Hair cuticle

The hair cuticle is the outermost part of the hair shaft. It is formed from dead cells, overlapping in layers, which form scales that gives the hair shaft strength and provide protection for it. Although the cuticle is the outermost layer of the hair, it does not give the hair its color because it has no melanin, which is the pigment responsible; the color of a person's hair depends on what type of melanin they have, which is found in the cortex.

...
Wikipedia