A small concentration of eumelanin will produce which hair color?

• A. Black Hair
• B. Red Hair
• C. Light Blond Hair
• D. Dark Brown Hair

Answer: (C)

Eumelanin is the pigment that darkens hair. The amount present determines how dark the color appears: a lot of eumelanin gives you black to dark brown, while only a small amount leaves hair looking much lighter. When eumelanin concentration is low, the hair falls into the blond range, specifically a light blond. Red hair, on the other hand, comes mainly from pheomelanin and can occur with low eumelanin, but the scenario described—small eumelanin—typically maps to light blond rather than red. So a tiny amount of eumelanin results in lighter blond hair rather than the darker hues.