# Hair color..

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-color/152390>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 3, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-color/152390 "2003-02-03T00:19:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MachineHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@MachineHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MachineHead)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-color/152390/1 "2003-02-03T00:19:08Z")

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Why are hair colors such as green blue orange and purple not produced naturally in humans or other species?

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**Author:** ![MachineHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@MachineHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MachineHead)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-color/152390/2 "2003-02-03T01:21:28Z")

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Any help?

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**Author:** ![MadScientistMatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@MadScientistMatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadScientistMatt)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-color/152390/3 "2003-02-03T01:59:35Z")

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Well, mammals only have two pigments. One is melanin (yellow, brown, or black, depending on how much is used) and the other I can’t remember, but I’ve heard it appears in red hair. This puts a definite limit on the number of hair colors mammals can have.

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**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-color/152390/4 "2003-02-03T02:33:04Z")

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Cecil did a [column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/941223.html) on this one a while back