[thedoc (OP)]

Emb asked the Naked Scientists:
   I'm wondering is it POSSIBLE for a human to have naturally other-colored hair? I'm pure Chinese and have black black hair, and I have NEVER even come CLOSE to dying it. And I kid you not, I find different colored hairs growing out of my head! It's weird! And I don't understand it. Amidst my natural black hair, I found a strand of very red hair, and also a strand of blonde hair. Natural. I'm not the only one either, though I have more than others that I know of; My friend Cin also found a natural red hair on her head before. Does anyone know what in the world this phenomenon is?
What do you think?

[evan_au]

The color in hair is produced by stem cells in hair follicles. When these stem cells die (as we age), the hair changes color.

There are different types of melanin, the chemicals that cause hair color; some variants produce black colors, others produce red colors. Everyone has a mix of these pigments.

So it is quite possible for some hair follicles to change color, while others remain the "normal" color. As we age, we tend to lose our hair color, so we go grey, one hair at a time.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_hair_color