58-482: Brown hair , also referred to as brunette (when female) or brunet (when male), is the second-most common human hair color , after black hair . It varies from light brown to dark hair. It is characterized by higher levels of the dark pigment eumelanin and lower levels of the pale pigment pheomelanin . Brown hair is common among populations in the Western world , especially among those from Northwestern Europe and
116-453: A love triangle in which a blonde and a brunette woman compete for the affections of a man. Human hair color Human hair color is the pigmentation of human hair follicles and shafts due to two types of melanin : eumelanin and pheomelanin . Generally, the more melanin present, the darker the hair. Its tone depends on the ratio of black or brown eumelanin to yellow or red pheomelanin. Melanin levels can vary over time, causing
174-460: A higher proportion of red-causing pheomelanin than is found in average brown hair. It is most commonly found in individuals of Northern and Western European descent, but is extant in West and Central Asia and North Africa also. It can also be the result of a mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene. Red hair ranges from light strawberry blond shades to titian , copper, and completely red. Red hair has
232-535: A majority Melanesian population, but the proportion has dropped to 43% in the face of modern immigration. The largest and most populous Melanesian country is Papua New Guinea . The largest city in Melanesia is Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea with about 318,000 people, mostly of Melanesian ancestry. The western half of New Guinea is part of Indonesia and is predominantly inhabited by indigenous Papuans , with
290-645: A mixture of blond and red hair, is a much rarer type containing the most pheomelanin . Blond hair can have almost any proportion of pheomelanin and eumelanin , but has only small amounts of both. More pheomelanin creates a more golden or strawberry blond color, and more eumelanin creates an ash or sandy blond color. Blond hair is most commonly found in Northern and Northeastern Europeans and their descendants but can be found spread around most of Europe and also among West Asians and North Africans at lower frequencies. Studies in 2012 showed that naturally blond hair of Melanesians
348-540: A more even skin tone. The range of skin colors associated with brown hair is vast, ranging from the palest of skin tones to a dark olive complexion . Brown hair comes in a wide variety of shades from the very darkest of brown (almost black) to lightest brown (almost blond) showing small signs of blondism . Shades of brown hair include: In Western popular culture, a common stereotype is that brunettes are stable, serious, smart and sophisticated. According to Allure magazine, in 2005, 76 percent of American women believed that
406-413: A period of time—typically four to six weeks, so root regrowth is less noticeable. The final color of each strand is affected by its original color and porosity, so there will be subtle variations in color across the head—more natural and less harsh than a permanent dye. However, this means that gray and white hair will not dye to the same color as the rest of the head (in fact, some white hair will not absorb
464-616: A person's hair color to change, and one person can have hair follicles of more than one color. Some hair colors are associated with some ethnic groups because of the observed higher frequency of particular hair colors within their geographical region, e.g. straight, dark hair amongst East Asians , Southeast Asians , Polynesians , some Central Asians , and Native Americans ; a large variety of dark, fair, curly, straight, wavy or bushy amongst Europeans , West Asians , some Central Asians, and North Africans ; and curly, dark, and uniquely helical hair amongst Sub Saharan Africans . Bright red hair
522-524: A very modest degree with the indigenous populations there". Nevertheless, the study still found a small Austronesian genetic signature (below 20%) in less than half of the Melanesian groups who speak Austronesian languages , and which was entirely absent in the Papuan -speaking groups. The study found a high rate of genetic differentiation and diversity among the groups living within the Melanesian islands, with
580-590: A wide variety of Pacific peoples. It found that neither Polynesians nor Micronesians have much genetic relation to Melanesians. Both groups are strongly related genetically to East Asians , particularly Taiwanese aborigines . It appeared that, having developed their sailing outrigger canoes, the ancestors of the Polynesians migrated from East Asia, moved through the Melanesian area quickly on their way, and kept going to eastern areas, where they settled. They left little genetic evidence in Melanesia, "and only intermixed to
638-507: Is a hair color which is a reddish shade of brown hair. In contrast to auburn hair, the reddish shade of chestnut is darker. Chestnut hair is common among the native peoples of Northern, Central, Western, and Eastern Europe and is also found in Asia Minor , West Asia and North Africa . Auburn hair ranges along a spectrum of light to dark red-brown shades. The chemicals which cause auburn hair are eumelanin (brown) and pheomelanin (red), with
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#1733094402439696-474: Is a proposed phenomenon in which sudden whitening is caused by stress. It has been found that some hairs can become colored again when stress is reduced. Children born with some hair colors may find it gradually darkens as they grow. Many blond, light brown, or red haired infants experience this. This is caused by genes being turned on and off during early childhood and puberty. Changes in hair color typically occur naturally as people age, eventually turning
