Eumelanin and Pheomelanin: The Pigments Behind Natural Hair Color

Why does dark hair expose so much red and orange when you lift it, while some hair seems naturally warmer than others? The answer lies in the two pigments that create natural hair color: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Understanding them deepens your grasp of underlying pigment and helps you predict how any head of hair will behave under lightener. Here is the science made practical.

The two melanins

Eumelanin is the dark pigment responsible for brown and black tones, present in larger amounts in darker hair. Pheomelanin is the red and yellow pigment that creates warmth, dominant in red and contributing warmth across many shades.

The ratio and concentration of these two pigments determine a person's natural level and tone, which is why natural hair varies so widely.

Why hair lifts warm

When you lighten hair, lightener breaks down eumelanin more readily than the stubborn warm pheomelanin, which is why lifted hair exposes red, orange, and gold along the way. The warm pigment is simply more resistant and lingers.

This explains the predictable journey of underlying pigment from red to pale yellow, and why neutralizing warmth is a constant theme in lightening and toning.

Putting it to use

Knowing that warm pheomelanin resists lifting tells you to plan for warmth, lift far enough to break it down for cool results, and choose neutralizing tones accordingly. Hair with naturally more pheomelanin will fight cool results harder.

This understanding turns underlying pigment from a memorized chart into a predictable phenomenon you can reason about for any client.

Mistakes to avoid

• Forgetting that warm pheomelanin resists lifting and under-lifting for cool results.
• Treating all hair as if it carries the same warmth.
• Ignoring naturally pigment-rich hair that fights cool toning harder.
• Memorizing the pigment chart without understanding why it happens.

Frequently asked questions

What are eumelanin and pheomelanin?

They are the two pigments that create natural hair color. Eumelanin is the dark pigment responsible for brown and black tones, while pheomelanin is the red and yellow pigment that creates warmth and dominates red hair. The ratio and concentration of the two determine a person's natural level and tone.

Why does hair turn orange and red when lightened?

Lightener breaks down the dark eumelanin more readily than the stubborn warm pheomelanin, so as you lift, the warm red, orange, and gold pigment is exposed and lingers. This is why lifted hair travels through warm stages and why neutralizing warmth is central to achieving clean cool results.

Build a repeatable color workflow with Haircolor AI

The fastest way to turn the ideas above into consistent results is to capture them. With Haircolor AI, you photograph the hair, let the AI read the current level and tone, and get an editable, step-by-step formula you can fine-tune to your own lines and technique. Every service is saved as a visit, so each client builds a living timeline of color history, before-and-after photos, and the exact formula that created the result. Stop reinventing the wheel at every appointment and start working from a searchable record of what actually worked.