# Black-haired caucasians? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2000, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762 "2000-02-24T01:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2000, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/1 "2000-02-24T01:05:00Z")
My boyfriend still occasionally insists I have black hair. The other day, however, he acknowledged that when draped over my black leather jacket, it did indeed appear to be brown–as I’ve said over, and over, and over again. My hair is not black, dammit–it’s just very dark brown. As I was discussing this with him, I questioned whether there were indeed any caucasians with truly jet-black (natural) hair. Asians, Indians, Africans–certain branches (for lack of a better word) of these races have truly black hair that appears almost blue when reflecting the sun. My hair, on the other hand, has an auburn color in sunlight. Thoughts? Italians, perhaps? BTW, I am talking about the hair on a person’s _head_ here. [http://204.95.48.199/ubb/smile.gif](http://204.95.48.199/ubb/smile.gif) * * * Teaching: The ultimate birth control method. [Laura’s Stuff and Things](http://members.aol.com/lrconaway) ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/2 "2000-02-25T23:40:00Z")
Most of my hair is really dark brown, but I’ve found several strands of other colors in there. There’s a couple of patches behind my ears that I’d probably call black, and I’ve got a noticable amount of grey hair all over. I’ve also found red hairs in my stubble when I let it grow a day or two. Not exactly what you were asking, but yes, I’d say it’s certainly possible that there are caucasians with truly black hair. ---
**Author:** ![PUNdit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@PUNdit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PUNdit)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/3 "2000-02-26T00:33:00Z")
## My mother and her brother both had jet black hair. It is possible that they have some American Indian ancestry. You are going to run into that problem in trying to define American Caucasians, though. A friend of ours who was definitely of pure English extraction had black hair, too, but I am pretty sure that was a dye job since she was about 80 at the time. “You can be smart or pleasant. For years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.” Elwood P. Dowd ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/4 "2000-02-26T00:51:00Z")
Why don’t you read what the master has to say on the subject? [Who are the “black Irish”?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a930730.html) > [@](#): > > People talk about the Black Irish as though they constituted a mythical race on a par with the lost tribes of Israel. But in fact all they mean (usually) is that somebody named McNulty has dark, and in the classic case black, hair. ---
**Author:** ![Frankie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Frankie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankie)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/5 "2000-02-26T01:01:00Z")
And Ruffian, there are no pure caucasians anymore, so its impossible to ever know! * * * -Frankie I’m a wholesale dealin papa, but I retail on the side.-Brownie McGhee ---
**Author:** ![Jois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea666f/32.png) [@Jois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jois)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/6 "2000-02-26T01:06:00Z")
My great grandfather was born in Italy–thus Italian, and had jet black hair, white white skin, pink cheeks, and pale blue eyes. Very striking. Reminded me of the Snow White look, you know, Disney’s Snow White. None of his children or grandchildren got the jet black hair or the white/pink skin, but those odd pale blue eyes got slight modifications and passed down to one of his three sons and only to one of that son’s two sons. I.e. whatever it was, it wasn’t easy to pass along! * * * Are you driving with your eyes open or are you using The Force? - A. Foley ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/7 "2000-02-26T01:08:00Z")
My father has jet-black hair (though it’s more salt & pepper now). He’s Italian. My HS friend John Daly had jet-black hair. He was Irish. I think it’s not so ‘impossible’ as ‘improbable.’ * * * JMCJ Give to Radiskull! ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/8 "2000-02-26T01:09:00Z")
I am both black Irish and Cherokee…but didn’t quite manage black. I figured there had to be a fee raven-haired individuals out there, I’m just curious at their (natural) rarity. I wonder if it’s a recessive trait? (Or one easily “bred out”) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/9 "2000-02-26T02:30:00Z")
Considering that Caucasians include those currently inhabiting the Caucasus (area between Black Sea & Aral Sea), specifically Armenia & Azerbajain, most inhabitants are quite dark (like Arabs/Jews/North Africans, who are also Caucasians). I would hazard a guess that quite a few have truly black hair. Caucasian does not equal European or Aryan. * * * Sue from El Paso Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. ---
**Author:** ![siva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7c8e57/32.png) [@siva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siva)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/10 "2000-02-26T03:06:00Z")
Ruffian said:Asians, Indians, Africans–certain branches (for lack of a better word) of these races have truly black hair that appears almost blue when reflecting the sun. As far as i know black hair doesn’t exist. Geez I hope I get this right. Light reflects hair color. And for hair to reflect a color it of course has to have color. Black is the absence of reflected color(light). For instance a blue shirt only looks blue because that is the color being reflected by light. White is the reflection of the entire color spectrum. So if a person has black hair you wouldn’t see it, because it doesnt reflect. Plus if a person has brown hair it looks lighter in a bright light. A person with (supposed) black hair their hair should turn grayish but it doesnt it turns brownish I’ve had quite a few beers!!! ---
**Author:** ![TheUnforgiven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TheUnforgiven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheUnforgiven)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/11 "2000-02-26T03:40:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by siva: > \*\* Black is the absence of reflected color(light)… So if a person has black hair you wouldn’t see it, because it doesnt reflect. > \*\* ## Siva, because black does not reflect light does not mean it is invisible. Because there is no light being reflected, you see the absence of reflected light: black. Right? “The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.” -H.P. Lovecraft, “The Call of Cthulhu” ---
**Author:** ![siva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7c8e57/32.png) [@siva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siva)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/12 "2000-02-26T04:18:00Z")
Like I said “Geez I hope I get this right” TheUnforgiven said: Siva, because black does not reflect light does not mean it is invisible. Because there is no light being reflected, you see the absence of reflected light: black. Right? that kind of backs up my thoughts. If a person truly had black hair you wouldn’;t be able to distinguish it. In darkness you see nothing. There is nothing to see. ---
**Author:** ![Konrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@Konrad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Konrad)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/13 "2000-02-26T14:31:00Z")
siva, so if I paint myself black I’ll be the invisible man? ---
**Author:** ![siva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7c8e57/32.png) [@siva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siva)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/14 "2000-02-27T06:19:00Z")
Thats not what I meant Konrad ---
**Author:** ![TheUnforgiven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TheUnforgiven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheUnforgiven)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-haired-caucasians/7762/15 "2000-02-27T07:59:00Z")
Siva, you say that’s not what you mean, but that’s what you’re saying: > [@](#): > > In darkness you see nothing. There is nothing to see. If you are in darkness, no, you can’t see anything. But if you are standing in light, then you can see darkness. Therefore you can see the color black. Shadows are black because of the absence of light, but you can still _see_ them! I guess another valid point is that hairs have substances on them (oil, etc) which reflect light. I guess that’s why black hair looks shinier than lighter hair. The blackness itself absorbs light, making it easier to distiguish the reflections off of oils and residues on the hairs. Does this help?