754-462: Is always permanent because it removes the natural pigment. "Rinses" are a form of temporary hair color, usually applied to hair during a shampoo and washed out again the next time the hair is washed. Melanesians Melanesians are the predominant and indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia , in an area stretching from New Guinea to the Fiji Islands . Most speak one of the many languages of
812-588: Is brunette. In the French folk song " Au clair de la lune ", the likable Lubin visits his brunette neighbor at Pierrot's suggestion. In the Irish song "The Star of the County Down" the narrator falls in love with a woman with "nut-brown" hair, called Rose McCann. In popular culture, brunettes may be portrayed as being in a rivalry or competition with blonde women. The rivalry may take the form of competitive sports or as part of
870-579: Is caused by a recessive mutation in tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1). In the Solomon Islands, 26% of the population carry the gene; however, it is absent outside of Oceania. Gray or white hair is not caused by a true gray or white pigment, but is due to a lack of pigmentation and melanin. The clear hairs appear as gray or white because of the way light is reflected from the hairs. Gray hair color typically occurs naturally as people age (see aging or achromotrichia below). Marie Antoinette syndrome
928-509: Is denser than other hair colors and is the commonly seen hair color in Asia and Africa due the fact that the people in these regions tend to have lower levels of tyrosinase in their bodies. Black eumelanin secretion causes the hair to turn black, which indicates that the MC1R is in the active state. Jet black hair, the darkest shade will not have a warm, neutral tone but a sheen which can seem almost blue, like
986-409: Is essential to match new hair growing in to the rest of the hair, and to remedy fading. A one-color permanent dye creates a flat, uniform color across the whole head, which can look unnatural and harsh, especially in a fair shade. To combat this, the modern trend is to use multiple colors—usually one color as a base with added highlights or lowlights in other shades. Semi-permanent color washes out over
1044-433: Is eumelanin. Pheomelanin is generally found in elevated concentrations in blond and red hair, representing about one-third of total melanin content. If there is no black eumelanin, the result is strawberry blond. Blond hair results from small amounts of brown eumelanin with no black eumelanin. Natural hair color can be black, brown, blonde and red. The Fischer–Saller scale , named after Eugen Fischer and Karl Saller
1102-554: Is found in some European populations, and hair turns gray, white, or "silver" with age . The full genetic basis of hair color is complex and not fully understood. Regulatory DNA is believed to be closely involved in pigmentation in humans in general, and a 2011 study by Branicki et al. identified 13 DNA variations across 11 different genes that could be used to predict hair color. Two types of pigment give hair its color, black-brown eumelanin and reddish-brown/reddish-yellow pheomelanin , synthesized by melanocytes . Inside
1160-602: Is generally referring only to the hair color, not using the term as a descriptor for the person; one would be unlikely to say, "She is a light brunette." Rather, one would say, "She has light-brown hair." Brown-haired individuals predominate in most parts of Europe . In northern and central Europe medium to light brown shades are the most common, while darker shades prevail in the rest of the continent. Brown hair, mostly medium to light brown shades, are also dominant in Australia , Canada , South Africa among White South Africans and
1218-644: Is not the same gene that causes blond hair in the Northern European region. As with blond hair that arose in Northern Europe, incidence of blondness is more common in children than in adults, with hair tending to darken as the individual matures. The predominantly Melanesian areas of Oceania include New Guinea and surrounding islands, the Solomon Islands , Vanuatu and Fiji . New Caledonia and nearby Loyalty Islands for most of their history have had
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#17330944024391276-654: Is predominant in the Mediterranean parts of Europe, the Middle East , North Africa , Central Asia , and South Asia . Very dark brown hair, easily mistaken for black hair , can be found occasionally in parts of East Asia . This is also true of Southern Cone of South America ( Chile , Argentina , Uruguay , Paraguay , central-southern Brazil ), Colombia , Andean Region of Venezuela , Costa Rican Central Valley and Puerto Rico . A study of 1,023 students in Chile found that
1334-456: Is removed, one or more shades, and synthetic color has been put in its place. All pigments wash out of the cuticle. Natural color stays in much longer and artificial will fade the fastest (depending on the color molecules and the form of the dye pigments). Permanent hair color gives the most flexibility because it can make hair lighter or darker as well as changing tone and color, but there are negatives. Constant (monthly or six-weekly) maintenance
