The mystery behind uncombable hair syndrome

It’s an excuse you’ve probably made countless times as a child: “I can’t brush my hair mum, it’s too knotty!” But I bet you didn’t know that uncombable hair syndrome is actually a very real, scientifically-proved condition. Unfortunately, there’s certain criteria you have to meet to have it, so you probably won’t get away rocking up to work with an untamed bird’s nest anytime soon, unless you happen to possess all of the uncombable hair syndrome symptoms…

Taylor McGowan, an 18-month-old baby from outside Chicago, is the little girl responsible for bringing uncombable hair syndrome into the limelight, after her parents shared adorable photos of her on social media, sporting a fluffy, white-blonde afro of a hairdo. Taylor has a rare genetic mutation called PADI3, which, in short, means the hair shaft doesn't develop like it normally would. As a result, the hair shaft has grooves along its entire length, and it can be heart-shaped or triangular instead of round, resulting in the white afro appearance.

Taylor’s mother has since set up a Facebook page to showcase her daughter and her much-loved hair, and told BuzzFeed News: "Her hair looks amazing, like she's a mini Albert Einstein."

The McGowans first noticed that Taylor's hair was different when she was around 4 to 6 months of age. When they queried it with a nurse, they were told that the fuzzy hair would soon fall out, but it never did.

It certainly looks cute on Taylor, there’s no denying that. But what are the features that indicate uncombable hair syndrome? And what exactly is the PADI3 mutation, and how does it lead to the so-called “uncombable” hair?

Uncombable hair syndrome is sometimes referred to as "spun glass hair syndrome" because the hair of people with the mutation tends to be shiny, dry and frizzy, and sticks up from the scalp, making it difficult to comb. It is also usually blonde or white in colour. Taylor’s gene, PADI3 is one of three genes, including TGM3 and TCHH, that have been linked to uncombable hair syndrome. All of these genes code for enzymes that help form the hair shaft, but, when mutated, are unable to correctly code the enzymes, resulting in “uncombable” hair.

Some people with UHS outgrow the symptoms as they get older, so it will be a waiting game for Taylor to see if she ever grows out of her funky ‘do. But it seems mum Cara wants to touch as many people’s hearts with images of her daughter’s hair while she can, saying: "Our message that we would like to spread is one of accepting diversity, loving oneself, and recognising bullying and what it looks like and making it stop,"

"Being different is OK, being different is acceptable, and it should be celebrated."

Wise words, there- so maybe it is okay to rock that bird’s nest to work, after all.