The hair cuticle is the outermost part of the

hair shaft Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine ...

.James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005) ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology'' (10th ed.). Saunders. Page 8. . It is formed from dead cells, overlapping in layers, which form scales that strengthen and protect the hair shaft. While the cuticle is the outermost layer, it is not responsible for the color of the hair.

Melanin Melanin (; from el, μέλας, melas, black, dark) is a broad term for a group of natural pigments found in most organisms. Eumelanin is produced through a multistage chemical process known as melanogenesis, where the oxidation of the amino ...

is the

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compou ...

that gives hair its

color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are assoc ...

and is found in the

cortex Cortex or cortical may refer to: Biology * Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ ** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain'' *** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...

References

Hair anatomy {{Dermatology-stub