Hair usually starts to slowly lose colour from 35 years of age while this can occur earlier as well. Colour produced at the hair follicle, pores around the root of hair, does not change the colour once hair starts to grow. With age, these follicles fail to produce enough pigment, as a result, once hair dies and regrows, it does not change the colour.

Updated Apr 20, 2023 | 03:45 PM IST

Published in the Nature journal, the study looked at how stem cells can affect follicles ability to produce colour.

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Why does hair start to go grey?

Hair usually starts to slowly lose colour from 35 years of age while this can occur earlier as well. Colour produced at the hair follicle, pores around the root of hair, does not change the colour once hair starts to grow. With age, these follicles fail to produce enough pigment, as a result, once hair dies and regrows, it does not change the colour.

During normal growth of hair, cells continuously move back and forth during transition between compartments of developing hair follicles. But as hair ages and grows back, the number of melanocyte stem cells gets stuck in the stem cell compartment resulting in a bulge and preventing colouring. The loss of such function in the stem cells could take blame for loss of hair colour and greying. Findings suggest that such stem cell motility and reversible differentiation could be key to keeping hair coloured and healthy.

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Unsure About Why Your Hair Is Going Grey? Scientists Might Have Found The Answer | HealthBeat - Times Now