# What's the name of a woman who has black hair? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974 "2010-08-03T04:16:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/21 "2010-08-03T16:53:52Z")
**Diosa** , I’ve heard that most people who appear to have black hair have really dark brown hair. (Under a light, mine looks dark brown, but it’s just easier to say I have black hair.) But is that true of all black hair? Ever? ---
**Author:** ![RedBloom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedBloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedBloom)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/22 "2010-08-03T16:59:10Z")
ebony locked? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/23 "2010-08-03T17:02:06Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > **Diosa** , I’ve heard that most people who appear to have black hair have really dark brown hair. (Under a light, mine looks dark brown, but it’s just easier to say I have black hair.) But is that true of all black hair? Ever? My understanding (and I’m open to being corrected here) is that there is no TRULY black hair- it is all dark, dark brown. Take [my dog](http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs352.snc3/29209_512781945105_139400322_30414753_2372072_n.jpg) for example. She’s very clearly got what is traditionally a blue black coat (I used to dye my hair that blue black color back in the day). Blue black (as opposed to a more natural, golden under toned black) is pretty much as black as black can get. But when my dog is in the sun, her fur is definitely dark brown. Heck, [even with just a camera flash](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs341.ash1/29209_512781960075_139400322_30414756_3011206_n.jpg), you can see how she’s actually brown. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/24 "2010-08-03T18:20:12Z")
Speaking as a person with very dark brown hair and the son of a man with black hair - there is a difference. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/25 "2010-08-03T18:32:47Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Speaking as a person with very dark brown hair and the son of a man with black hair - there is a difference. Your dad’s hair was actually, literally black? How can you be sure of that? My understanding is that this doesn’t actually happen in nature. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/26 "2010-08-03T22:36:59Z")
Uh … isn’t Asian hair true black? Or, as close to true black hair as humans naturally get? ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/27 "2010-08-04T03:41:08Z")
> [@Ruby\_Slippers](#): > > Is there any noun for people with gray hair? Well there’s an adjective - [hoary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hoary). ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/28 "2010-08-04T05:43:04Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Uh .. isn’t Asian hair true black?\*\* Or, as close to true black hair as humans naturally get\*\*? Emphasis mine. Sure, colloquially, we would call that black- but under bright light, it’s dark brown just like all other “black” hair ---
**Author:** ![kim\_jung\_il](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/54ee81/32.png) [@kim\_jung\_il](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kim_jung_il)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/29 "2010-08-04T06:56:28Z")
My wife is of Asian descent and I have to say that her hair is pretty much jet black. My little noirette wife 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/30 "2010-08-04T07:02:11Z")
I always thought “brunette” included black. ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/31 "2010-08-04T08:15:25Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Uh .. isn’t Asian hair true black? Or, as close to true black hair as humans naturally get? I’m Asian, and my hair looks pretty black to the naked eye. My sister has very dark brown hair, and under the sunlight, you could see the brown for hers but not for mine. I suppose my hair may be dark brown if you look under the microscope or something. But in person and under most lighting, it looks jet black. Anyway, it seems weird not to have a term for it simply because the hair isn’t _technically_ black (but looks very much so). After all, we still make a special distinction for redheads, and I don’t think their hair is actually red. Why don’t we also call them brunettes - a rusty subset of them, since that’s what their hair looks like under strong lighting. A rusty brown. Or why don’t we say that blondes just have very light brown hair. I kind of like noirette. It’s better than being a blackhead. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/32 "2010-08-04T08:46:46Z")
Jet Vixen as opposed to the traditional [red furred vixen](http://www.google.com/images?q=vixen%20fox&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=576). ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/33 "2010-08-04T08:47:46Z")
In charm school, I was taught that girls who had brown or black hair, but who had an eye color other than brown were brunettes. Girls who had brown or black hair and brown eyes were supposed to be brownettes. And we were supposed to choose our clothing colors according to our eye and hair color. They didn’t say anything about what the boys were supposed to be called. Incidentally, hair has one or two color pigments in it. One produces brown or black hair, and the other produces blond to red hair. [http://www.hair-science.com/\_int/\_en/topic/topic\_sousrub.aspx?tc=root-hair-science^amazingly-natural^color-palette&cur=color-palette](http://www.hair-science.com/_int/_en/topic/topic_sousrub.aspx?tc=root-hair-science%5Eamazingly-natural%5Ecolor-palette&cur=color-palette) ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/34 "2010-08-04T12:38:45Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Jet Vixen as opposed to the traditional [red furred vixen](http://www.google.com/images?q=vixen%20fox&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=576). Damn it. That’s not what I hoped to see. It is, however, exactly what I expected to see. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/35 "2010-08-04T13:09:20Z")
> [@kim\_jung\_il](#): > > What’s the name of a woman who has black hair? I ask one of her friends. Or “I never made it that far without biting. Lets ask Mr Owl…” ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/36 "2010-08-04T13:54:17Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > > [@CandidGamera](#): > > > > Speaking as a person with very dark brown hair and the son of a man with black hair - there is a difference. > > Your dad’s hair was actually, literally black? How can you be sure of that? My understanding is that this doesn’t actually happen in nature. It’s mostly literally grey/white at this point, but his hair never looked Brown under any light. My hair is dark enough that it’s mistaken for black half the time, and it’s noticeably different from his. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/37 "2010-08-04T14:00:07Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > In charm school, I was taught … There is really such as thing as CHARM SCHOOL? I thought that was made up for cartoons. Seriously. What would this have been called? Where was it held? How did you come to enroll? Etc. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/38 "2010-08-04T17:17:08Z")
I don’t care what she’s named, back hair on women is nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/39 "2010-08-04T17:22:56Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Jet Vixen as opposed to the traditional [red furred vixen](http://www.google.com/images?q=vixen%20fox&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=576). “Vixen” is one of my favorite words. I’ve always understood that brunette refers to the darker shades of hair. So black- and brown-haired people are brunettes, a brown haired person is a brunette, and a black haired person is technically a brunette, but isn’t usually referred to as such. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974/40 "2010-08-04T17:39:02Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > “Vixen” is one of my favorite words. Me too. Followed closely by “minx.” As for the hair color thing, I got nuthin’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974.md?page=3)