Oswestry three year old can't comb her hair due to rare condition

Emilia Naylor, was diagnosed with Uncombable Hair Syndrome (UHS) very early on, after her baby hair started falling out, to be replaced by distinctive white, brittle hair.

Her mother, Claire Maxfield, took her to the doctor after a friend suggested that it might be UHS. She was then directed to a dermatologist, who gave her the diagnosis.

"I was scared at first, I didn't know what to do, until my friend suggested that she might have UHS, so I took her to the doctor," said Claire.

There are only around 100 cases of UHS in the world, and only a handful in all of the UK.

Emila's hair

"When I went to the doctors, they said that in their 30 years of practice they never encountered this, they were quite shocked," Claire added.

The rare condition is still being studied by Emilia's dermatologist, as her mother brings her in every six months for check ups and to track the progress.

UHS can disappear at the time the child reaches puberty, but that isn't the a general rule.

"The dermatologist always takes notes on the new products I am trying," Claire added.

"Recently I have discovered a £2.50 coconut oil at Aldi that has been working wonders, and the specialist noted it down as part of her research.

"I also bought a coconut spray, which during the heatwave really helped."

Emilia's hair is frizzy but soft, and it breaks extremely easy which means Claire is always having to find new ways to style it.

"It looks like she's been electrocuted and you would think that her hair would be hard to touch but it's so fragile," her mum added.

Emilia and mum Claire.

But the condition doesn't affect just Emilia's hair, it also affects her nails, so the mother has to 'keep on top of her manicure' all the time.

"They grow straight up until one point and then they kind of curl, it's odd but I try and trim her nails regularly."

Sadly, while most people are fascinated by Emilia's unique locks, others are less pleasant.

"I have people all the time coming up to me in town asking if they can touch her hair, and they are fascinated and have a lot of questions," Claire added.

"Her nursery is also great with taking care of her, but they had to learn that they can touch her hair gently and put it back up when it falls out.

"There have been other people that haven't been this nice.

"I was walking down the street with Emilia and her sisters when a group of teenagers, particularly one young boy started making fun of her hair, I had to stand up for her and gave him a mouthful."