• Question: why do people have different hair colour like brown, ginger etc

    Asked by adamrussell to Fiona, Joanna on 25 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Joanna Brooks

      Joanna Brooks answered on 25 Jun 2010:

      Hello again! Well hair colour works in a similar way to skin colour – if there is more of a pigment called ‘melanin’ (which absorbs light) then the hair colour will be darker. If there is less melanin then hair colour will be lighter. The amount of melanin you have in your hair (and skin) is genetic.

      When people grow old less melanin is produced and the hair turns grey as a result. This is also genetic so if your parents went grey early on then the same may happen to you!

    • Photo: Fiona Randall

      Fiona Randall answered on 25 Jun 2010:

      Hi adamrussell 🙂 Your hair colour is the result of the levels of combinations of 2 types of pigments/colourings. There is a genetic link too and the darker colours are more dominant but it is still possible for 2 brunette parents to have a red haired or blonde child. There is a detailed description at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_hair_color
      🙂

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