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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Liam Buckler & Ria Newman

Girl, 3, with uncombable hair syndrome means she can't control her frizzy locks

A mum has hit out at trolls after her toddler's uncombable hair was labelled "irresponsible."

Mum Ali McMillin, 26, from Dayton, Ohio first noticed her three-year-old daughter Aurora’s hair was growing upwards instead of down when she turned one.

In January 2022 she was officially diagnosed with uncombable hair syndrome – a condition that is characterised by dry, frizzy hair that cannot be combed flat.

While Ali “loves” her daughter’s unique locks, she has been criticised and dubbed an “irresponsible” parent due to it being rather unruly.

“I wish people understood that even if I wash and brush it, it won’t lay flat,” Ali, a stay-at-home-mum, said.

Her condition is characterised by dry, frizzy hair that cannot be combed flat (Jam Press/Ali McMillin)
Trolls have labelled Ali an “irresponsible parent” due to her child’s messy hair (Jam Press/Ali McMillin)

“A man [once] made a comment behind my back to his wife about how he can tell who the irresponsible parent is because of how messy her hair was.

“In reality, that’s just how it looks if it’s down… I left crying because I was so hurt by that comment.

“I just wish people knew what it was so they didn’t judge so quickly.

“I’m worried that she will be bullied for it when she gets a little older because kids are not very nice. Adults make comments all the time about it, some nice and some rude.

Aurora was diagnosed with uncombable hair syndrome (Jam Press/Ali McMillin)
The 3-year-old’s ‘unruly locks’ grow upwards instead of down (Jam Press/Ali McMillin)

“We first noticed when she was about a year old and her hair started growing up instead of down.

“I personally love her hair so I wasn’t upset [when she was diagnosed].

“Aurora embraces it too – she loves to wear it down even if it’s crazy.

“She may be bothered by it when she’s older but as long as we keep it long, it doesn’t get too crazy.”

Luckily, styling Aurora’s hair isn’t a huge task.

Ali said: “It doesn’t take long. You can actually brush it just fine, which the name usually confuses people.

“You can comb it, it just doesn’t lay flat as our hair does. It sticks up and out, very ‘poofy’.

“I tend to just throw her hair in a ponytail or a bun because it’s easy but she loves it when I do half up half down.

Her parents first noticed Aurora’s hair was growing upwards instead of down when she turned one (Jam Press/Ali McMillin)

“Since her hair doesn’t lay flat, it usually falls into her face and she’s always moving it out of the way.”

Aurora’s unique hair has also proven a hit on TikTok, where Ali shared pictures of her posing.

The clip was viewed more than 22,000 times and racked up 2,600 likes.

One person commented: “Aww lil Ace Ventura hairdo!”

“If Doc Brown from Back To The Future had a kid lol She's adorable though,” another user said.

Someone else added: “Lol does her hair match her personality because it seems to have a mind of its own.”

“I love the wild hair! She is absolutely beautiful,” commented another fan.

Another user added: “Love it…Albert Einstein hair.”

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