melanin is found mainly in which part of the hair?

Melanin is mainly found in the cortex, the middle layer of the hair shaft, where it is embedded between keratin fibers. The cortex is the thickest layer of the hair and contains most of the hair's pigment, which gives hair its color. Melanin in the cortex consists primarily of two types: eumelanin (brown to black pigment) and pheomelanin (red to yellow pigment). The pigment distribution in the cortex determines hair color and is denser near the cuticle in humans. Melanocytes in the hair bulb produce melanin, which is then transferred to the hair cortex during hair formation.