What part of the hair holds the color?

• A. Cortex
• B. Follicle
• C. Cuticle
• D. Medulla

Answer: (A)

The color is held in the cortex. The cortex is the middle layer of the hair shaft and contains the pigment granules that determine hair color. When you apply color, the molecules must pass through the cuticle—the outer protective layer—to reach the cortex where they deposit and interact with the pigment. The cuticle can open during processing to let color in, but the actual shade is stored in the cortex. The medulla, when present, is a loosely arranged core with little to do with color, and the follicle is the hair’s root structure in the skin, not the part that retains color after processing.