Why Hair Turns Gray As We Get Older

SciShow Kids

This educational video from SciShow Kids explores the biological reasons behind why human hair changes color as we age. Hosted by Jessi and her robot mouse friend Squeaks, the video answers a common curiosity: "Where does gray hair come from?" It breaks down the anatomy of a hair strand, introducing students to follicles, melanin, and melanocytes in an accessible way. The content covers key biological themes including cell function, human growth and development, and diversity in physical traits. Through clear animations and analogies, it explains how hair follicles act like factories, how melanin provides color to our hair, skin, and eyes, and how the gradual loss of pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) results in gray or white hair. Ideally suited for elementary science classrooms, this video helps demystify the aging process and celebrates human diversity. It provides excellent opportunities for teachers to introduce cellular biology concepts using simple analogies, discuss how bodies change over time, and explore the science of pigmentation. The tone is positive and normalizing, making it a great resource for health or biology units.