1392-478: Is the darkest; brown eumelanin is much lighter than black. A small amount of black eumelanin in the absence of other pigments causes grey hair . A small amount of brown eumelanin without any other pigments causes yellow ( blond ) color hair. Often, natural blond or red hair will darken to a brown color over time. Brown-haired people have medium-thick strands of hair. Brown-haired people are thought to produce more skin-protecting eumelanin and are associated with having
1450-512: Is the feminine form of the French word brunet , which is a diminutive form of brun meaning "brown/brown-haired", the feminine of which is brune . All of these terms ultimately derive from the Proto-Indo-European root * bhrūn- "brown, grey". The form "brun" (pronounced / b r uː n / ) is still commonly used in Scotland, particularly in rural areas, and is also the word for "brown" in
1508-470: Is the masculine version of the popular diminutive form used to describe a little boy or young man with brown hair, the use of "brunet" is uncommon in English. One is more likely to say about a man or boy, "He has brown hair" or "He is brown-haired" than to say, "He is a brunette" (or brunet). Lighter or darker shades of brown hair may be referred to as "light brunette" or "dark brunette", though in such cases one
1566-435: Is used in physical anthropology and medicine to determine the shades of hair color. The scale uses the following designations: A (very light blond), B to E (light blond), F to L ( blond ), M to O (dark blond), P to T ( light brown to brown ), U to Y (dark brown to black ) and Roman numerals I to IV ( red ) and V to VI (red-blond). Black hair or jet black hair is the darkest hair color. It has large amounts of eumelanin and
1624-404: Is usually: nose hair, hair on the head, beard, body hair, eyebrows. Hair color can be changed by a chemical process. Hair coloring is classed as "permanent" or "semi-permanent". Permanent hair color means that the hair's structure has been chemically altered until it is eventually cut away. This does not mean that the synthetic color will remain permanently. During the process, the natural color
1682-532: The Austronesian language family (especially ones in the Oceanic branch) or one of the many unrelated families of Papuan languages . There are several creoles of the region, such as Tok Pisin , Hiri Motu , Solomon Islands Pijin , Bislama , and Papuan Malay . The origin of Melanesians is generally associated with the first settlement of Australasia by a lineage dubbed 'Australasians' or 'Australo-Papuans' during
1740-820: The Initial Upper Paleolithic , which is "ascribed to a population movement with uniform genetic features and material culture" ( Ancient East Eurasians ), and sharing deep ancestry with modern East Asian peoples and other Asia-Pacific groups. It is estimated that people reached Sahul (the geological continent consisting of Australia and New Guinea) between 50,000 and 37,000 years ago. Rising sea levels separated New Guinea from Australia about 10,000 years ago. However, Aboriginal Australians and Papuans had diverged genetically much earlier, around 40,000 years BP. Melanesians are more closely related to Papuans than to Aboriginal Australians. The eastern part of Melanesia that includes Vanuatu , New Caledonia , and Fiji ,
1798-470: The Scandinavian languages . In modern English usage, however, it has lost the diminutive meaning and usually refers to any brown-haired girl or woman, or the associated hair color. Merriam-Webster defines "brunet" as "a person having brown hair"—with which they may have "a relatively dark complexion—spelled brunet when used of a boy or man and usually brunette when used of a girl or woman". Although brunet
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1856-628: The United States among European Americans from the Northern , Central and Eastern European ( British , Scandinavian , Baltic , Dutch / Flemish , German (including Swiss-German and Austrian ), Slovenian , Polish , Ukrainian and Russian ) as well as Southern ( Italian , Spanish , Greek , Portuguese ) and Southeastern European ( Bulgarian , Croatian , Serbian ). Similarly to blond hair, brown hair occurs commonly among Australian Aboriginal and Melanesian populations. Dark brown hair
1914-464: The United States , as well as populations in Central Europe , Southeastern Europe , Eastern Europe , Southern Europe , Southern Cone , Brazil , Colombia , Costa Rica , Puerto Rico , and also some populations in the Middle East , Central Asia where it transitions smoothly into black hair. Additionally, brown hair is common among Australian Aboriginals and Melanesians . The term brunette
1972-448: The equator tend to have darker hair, because eumelanin is generally more photoprotective than pheomelanin. Pheomelanin colors hair orange and red . Eumelanin, which has two subtypes of black or brown , determines the darkness of the hair color; more black eumelanin leads to blacker hair and more brown eumelanin to browner hair. All human hair has some amount of both pigments. Over 95% of melanin content in black and brown hair
2030-667: The indigenous Australians . Dumont D'Urville combined the two peoples into one group. Soares et al. (2008) have argued for an older pre- Holocene Sundaland origin in Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) based on mitochondrial DNA . The "out of Taiwan model" was challenged by a study from Leeds University and published in Molecular Biology and Evolution . Examination of mitochondrial DNA lineages shows that they have been evolving in ISEA for longer than previously believed. Ancestors of
