For anyone who’s ever broken a comb while detangling their hair or contemplated reaching for a weed whacker for the sake of a faster morning routine, according to science, you may have uncombable hair syndrome.
According to The National Center for Biotechnology Information in the U.S., the syndrome is characterised specifically by children having, “silvery, blond, or straw-coloured scalp hair that is dry, frizzy, and wiry, has a characteristic sheen, stands away from the scalp in multiple directions, and is impossible to comb.”
In a story published by The Daily Mail, Shilah Calvert Yin, from Melbourne, Australia, has a rare follicle disease which, as its name suggests, makes children’s hair virtually impossible to comb.
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Despite the syndrome label, Shilah is unbothered. The 7-year-old embraces her unique texture.
"It's not ordinary and it's not boring like everyone else's," said Shilah to the Mail. "Everyone knows me and remembers me — especially at school; all the grade levels know who I am. I think my friends wish they had hair like mine."
Despite Shilah's embrace of her texture, it’s her mother Celeste who’s in charge of combing her hair. Celeste first noticed her daughter’s unique hair texture when she was just an infant. However, she was diagnosed with UHS only nine months ago.
“Shilah draws attention everywhere she goes and always has since her hair grew through at about three months old,” she told the Mail. She also noted that, upon explaining the syndrome to friends and loved ones, many think it’s a joke.
According to multiple studies, there is no known cure for UHS. However, as children with this condition age, their hair texture typically becomes more manageable as they become adults.