Layla’s mum wants her daughter to cherish her epic hair (Credit: Charlotte Davis/SWNS)
A toddler with ‘wild’ hair has gained the endearing nickname ‘Fluffy’ by her friends at pre-school.
Layla Davis, three, was diagnosed with the rare ‘uncombable hair syndrome’ (UHS) when she was a baby.
UHS develops in childhood, often between infancy and age three, but it can appear as late as 12.
Children who develop it tend to have light-coloured hair, and there are only around 100 known cases in the world.
Layla is only one of about 100 people with the hair condition (Credits: Charlotte Davis/SWNS)
Mum Charlotte Davis, of Great Blakenham, Suffolk, said her hair has gotten longer but it hasn’t changed in the past year.
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.
Happy-go-lucky Layla loves singing and dancing (Credits: Charlotte Davis/SWNS)
‘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.’
When Layla previously hit the headlines, she gained nicknames Boris Johnson and Albert Einstein.
Mostly adults talk about Layla’s hair, with some going as far as to touch it without asking first, the mum-of-two said.
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.
Layla lives in Great Blakenham, Suffolk, with brother Freddie, aged four, mum Charlotte and dad Kevin, 37 (Credits: Charlotte Davis/SWNS)
‘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 unwanted attention, Layla is a happy-go-lucky little girl who loves singing and ballet dancing, the 30-year-old mum said.
She said people from ‘all over the world’ have messaged in support through an Instagram account she set up for Layla which is helping people to learn ‘there is a name for their condition or that there is someone else out there’.
Also known as spun glass hair, the rare condition 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.’
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