2. Melanin or natural hair color

2.1 Melanin structure

Hair's natural color results from the presence of a natural brown pigment, melanin, also present in the skin, eyes, brain and inner ear. Melanin is produced by melanocytes in the hair follicle. It is then transmitted to keratinocytes while the hair is forming. So, from birth, hair is colored. Although the range of natural hair colors is very broad, melanin accounts for only 1% of the hair's total composition. A melanocyte essentially produces two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin (or phaeomelanin), whose colors range from reddish-brown to deep black and from yellow to red, respectively. Their respective structures are shown in figure