This article is about hair that is black in color. For information regarding hair that is the texture of unprocessed African hair, see Afro-textured hair.
Black hair is the darkest and most common of all human hair colors globally, due to large populations with this trait. This hair type contains a much more dense quantity of eumelanin pigmentation in comparison to other hair colors, such as brown, blonde and red.[1] In English, various types of black hair are sometimes described as soft-black, raven black, or jet-black. The range of skin colors associated with black hair is vast, ranging from the palest of light skin tones to dark skin. Black-haired humans can have dark or light eyes, but more commonly dark.
Black hair is the most common in Asia and Africa.[2] Though this characteristic can also be seen throughout Europe as well, it is considerably less common.[3] It can be found in Celtic populations especially those from western parts of Ireland who were often referred to as "Black Irish" particularly in the United States.[4] Black hair can come in a variety of textures, just as any hair color.
Varieties of black hair
raven black
Naturally, hair reflects light, which is why even black hair does not appear fully dark in the light. However, the darkest shade of black hair, raven-black, does not behave as other hair would in the light. The name of the color comes from a raven’s wing due to similarities in behavior. Appearing as being almost blue in some conditions, this hair color is mostly found with people from Africa, South and Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia and Latin America.[5]
deepest brunette: the darkest brown, which can be a very dark chestnut; sometimes appears to be off-black at a distance, and is often considered to be black.[6]
11,000-year-old remains of Cuncaicha and Lauricocha individuals from South America share alleles at the highest rate with present-day Amerindians, indicating that the derived G-allele increased in frequency in parallel with the ancestral A-allele.[10]
One of the most studied genes that produce brown hair is MC1R, which helps the body to produce the melanocortin protein. This protein in turn helps the body's hair follicles to produce the type of melanin called eumelanin. To have black hair, one must have genetically inherited this gene from both of their parents, and brown hair is achieved when it is inherited from one parent. This gene is demographically common, as 90% of the total world population carries this gene. Black hair, along with brown hair, comes to turn grey in old age as the hair follicles can no longer produce the pigmentation, but the cause of this inability has yet to be determined.[11]
In popular culture, black-haired women are often grouped with brown-haired women under the label brunettes, who are frequently portrayed as being in a rivalry or competition with blonde women.[12]Romantic relationships are the most common area in which this occurs, in which the prize is the affection of a man. Studies have consistently shown that men rate blondes as more beautiful than brunettes.[13][14][15][16] As a result, men generally prefer blondes over brunettes for romantic relationships.[17][18][19]
Other forms of the rivalry include competitive sports,[20][21] intelligence, and earning potential. No clear advantage has been found for either hair color in sports. Dark-haired women are usually depicted as being more intelligent. On the other hand, multiple studies have found that on average, blonde women earn higher incomes than brunettes.[22][23][24][25][26][27]
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