What determines our hair color?

[Casio]

I woould like to know what determines our hair color ? Its not only on my head, but even on my face, chin-cheeks (beard), my arms, my body, that that color is is not brown, there are quite a lot of (yellow+red=orange) hairs growing. I was born to have brown hair, differing from my parents and any members in my family. Please tell me, you nice biologists if I need to see my doctor for more advice and even any diagnoses if necessary ? I am really worried.

 

[Moonbear]

Hair color is determined by several genes, so it's not at all unusual to get a mixture of hair colors, or to even differ quite a bit from your parents. It's even pretty common for someone's hair color to change as they get older. So, no need to worry about the color of your hair being different in your beard than on your head. I've noticed a lot of men tend to have redder beards than the hair on their head. It might also just be the way the light reflects off shorter hair than longer hair, or the amount of sun exposure bleaching some hair.

 

[Casio]

You speak like a doctor
Thank you, Moonbear.

 

[Kerrie]

It's even pretty common for someone's hair color to change as they get older.

very common when children are born with blonde hair then go to brown...or even black hair as an infant then lighter as they grow up...don't hormones also play a role in hair color change?

 

[selfAdjoint]

This "blond as children, darker as adult" is heritable, so there must be genes for it (the whole process). I don't know the process, but it has to work in both men and women, so I wonder if hormones would serve.