Red hair color would be determined by a dense concentration of which pigment?

Red hair color would be determined by a dense concentration of which pigment?

• A. High eumelanin
• B. Lack of eumelanin
• C. Absence of melanin
• D. Dense concentration of pheomelanin

Answer: (D)

Hair color comes from two pigments in the hair: eumelanin and pheomelanin. The shade you see depends on how much of each pigment is produced and how they’re balanced. Red hair specifically arises when pheomelanin is present in higher relative amounts while eumelanin is lower. That dense concentration of pheomelanin gives the reddish tones you associate with red hair. High levels of eumelanin would yield dark brown to black hair, and a complete absence of melanin would produce very light or colorless hair. So the red hue is due to a higher amount of pheomelanin rather than eumelanin.

Hair color comes from two pigments in the hair: eumelanin and pheomelanin. The shade you see depends on how much of each pigment is produced and how they’re balanced. Red hair specifically arises when pheomelanin is present in higher relative amounts while eumelanin is lower. That dense concentration of pheomelanin gives the reddish tones you associate with red hair. High levels of eumelanin would yield dark brown to black hair, and a complete absence of melanin would produce very light or colorless hair. So the red hue is due to a higher amount of pheomelanin rather than eumelanin.