Page 23 - HAIR COLOUR
P. 23
The hair colour is decided by the varying amounts of pigments contained
in the hair structure. Pigments are contained in two types of melanin
Eumelanin contains the dark blue pigments only, and Phaeomelanin that
contains both the red and yellow pigments.
Melanin is found in the cortex and the matrix cement but not in the
cuticle cells which are completely free of melanin thereby free of
pigments as well.
Cuticle cells work the same as prisms and water droplets in the
atmosphere absorbing white light splitting into individual colour
wavelengths and reflecting the corresponding wavelengths from the
pigments. (Fig 19.)
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