When mouse hair starts growing, pigment stem cells in the hair germ turn on color-making and branch-related genes before they divide.

When mouse hair is repeatedly plucked, more pigment cells get stuck in the bulge area (from 10% to 50% of follicles), and these stuck cells don't help make new hair color.

Your hair color depends on special stem cells in your hair roots, and long-term stress from inflammation or oxidation can mess them up, making them disappear or mature too soon.

Mouse hair pigment cells move between different parts of the hair follicle and change their state back and forth, which is linked to WNT signaling.

As we age, the stem cells that give color to our hair can start acting up — they might turn into pigment cells too soon or in the wrong place, which could be why our hair turns gray.

In mouse hair follicles, pigment cells in the hair germ area actively make new pigment cells and stem cells, while those in the bulge stay quiet and only make more stem cells.