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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Lifestyle
Katy-Rose Meaney & Julia Banim

'My toddler has so much hair - people always stop us in the street to ask about it'

A toddler with incredible afro curls amazes people everywhere she goes, with her beautiful hair sparking compliments and questions alike from curious passersby.

Little Tuzolana Benigno, who turned two last month, was born with a full head of hair. However, this came as no huge surprise to her mum, Courtney Smith.

Having experienced the old wives' tale of severe heartburn all throughout her pregnancy, Courtney, who lives in Cornwall, could even make out Tuzolana's thick, dark hair during her 20-week scan.

However, midwives were shocked by the abundance of dark, straight black hair Tuzolana had at birth, and her parents never expected her to have quite so much at such a young age.

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Tuzolana's large hair means Courtney has had to do plenty of research to make sure it's cared for properly.

Courtney, 32, said: "I did careful research using forums and I learned about the curly girl method and natural products to retain moisture.

"I use a very small amount of shampoo to clarify her hair probably once monthly and the rest of the time I wash with conditioner.

"We use homemade masks for deep treatment and also love to use Raw aloe Vera's, avocado, and unrefined olive oil I use a leave-in conditioner and comb with fingers or a wide-toothed comb."

"Tuzolana has moderate eczema at the back of her head and a lot of it fell out around six months old so we put satin sheets on her bed to help with friction damaging her hair."

The family has yet to arrange for the tot to have her first haircut, with her proud parents currently looking for a stylist with the confidence and experience required to care for their daughter's hair type.

Tuzolana's dad, Daniel Benigno, 45, was born in Angola, Africa, and attributes her luscious locks to his side of the family. However, Courtney was also born with plenty of dark hair, with the little girl taking after both parents.

Courtney likes that so many people are interested in her daughter's curly hair, and doesn't mind that the family ends up getting stopped wherever they go.

She said: "Many strangers stop and comment on her hair and that does make me feel happy that people show a positive interest.

"I get stopped everywhere we go and get a lot of questions regarding hair care. People always ask if her hair is hard to manage or how do I look after it.

"People seem genuinely interested and I want Tuzolana to grow up understanding that her natural hair is beautiful and to feel empowered by her dual heritage."

David and Courtney have already signed Tuzolana up with a modelling agency, which has seen her model for clothing brand Frugi.

Courtney added: "I signed her up to an agency just for fun and the experience, we didn't have any expectations but wondered what opportunities may arise, especially with her having so much curly hair at her young age."

Do you have an interesting parenting-related story to share? We pay for stories. Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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