2088-449: The melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene can lead to red or auburn hair, and exposure to ultraviolet radiation can damage hair and alter its pigmentation. Ultraviolet radiation (UV radiation) triggers greater synthesis of several compounds, including pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), α-MSH , and ACTH , the result being increased eumelanin production. UV radiation most commonly comes from the sun, and thus populations from places closer to
2146-588: The Denisovans, indicating this exchange. The Denisovans are considered cousin to the Neanderthals. Both groups are now understood to have migrated out of Africa, with the Neanderthals going into Europe, and the Denisovans heading east about 400,000 years ago. This is based on genetic evidence from a fossil found in Siberia . The evidence from Melanesia suggests their territory extended into southeast Asia, where ancestors of
2204-560: The Melanesian islands. Genetic links have been identified between the Oceanic peoples. Polynesians are dominated by a type of macro-haplogroup C y-DNA, which is a minority lineage in Melanesia, and have a very low frequency of the dominant Melanesian y-DNA K2b1. A significant minority of them also belongs to the typical East Asian male Haplogroup O-M175 . Some recent studies suggest that all humans outside of Sub-Saharan Africa have inherited some genes from Neanderthals, and that Melanesians are
2262-598: The Melanesians developed. Melanesians of some islands are one of the few non-European peoples, and the only dark-skinned group of people outside Australia, known to have blond hair. The blond trait developed via the TYRP1 gene, which is not the same gene that causes blondness in European blonds. Early European explorers noted the physical differences among groups of Pacific Islanders. In 1756 Charles de Brosses theorized that there
2320-516: The Philippines , Malaysia and Vietnam ) for example particularly when they are young, as well as in many other groups. The pigment eumelanin gives brown hair its distinctive color. Brown hair has more eumelanin than blond hair but also has far less than black. There are two different types of eumelanin, which are distinguished from each other by their pattern of polymer bonds. The two types are black eumelanin and brown eumelanin. Black eumelanin
2378-867: The Polynesians arrived in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea at least 6,000 to 8,000 years ago. Paternal Y chromosome analysis by Kayser et al. (2000) also showed that Polynesians have significant Melanesian genetic admixture. A follow-up study by Kayser et al. (2008) discovered that only 21% of the Polynesian autosomal gene pool is of Melanesian origin, with the rest (79%) being of East Asian origin. A study by Friedlaender et al. (2008) confirmed that Polynesians are closer genetically to Micronesians, Taiwanese Aborigines, and East Asians, than to Melanesians. The study concluded that Polynesians moved through Melanesia fairly rapidly, allowing only limited admixture between Austronesians and Melanesians. Thus,
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2436-410: The area more than 3,000 years ago, came into contact with these pre-existing populations of Papuan-speaking peoples. In the late 20th century, some scholars theorized a long period of interaction, which resulted in many complex changes in genetics, languages, and culture among the peoples. It was proposed that, from this area, a very small group of people (speaking an Austronesian language ) departed to
2494-526: The coastlines were more intermixed. Further DNA analysis has taken research into new directions, as more Homo erectus races or subspecies have been discovered since the late 20th century. Based on his genetic studies of the Denisova hominin , an ancient human species discovered in 2010, Svante Pääbo claims that ancient human ancestors of the Melanesians interbred in Asia with these humans . He has found that people of New Guinea share 4%–7% of their genome with
2552-439: The color at all). A few gray and white hairs will blend in visually, but semi-permanent dye alone will not usually give the desired result where there is a lot of gray or white hair present. Sometimes a mixture of dyes is used while hair is greying: semi-permanent as a base color, with permanent highlights. Semi-permanent hair color cannot lighten hair. Hair can only be lightened using chemical lighteners, such as bleach. Bleaching
2610-465: The east to become the forebears of the Polynesian people . The indigenous Melanesian populations are thus often classified into two main groups based on differences in language, culture or genetic ancestry: the Papuan -speaking and Austronesian -speaking groups. This Polynesian theory was overturned by a 2010 study, which was based on genome scans and evaluation of more than 800 genetic markers among
2668-604: The first female president of the United States will have brown hair. Anita Loos , the author of the novel and play Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , wrote a sequel entitled But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes . A film of this was made, Gentlemen Marry Brunettes , starring Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain . The Lady of Shalott from Alfred, Lord Tennyson 's poem is depicted as a brunette in most paintings. The woman portrayed in Leonardo da Vinci 's most well-known painting, Mona Lisa ,
2726-404: The hair gray and then white. This is called achromotrichia. Achromotrichia normally begins in the early to mid-twenties in men and late twenties in women. More than 60 percent of Americans have some gray hair by age 40. The age at which graying begins seems almost entirely due to genetics . Sometimes people are born with gray hair because they inherit the trait. The order in which graying happens
