My four-year-old daughter wakes up every morning with a nest of tangles in her shoulder-length, curly hair.
There have been plenty of times when I looked at her hair and thought it was simply uncombable because, despite all my efforts, her hair is endlessly prone to getting knots.
However, it turns out that uncombable hair is an actual condition, and if you’ve never heard of it, you would be forgiven because it is so rare that there are only 100 known cases in the world.
Meet Locklan, this adorable, bright-eyed baby from Atlanta with a diagnosed case of Uncombable Hair Syndrome.
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His parents have shared his unique hair story on Instagram, where they are bringing some awareness around this little-understood genetic condition.
In their first post on Instagram, Locklan’s family wrote,
“Let me introduce myself: My name is Locklan, but I often go by Lock. This summer, we found out I have a genetic hair condition called UHS (Uncombable Hair Syndrome.)
It sounds fake, but it’s probably because it’s so rare.
There are only 100 confirmed cases in the WHOLE WORLD! follow along for my wild hair journey and my goal to spread some joy on the internet!”
So, what is Uncombable Hair Syndrome?
According to the National Library of Medicine, UHS is characterized by dry, frizzy hair that grows in multiple directions and straight out, making it impossible to lay flat.
The condition typically develops in infancy but can show up as late as twelve-years-old. Researchers don’t know why, but it appears that the condition fixes itself by the time a child reaches adolescence.
“Because UHS is so rare, our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric dermatologist specialist at Emory in Atlanta, Georgia,” Locklan’s mom, Locklan’s mom, Katelyn Samples, 33, from Atlanta, Georgia shared their story with the Daily Mail.
“They took samples of his hair and called us a few weeks later and confirmed it was, in fact, Uncombable Hair Syndrome!”
Samples told the Daily Mail that it wasn’t easy to hear that her child has a genetic condition, but her family is taking it with a positive attitude.
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“Other than wild and crazy cool hair, he is perfectly healthy and very happy. He does have severe eczema, which may be linked to UHS,’ she told the Daily Mail.
Although Locklan’s hair might appear like it hasn’t been taken care of thanks to the characteristic frizziness that makes this little-known genetic disorder recognizable, Samples says that they do wash and comb his hair.
Interestingly, his hair is water-resistant, which makes shampooing Lockaln’s bright blonde hair go a bit slower than one might expect, but because of the way his hair grows, she doesn’t need to wash it more than once a week.
Lockland is already becoming something of a little celeb too because of his uncombable hair syndrome.
His mom told the Daily Mail,
“People come up to us everywhere we go. ‘They ask about his hair and sometimes even ask to touch it! At a fall festival in a local town, people even asked to take pictures with him.
He enjoys the attention.”
If you want to learn more about Locklan’s unique genetic condition and follow his story, you can find the family on Instagram, where they post super cute images and updates about what little Locklan is doing. And yes, his hair is amazing in every single shot.
