The Science Behind Gray Hair: Researchers Uncover the Mystery

Scientists have discovered that melanocyte stem cells become stuck inside the hair follicle and are unable to produce pigment, causing hair to turn grey as we age. The pigment-producing part of a stem cell changes as the hair ages, sheds, and grows back. The stem cells get stuck in a part of the hair follicle called the hair follicle bulge, failing to mature into fully-fledged melanocytes. The researchers suggest that their findings could open up a potential way to reverse or prevent grey hair by helping jammed cells to move again between developing hair follicle compartments.