2784-498: The high frequencies of B4a1a1 are the result of drift and represent the descendants of a very few successful East Asian females. Austronesian languages and cultural traits were introduced along the north and south-east coasts of New Guinea and in some of the islands north and east of New Guinea by migrating Austronesians, probably starting over 3,500 years ago. This was followed by long periods of interaction that resulted in many complex changes in genetics, languages, and culture. It
2842-777: The highest amounts of pheomelanin , around 67%, and usually low levels of eumelanin . At 1–2% of the west Eurasian population, it is the least common hair color in the world. It is most prominently found in the British Isles and in Udmurtia . Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads; 13 percent of the population has red hair and approximately 40 percent carry the recessive redhead gene. Red hair can also occur in Southern Europe, West Asia, North Africa and Central Asia. Blond (sometimes blonde for women) hair ranges from pale white (platinum blond) to dark gold blond. Strawberry blond,
2900-582: The iridescence of a raven's wing; hence, sometimes referred to as raven-black. Jet black hair appears to have reflective silver color in bright sunlight. Brown hair is the second most common human hair color, after black. Brown hair is characterized by higher levels of eumelanin and lower levels of pheomelanin. Of the two types of eumelanin (black and brown), brown-haired people have brown eumelanin; they also usually have medium-thick strands of hair. Brown-haired girls or women of European, West Asian or North African descent are often known as brunettes. Chestnut hair
2958-448: The melanocytes, tyrosine is converted into L-DOPA and then L-dopaquinone , which in turn is formed into pheomelanin or eumelanin. Different hair color phenotypes arise primarily as a result of varying ratios of these two pigments in the human population, although Europeans show the greatest range in pigmentation overall. In addition, other genetic and environmental factors can affect hair color in humans; for instance, mutations in
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#17330944024393016-499: The most common eye color was brown-black: 71 to 89.4% and the most common hair color was brown from 65.8% to 66.8%. In Spain , 57% are brown (7% of Spaniards are naturally blonde, 26% brunette, 3% redhead and the remaining 10% dark and light brown). Dark brown hair also may occasionally be found among Indigenous Americans and Siberians; (formerly) especially for mostly populations in Southeast Asia due to pigment changes (such as
3074-576: The only known modern humans whose prehistoric ancestors interbred with the Denisova hominin , sharing 4%–6% of their genome with this ancient cousin of the Neanderthal. Most people with blond hair are Northern European white European ethno-racial origins. It evolved independently in Melanesia, where Melanesians of some islands (along with some indigenous Australians ) are one of a few non-European ethnic groups who have blond hair. This has been traced to an allele of TYRP1 unique to these people, and
3132-405: The peoples not only distinguished between the islands, but also by the languages, topography, and size of an island. Such diversity developed over the tens of thousands of years since initial settlement, as well as after the more recent arrival of Polynesian ancestors at the islands. Papuan-speaking groups in particular were found to be the most differentiated, while Austronesian-speaking groups along
3190-400: The peoples of Oceania into four racial groups: Malayans, Polynesians, Micronesians, and Melanesians. D'Urville's model differed from that of Bory de Saint-Vincent in referring to 'Melanesians' rather than 'Mélaniens.' He derived the name Melanesia from Greek μέλας , black , and νῆσος , island , to mean "islands of black people". Bory de Saint-Vincent had distinguished Mélaniens from
3248-647: Was an 'old black race' in the Pacific who were conquered or defeated by the peoples of what is now called Polynesia , whom he distinguished as having lighter skin. By 1825 Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent developed a more elaborate, 15-race model of human diversity. He described the inhabitants of modern-day Melanesia as Mélaniens , a distinct racial group from the Australian and Neptunian (i.e. Polynesian) races surrounding them. In 1832 Dumont D'Urville expanded and simplified much of this earlier work. He classified
3306-546: Was first inhabited by Austronesian peoples , who created the Lapita culture, and later followed by Melanesian groups. They appear to have occupied these islands as far east as the main islands in the Solomon Islands , including Makira and possibly the smaller islands farther to the east. Particularly along the north coast of New Guinea and in the islands north and east of New Guinea, the Austronesian people, who had migrated into
3364-425: Was once postulated that from this area a very small group of people (speaking an Austronesian language ) departed to the east and became the forebears of the Polynesian people . This theory was, however, contradicted by a study published by Temple University finding that Polynesians and Micronesians have little genetic relation to Melanesians; instead, they found significant distinctions between groups living within
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