Black hair

This article is about hair that is black in color. For information regarding hair that is the texture of unprocessed African hair (sometimes called "black hair"), see Natural hair.

Japanese man with black hair

Indian woman with black hair

Black hair is the darkest and most common color of human hair. Black hair is most commonly found in people of non-European heritage, but occurs in people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. It has large amounts of eumelanin and is less dense than other hair colors. It can be a very dark brown or complete black. Black hair is known to be the shiniest out of all other hair colors.^[1] In English, people with black hair are usually referred to as "black-haired", "dark-haired" or "raven-haired", rather than "brunette".

Outside of Europe, where the blond mutation originated, most humans have black or dark brown hair.^[2] This is likely the original hair color of homo sapiens, and is found in its greatest distribution in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the pre-Columbian Americas. Among Caucasians, black hair is particularly common in people of Southern European, West Asian, North African, and South Asian descent, and much less so in people from Nordic countries. Black hair is also common in hispanics and latinos.

Black hair comes in a variety of textures. Many people of African or Melanesian origin have afro-textured hair, with the exception of some Ethiopian ethnic groups. Straight black hair is common in Asians and Native Americans. Curly, wavy, and straight hair are all common among black-haired Caucasians. Black hair in hispanics is usually straight and smooth yet in countries located in the caribbean it may be afro-textured hair.

References

See also

• Hair color
• Hair dye