05 March 2024 , 10:43
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A little girl has been nicknamed "Fluffy" by her preschool pals for her frizzy hair - as she is one of only 100 people in the world with 'uncombable hair syndrome'
Layla Davis, three, hit the headlines while just a tot for her blonde locks which cannot be combed flat. Now she has just started at nursery where her frizzy mop has led to her being nicknamed 'Fluffy.' She was first diagnosed with uncombable hair syndrome (UHS) - a condition characterised by dry, frizzy hair which defies attempts to tame it.
UHS develops in childhood, often between infancy and age three but can appear as late as twelve. Children who develop it tend to have light-coloured hair - and there are only around 100 cases in the world. Mum Charlotte Davis, 30, said that while Layla's hair had gotten longer, it hadn't really changed in the past year.
Dad Kevin, mum Charlotte, brother Freddie and Layla Davis (Charlotte Davis/SWNS)She said: "Her preschool friends call her 'Fluffy' because of her hair as there is another Layla in her class. The other children are never negative about it and it means she is a very happy girl - she's not shy and talks to everyone. She had her first hair cut in February last year but it's still wild."
"We can plait it now but we don't do it too often as we don't want to pull it too hard - it's very fragile and can break off easily. She has got to the age where she is starting to question things a bit more now like she wants her hair plaited every day and asks why we can't do it. "I have to tell her her hair is a little bit different and we need to take care of it."
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Layla lives with mum Charlotte, dad Kevin, 37, and brother Freddie four, in Great Blakenham, Suffolk. Her hair has previously earned Layla nicknames like Boris Johnson and Albert Einstein. Charlotte said that it is mostly adults that talk about Layla's hair and she has had a few instances where people have touched it without asking first.
Layla's blonde locks cannot be combed flat (Charlotte Davis/SWNS)She explained: "People seem to think it is okay to reach out and touch her I have to teach her about consent and it's tricky for me to teach a three-year-old why people might want to touch her hair. I also want to tell her it's not okay for people to touch her without asking but as she's only three I don't want to scare her. People never mean anything bad by it but people do just reach out, wanting to feel it."
Despite the occasional unwelcome attention, Charlotte said Layla is a happy-go-lucky little girl who loves singing and ballet dancing. Charlotte set up an Instagram account for Layla and said the support they'd received and been able to give was amazing. She said: "We've had a lot of people message her from all over the world and because of Layla, they are now learning there is a name for their condition or that there is someone else out there."
Layla has been nicknamed "Fluffy" by her preschool pals (Charlotte Davis/SWNS)The hair condition is also known as spun glass hair and usually improves over time - normally by adolescence. She added: "I hope her hair doesn't change and it gets a bit longer so we can put it in a pony tail one day. I just want her to love it as when she grows up kids will suddenly start to make comments. It's your job as a mum to equip your kids for any situation so I just hope she thinks its cool like I do."
Layla's Instagram page can be found here.