A mom whose baby girl is the “spitting image of Boo from Monsters, Inc." has told how she turns heads wherever she goes – because of her thick black hair.
Midwives gasped when little Tayah Murphy was born 15 days late, on December 13, at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent, England – coming into the world with a glossy black mane.
Now her mom, Corinna Anderson, 33, who lives with Tayah and her fiancé, Lewis Murphy, 29, a diamond driller, in Hythe, Kent, loves styling her daughter's hair, saying:
“Sometimes I'll put it in bunches, which makes her look like the little girl Boo from 'Monsters, Inc.'"
“My mum Bev and I gave her that nickname because she looks so much like her."
When 8lb 6oz Tayah was delivered, after her mom was induced, the first thing everyone noticed was her amazing mullet.
Corinna said:
“When she was born it was jet black, but she's eight months now and it's started to go lighter. It's brown with blonde and reddish streaks."
“Everyone was telling me it would start to fall out as she grew and rubbed it in the night, but she hasn't lost a crumb. It's never fallen out and just keeps growing."
At their 32-week scan, the sonographer told Corinna and Lewis she could see a bit of hair, but the couple thought nothing of it.
“We had no expectations," said Corinna. “But when she was born she had this thick mass of black hair. Even the midwives said, 'Oh my God.' It was a bit of a shock."
She continued:
“They put her on my chest and I could not stop staring at her because of the hair."
“The midwives said I must have had heartburn. Apparently, that indicates your baby is going to have lots of hair, but I never had any. That's definitely an old wives' tale."
“Lewis and I both had a little bit of brown hair when we were born, but nothing like Tayah."
Proud as punch of her baby's glossy mane, her mom already has a strict hair care routine for the tiny tot, whose tresses now skim her shoulders.
She explained:
“We have never cut her hair and don't plan to anytime soon. I'm just going to keep letting it grow. My hairdresser said it won't get split ends like adult hair, either."
“I often pin her fringe back with a hair clip because it comes to the tip of her nose, or I tie it up on the top of her head in a pineapple style."
Corinna said:
“She'll quite often twiddle it with her fingers. At first she hated me touching it, but it doesn't bother her now."
Tayah is equally thrilled to have such long, thick hair, according to her mom.
She said:
“When it's wet it comes down to her shoulders, but it's not straight, it's lovely and wavy."
She added:
“We try not to wash it too much because it's not good for it. We probably do it every other day or every third day using a sensitive baby shampoo."
“I've never dried it using the hairdryer. I will use a towel then comb it through."
“Tayah loves to hold the comb in her hands as well and sit in front of the mirror looking at herself when I'm styling her hair."
“But when she wakes up it's just wild, sticking up all over the place. It looks like she has been dragged through a hedge backwards," Corinna said.
Now Tayah's parents are making up for lost time, since lockdown restrictions – introduced when she was just three-and-a-half-months old – have relaxed, by taking her out as much as possible and turning heads wherever they go.
Corinna said:
“We managed to get a few baby massage classes in before lockdown, and as soon as we walked in people would stare at her."
“Some people try and have a subtle look, but others will come over and say, 'Oh my God. She's got so much hair.'"
“When we're walking around the supermarket, she gets a lot of attention – especially from elderly ladies, who always come up and say how amazing she is."
And Tayah is only too happy to flash a smile and model her latest hairstyle for her many admirers.
“She will always smile at people if they stop to talk and, now she's getting older, she loves the attention," laughed Corinna.
“There isn't one place we've been where her hair hasn't been mentioned by someone."
“Complete strangers are always coming over to chat and Tayah plays to her audience, lapping it up!"
Tayah with wild hair (PA Real Life/Collect)
She added:
“If she could talk, like the hair models in the L'Oreal ads, I'm sure she would tell them, 'Because I'm worth it!'"
Corinna has now set up an Instagram page dedicated to pictures of Tayah and her ever-growing locks.
You can follow Tayah on Instagram.
@joehas/X