The measurement of hair colour

Summary The colour of the hair of 65 subjects was measured using a Minolta Chromameter model CR200. Readings were taken by holding the unit against the back of the subject's head, and recorded using the L*a*b* system of colour co‐ordinates. All subjects had hair in which yellow and red (rather than blue or green) dominated. The lightness (L*) of all hair fell in the range 17–67, the redness (a*) in the range 0–6 and the yellowness (b*) 0–20. These limits can be seen as effectively outlining the range of colours which can be said to be natural. The chromameter gave rapid and reproducible results on hair in situ and was easy to use. The method should be of use to those who wish to quantify the effects brought about by bleaching or dyeing formulations.