What are the two types of melanin in hair?

What are the two types of melanin in hair?

• A. Pale melanin and dark melanin
• B. Primary melanin and secondary melanin
• C. Alpha melanin and beta melanin
• D. Eumelanin (brown/black) and pheomelanin (red/blonde)

Answer: (D)

Melanin in hair comes in two forms: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin provides brown to black shades, while pheomelanin gives red to yellow/blonde tones. Hair color depends on how much of each pigment is present and how they mix: more eumelanin darkens the hair, more pheomelanin shifts toward red or lighter blond hues, and a combination produces the wide spectrum of natural hair colors. As melanin production declines with age, hair turns gray or white. The other labeled options don’t reflect the actual pigment types used to describe hair color.

Melanin in hair comes in two forms: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin provides brown to black shades, while pheomelanin gives red to yellow/blonde tones. Hair color depends on how much of each pigment is present and how they mix: more eumelanin darkens the hair, more pheomelanin shifts toward red or lighter blond hues, and a combination produces the wide spectrum of natural hair colors. As melanin production declines with age, hair turns gray or white. The other labeled options don’t reflect the actual pigment types used to describe hair color.