Katelyn and Caleb Samples, 33, of Roswell, Georgia, are the parents of two adorable boys. The youngest, Locklan, has beautiful unruly locks caused by a rare genetic disorder called ᴜɴᴄᴏᴍʙᴀʙʟᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ. This disorder is caused by a gene mutation that results in unruly hair growing away from the scalp. The cross-section of the hair fibers is heart-shaped because a protein is missing that would make the hair flexible so that it can lie on the scalp.
Locklan’s soft, blonde locks immediately attract people’s attention. “Lock’s hair instantly makes people smile!” Katelyn says, adding that many people directly ask them to touch the little boy’s hair.
Locklan’s hair wasn’t always like this. When he was born, he had completely normal black hair, then it fell out, and at about 6 months old, blond-red fluffy locks began to grow. People first started noticing him when he was 10 months old.
The parents then turned to a pediatric dermatologist, who examined the boy’s hair and found out that Locklan had ᴜɴᴄᴏᴍʙᴀʙʟᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ. Since they know of very few such cases worldwide – only about a hundred – they have gained very little additional information.
“We learned that his hair is fragile and can take a long time to grow. We also learned that it can change completely during puberty. Glass wool is also often referred to as hair, and this is indeed a more accurate description, and also better illustrates how fragile it can be,” explained the mother.
Although no one else in the family has similar hair, the parents also learned that there is a roughly 25% chance that their future children will inherit the disorder.
Shortly after receiving the official ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs, Caleb created an Instagram page called “Uncombable Locks,” where parents began sharing pictures of their little boy. They wanted to draw attention to the sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ of ᴜɴᴄᴏᴍʙᴀʙʟᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ, but at the same time they wanted to bring a little joy into people’s days.
With the help of the social network, they also contacted several parents who suspected that their children may also be living with this disorder, but they didn’t even know about it until now.
Locklan and his family have had mostly positive experiences with the little boy’s unruly locks so far.
“The only thing we don’t like to hear is anyone complaining about Locklan’s hair because we don’t regret it at all. Her hair is a real blessing. We are raising both of our sons to be proud of who they are and what makes them special,” said the mother.
“The world is such a dark place right now and we want to give people a reason to smile. At the same time, I want to serve as a source of information or guidance for parents who think their child may have similar hair,” Katelyn added.