Hair color is determined by the amount of a pigment called melanin in hair. An abundance of one type of melanin, called
Black hair is known to be the most common in the countries of Asia and Africa. Though this characteristic can also be seen in people of Southern Europe and France, it is less common. People of Celtic heritage in Ireland with such traits are sometimes known as the "Black Irish".
Black hair as identity. In pre-colonial African societies, Black hair was seen as a symbol of a person's identity. And during that time, there was a hairstyle for everyone and every occasion: whether you were royalty, a soldier going off to war, or a mother about to give birth.
The more eumelanin that's present in someone's hair, the darker it will appear. Some people have so much eumelanin in their hair that it may look black. Being that hair contains varying levels of both pheomelanin and eumelanin, no one has 100% black hair pigments. What seems like black hair is really dark brown hair.
Black hair is by far the most common natural hair colour in the world. In fact, around 75 to 85 percent of the people in the world have some shade of black hair.
Red is the rarest hair color, according to Dr. Kaplan, and that's because so few MC1R variants are associated with the shade. “Only three variants are associated with red hair,” she says. “If a person has two of these three variants, they almost certainly have red hair.
Hair means something different to each of us, but Black hair has a uniquely meaningful history as a symbol of survival, resistance and celebration. It's been wielded as a tool of oppression and also one of empowerment—and our society's perceptions of Black hair still influence how Black people are treated today.
Not only is African hair often coiled, it also has a unique texture. So why is this? African hair produces plenty of protective oils, called sebum, which keeps our hair healthy. In fact, African hair actually produces more oils than Caucasian and Asian hair.
Compared to silkier hair African-American hair contains more lipids, or fats, but the lipids are less bonded which is why the hair loves oils so much. Along with that, the follicle size is much thicker and it has a flattened elliptical cross section causing it to be curlier than other hair types.
Most people have two functioning copies of the MC1R gene, one inherited from each parent. These individuals have black or brown hair, because of the high amount of eumelanin. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of people in the world have brown or black hair.
The history of the afro can be traced back to the Motherland. In Africa, afros, braids, and other tribal hairstyles were the norm. Hair was used to define roles, hierarchy, status, and within the tribes' community. It was also used as a way for the women to gather together and socialize, like a modern-day hair salon.
Cornrows were a sign of resistance for slaves because they used it as maps to escape from slavery and they would hide rice or seeds into their braids on their way to enslavement.
African-Americans with blue eyes are not unheard of, but they are pretty rare. There are lots of ways for this to happen. Some possible ways an African-American person might have ended up with blue eyes are: Caucasian relatives in their ancestry (the most likely reason)
Naturally-occurring blond hair is primarily found in people living in or descended from people who lived in the northern half of Europe, and may have evolved alongside the development of light skin that enables more efficient synthesis of vitamin D, due to northern Europe's lower levels of sunlight.
In general, however, the highest rates of male pattern baldness are found among Caucasian men. The second highest rates belong to Afro-Caribbeans. Native Americans, on the other hand, do not struggle much with male pattern baldness. As mentioned, pattern baldness is genetic, that is, hereditary.
Caucasians have the highest hair density among the ethnicities studied. Black people have the lowest. Asian people have hair density that falls somewhere in between.
So, why is Afro-textured hair so fragile? With its tight curls and twists, is more prone to breakage for several reasons. Its shape increases tangling and makes combing harder. The shape also creates internal stresses when the hair is unbent, untwisted or stretched that lead to fracturing.
Afro-textured hair, or kinky hair, is a human hair texture originating from sub-Saharan Africa. Each strand of this hair type grows in a tiny, angle-like helix shape. The overall effect is such that, contrasted with straight, wavy, or curly hair, afro-textured hair appears denser.
Caucasian, Asian and Indian hair samples were put to the test for the World's Best Hair study. Their results put an end to any splitting of hairs over the issue: in terms of health, the Indian hair is the best, topping other ethnic groups on all four counts.
According to research hair grows an average of 1.3cm per monthand although it's true tha black people's hair grows slower than this, the difference is not extreme. The only reason black hair appears to grow slower is because it is extremely curly whereas other types of hair grows straight or in bigger curls.
Fros don't absorb as much moisture as our caucasian cousins' hair, added to this the structure of our hair (curls and kinks, and increased density) means that nutrients often don't travel along the length of our strands as well as we'd like.
Thick, glossy strands go a long way toward making hair look healthy—even when it's not. "Because the hairs are thicker naturally, dark hair is better at camouflaging damage than light hair; it weighs down flyaways and split ends," notes Adrian Wallace, senior colorist at Rita Hazan Salon in NYC.
African slaves no longer had access to their natural herbs, butters and oils to take care of their hair. They resorted to bacon grease, butter, and kerosene as their moisturizers, conditioners, and shampoo.
Can Black people wash their hair every day? No, it is not advisable to wash black hair daily as it can make your hair dry and brittle. Which shampoos are best for African-American hair? For the best results, use SLS-free shampoos that are gentle on your hair and scalp (6).