# "Blonde". "Brunette". "Redhead". "Person with black hair"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 27, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923 "2007-02-27T20:16:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/1 "2007-02-27T20:16:22Z")
Is there a name for people with black hair? As in what would you plug into this type of sentence: “I’m the short one, she is the \_\_\_\_” or “I’m totally going to ask the tall \_\_\_\_\_ over there to dance with me”. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/2 "2007-02-27T20:21:50Z")
I’ve always called them brunette. They never seem to call me back. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/3 "2007-02-27T20:23:47Z")
I always figured “brunette” covered anyone with black or dark brown hair. Although, I’ve also heard people say that there is no such thing as “black” hair, it’s just really dark brown. And one of these people is an Asian friend, and I consider her hair black. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/4 "2007-02-27T20:31:04Z")
Maybe it’s just who I know, but I know a lot of people with dyed blue-black hair… and I wouldn’t consider them brunette. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/5 "2007-02-27T20:36:07Z")
See, I would. ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/6 "2007-02-27T20:41:17Z")
Perhaps you could call them raven haired? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/7 "2007-02-27T20:41:36Z")
Raven-tressed. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/8 "2007-02-27T20:43:56Z")
(You probably do not want to use blackhead.) ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/9 "2007-02-27T20:54:15Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] (You probably do not want to use blackhead.) [/QUOTE] OW!! now I have chocolate chip cookie crumbs in my sinuses… thanks a lot!!! ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/10 "2007-02-27T20:57:17Z")
> [@](#): > > **McNew** : Although, I’ve also heard people say that there is no such thing as “black” hair, it’s just really dark brown. I’m an ethnic with “raven tresses” and I’d agree with that. For being so common a hair colour in many parts of the world, it’s incredibly complex and difficult to replicate with commercial dyes. My hair, at least, is different shades of a very very dark browns and hair that appears “black” tossed with natural red and brown highlights. My sister has the more traditional straight glossy dark hair. We both show up with blue hair on cheap cameras, though! (I have a really funny picture from law school prom of me and all my Indian girlfriends someone snapped on a crappy camera, where the 7 of us have blue hair) I know when I start going grey I’m either going to have to henna to match my natural red highlights, as my mother has done, or change my hair colour to chestnut brown, because I’ve never seen a really natural black dye job that replicates my hair colour, or that of most Indian people of my acquaintance. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/11 "2007-02-27T21:46:19Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] Raven-tressed. [/QUOTE] Yep-that would be my term of reference. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/12 "2007-02-27T21:48:58Z")
How about sanguine? Of course, it doesn’t really go with the Wednesday Addams look. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Push\_Up\_Bra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/edb3f5/32.png) [@Freudian\_Push\_Up\_Bra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Push_Up_Bra)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/13 "2007-02-28T00:23:24Z")
I’ve heard raven-tressed, a ravenette and my personal favourite; ‘schwartzkopf’. 😃 P.S. Now I want cookies… ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/14 "2007-02-28T00:50:05Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] Is there a name for people with black hair? As in what would you plug into this type of sentence: “I’m the short one, she is the \_\_\_\_” or “I’m totally going to ask the tall \_\_\_\_\_ over there to dance with me”. [/QUOTE] How about “fucking hot?” ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/15 "2007-02-28T01:47:38Z")
[QUOTE=Cowboy8467] Perhaps you could call them raven haired? [/QUOTE] Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/16 "2007-02-28T01:57:05Z")
Except for the blue haired bit I could have written anu’s post. I have the same issue. And yes, when you dye, you do have to go to chestnut. Perhaps as Asians flood the market more they will start making hair dyes more to our taste; right now most hair dyes work on the premise your hair is one or two shades at most. Mine is also incredibly complex. I used to be irritated, now call me brunette and I will be perfectly happy. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/17 "2007-02-28T23:48:50Z")
The problem I’ve seen with the black dyes is that they are really just blue-black as a base, on top of the problem you’ve high-lighted, which is that the colour does not come out multi-dimensional. It’s only since I’ve started really looking at horrible black hair dye jobs that I’ve quit colouring my hair (beyond henna, since I have old highlights I’m growing out). I don’t even know if Asians in the market will make anything better…I just think it’s a near impossible colour to replicate without almost every foil a different colour of dark brown and black mixed in. And the commercial blacks just don’t look like natural black hair. Makes you wonder about all those people with black hair who are always trying to make it blonde. I’m going to enjoy it while my hair’s still pigmented. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/18 "2007-03-01T15:57:51Z")
I think in cultures which are primarily Caucasian, the term used in the past was “black”, as in “black Irish”. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/19 "2007-03-01T16:09:00Z")
I think we need to resolve this question through proper analysis of hard evidence. **Opal** , would you please post photos of yourself with red hair, yellow hair, brown hair, and black hair? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923/20 "2007-03-01T16:16:08Z")
I believe we can call upon the Eagles to settle the issue: > [@](#): > > Raven hair and ruby lips > sparks fly from her finger tips > Echoed voices in the night > she’s a restless spirit on an endless flight > wooo hooo witchy woman, see how > high she flies [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blonde-brunette-redhead-person-with-black-hair/393923.md?page=2)