straight and coarse hair textures are common among all racialized groups. Within African populations, hair textures vary greatly. This is due to the fact that individuals of African descent have the most ancient alleles (genes responsible for specific physical traits) and the greatest genetic diversity. [3]

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[edit] Gallery

Greek woman with black hair

Japanese man with black hair

Indian woman with black hair

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Frost, Peter. "Why Do Europeans Have So Many Hair and Eye Colors?" (summarizing Frost, P. 2006. European hair and eye color - A case of frequency-dependent sexual selection? Evolution and Human Behavior 27:85-103)
  2. ^ National Geographic. See also Blond for more information on the origins of blond hair.
  3. ^ Mayell, Hillary. "Documentary Redraws Humans' Family Tree" (summarizing Hedges' quote, 2003. Human Diversity - The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey, National Geographic Documentary)

[edit] External links

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Human hair colors
Black (Dark Brunette) · Brown (Light Brunette) · Blond · Red