Hair Color

I have never seen a dog with pink hair! Have You?

FYI: The Maltese dog shown had white hair before its hair was dyed.

The genetics of hair color is very complex. In the most simplistic sense, hair color from black to white depends on a pigment called emulanin.

The amount and type of emuelanin determines hair color. The less emulanin the lighter the hair. The types of emulanin are:

Brown emulanin: blond to dark brown

Black emulanin: grey to black

Let’s Play and Find Out About Hair Color

Using white, dark brown, and black paints, kids can mix the different paints to produce different shades of color.

The white paint acts as neutral, this would be hair without any color pigment. Adding different amounts of pigment to the white paint allows kids to produce different shades of brown and/or black.

1. First mix only white and black paint. I suggest placing small dabs of paint on a white paper plate. The plate can act as their color palette.  Using  toothpicks, kids can mix small amounts of the two colors.

Point out that only shades of black are produced.

2. Repeat step 1 using brown and white paint. You need only add a dab of brown paint to each child’s color palette (the white paper plate).

Point out that only shades of brown are produced.

3. Of course the kids can experiment with all three of the colors.

What about Red Hair?

Red hair is special. For hair to have any hint of red,  the red pigment called phenomelanin must be present.

4. Add a dab of red paint to the palettes and Let the Fun Begin!

Janice VanCleave’s Teaching the Fun of Science to Young Learners: Grades Pre-K through 2

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