Why do black and Asian people have black hair, if black makes you warmer?

[curiousnorway]

Many black people and Asians lives in warm countries. So I'm wondering why they do have so dark hair. I've heard dark clothing makes you warmer. So I assume same things applies to your hair. It would make more sense they were blonde, so they doesn't get too warm and that Scandinavians had darker hair. This hair thing seems illogical. The skin thing is much more logical. Pigments protecting the skin etc.

#curious

[Walrus_au]

side effect of melanin levels. Higher melanin levels are found in those who evolved in sunny tropical climes, it reduces sun damage and is less efficient in manufacturing vitamin D - but since there is an abundance of sunlight that was never a limiting factor.

In temperate or arctic climes lower melanin levels mean a more efficient vitamin D production, the downside is a higher rate of sun damage to skin - this trade off working as there is less sunlight strength.

Since melanin levels dictate colouration of skin cells including hair. A higher melanin production causes darker hair.

[jakeofalltrades]

their black hair absorbs it so the head doesn't cook their brains

[vishna]

Selection probably wasn't great enough to warrant a drastic change. The skin was probably enough for most groups.
Also, having a lot of melanin in the body, it's probably harder to remove it from one area (very few darker skinned populations naturally have light hair and even then is there a definitive study saying it's due to selection for it or is it due to a genetic mutation that took hold in small populations)

[alice55]

Why are Nordic people blonde? To catch the most vitamin from the sun since they doesn't have a lot of sun (especially in the winter).
I guess people who live in Hot / sunny country doesn't need it.

I think you should have asked why do some people have blond hair? It make more sense because at first human only had dark hair / eyes. They only get light hair / eyes later.

[Turkish_Delight]

I'm Asian and I'm natural brunette. Mongols and middle Easterns can be blonde too.
https://i.hizliresim.com/2rP840.jpg

[curiousnorway]

Yea, but in general speaking it's much more common for Asians, Middle Eastern and Africans to have black hair. Especially compared to Northern-Europe.

[Turkish_Delight]

Scandinavians are the most blonde ones, yeah.
Is black hair uncommon in Norway?

[curiousnorway]

Blonde hair is the most common. Brown and ginger is lesser common, but there's still some of them. Black hair is the least common. I've seen some black haired people, but most of them are immigrants, refugee or adopted people from other countries. I've probably only seen 4 or 5 black haired people in Norway who isn't immigrants or adopted.

[00100100100]

Because the gene (s) that control pigmentation in skin also control pigmentation for eye and hair color.

Albinos for example who lack the gene (s) for pigmentation don't just have light skin but also white hair and and light eyes.

s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/.../...2b3d093b35.jpg

Extra melanin production that produces darker skin protects the skin from sun damage. While white people's lack of melanin is assumed to allow for more vitamin d production in the less sunny environments they originate from.

[ADFSDF1996]

It depends what parts of Asia, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans and some Mongolians have light skin but as for the hair, I'm not sure. I'm guessing because there are very cold areas in Asia.

[curiousnorway]

But many parts of Asia like South Europe and other parts in the world it's warm. But you're right there's many not so warm areas too.

[madhatters4]

it's due to extra melanin. the same melanin that determines skin tone also determines hair color.

[ΉOMO_乇尺乇CTU丂]

Good protection against UV. I'm Asian and I never had sun burn

[ladsin]

Genetics, but largely because of the melanin.