Move over, Maui—there’s a new head of hair in town, and he’s not even old enough for preschool yet.
If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok lately (and let’s be honest, who hasn’t been?), you might have come across a certain 18-month-old baby boy whose luscious locks are causing quite the stir on the platform. Little Lucio, son of nursing student Naya “J’chelle” Perry, has gone viral for his absolutely incredible head of hair that would make even Rapunzel do a double-take.
Born ready for his close-up
When most babies emerge from the womb, they’re sporting that adorable newborn potato look that we all ooh and aah over. But Lucio? He showed up to his own birth like he had a shampoo commercial to film later that afternoon.
“The second he came out my belly, the first thing they said is ‘Oh my God, his hair!’” Perry recounts in her viral TikTok, which has now amassed over 7.8 million views and 1.2 million likes.
And she’s got the receipts to prove it—a photo of Lucio at just three hours old shows him with a full head of sleek, dark hair that many of us fully-grown adults would kill for. As one commenter so aptly put it: “THREE HOURS OLD WITH THAT MUCH HAIR?” (The caps lock is entirely justified here.)
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From placenta perm to farrah fawcett
Perry affectionately refers to Lucio’s newborn ‘do as a “placenta perm,” but his hair journey was just beginning. What started as sleek and straight has evolved into what Perry describes as “Farrah Fawcett circa 1978” vibes, with curls that would make any 70s icon proud.
The progression photos Perry shared are truly something to behold. At three months, the curls started forming. By seven months, the volume was increasing. At 12 months, it was clear this was no ordinary baby hair situation. Now at 18 months, Lucio’s glorious mane cascades past his shoulders, “super curly in the front and straighter in the back,” creating a style that’s uniquely his own.
“My 18-month-old basically has a 24-inch body with a bust down from the scalp,” Perry jokes in her video, and honestly, where is the lie?
The internet has thoughts (obviously)
TikTok users were quick to weigh in on Lucio’s legendary locks, and the comments do not disappoint.
“Baby got an entire roller set and I’m sitting here bald. You win, kid,” wrote user Piscean866, speaking for bald-challenged individuals everywhere.
Another commenter, AishaNichole, had the right business idea: “Get that baby a shampoo contract.” Dyson, are you listening? This kid could be the face of your next hair tool launch. We’re just saying.
“Ma’am, you just let your son call me bald headed in babynese like that? 😭” lamented commenter Dani, while another user quipped, “Not the baby came out with the Toni Braxton cut 😂”
No scissors until he says so
Before you start wondering about Lucio’s future hair plans, Perry has made one thing clear: those scissors aren’t coming anywhere near his magnificent mane until he’s old enough to make that decision himself.
“I am a big believer in body autonomy and I want him to be able to make his own personal choices,” Perry told Newsweek. “I believe that little boys are allowed to have long hair, too! And, in all honesty, he just looks so adorable with it!”
While Perry thankfully didn’t suffer from the legendary pregnancy heartburn that old wives’ tales link to babies with full heads of hair, she did mention experiencing intense acid reflux and itchy skin during pregnancy—perhaps lending some credence to those time-honored predictions after all.
Related: You got a haircut, and now you look so old
The hair care regimen
If you’re wondering who manages to tame those glorious tresses on a daily basis, it turns out Grandma is the designated hair stylist in the family. “My mom is the master braider for him,” Perry shared. “He will get fussy if I try to touch his hair, but will sit just perfectly for grandma!”
Anyone with a toddler knows this tracks. They’ll scream if you try to wipe a literal noodle off their face, but sit like perfect angels for someone else.
A worldwide sensation
Strangers now regularly stop Perry during grocery store runs and park outings to comment on Lucio’s magnificent mane, proving that good hair gets noticed wherever you go.
A mom who gets it
As the mom of a biracial son who had long, curly, and gloriously wild hair until he was 11, I can personally attest that Perry is in for both a beautiful journey and, yes, some challenging hair days ahead.
Those curls might be a pain to detangle some mornings (cue the tears when the comb hits a knot), and you’ll become intimately familiar with every leave-in conditioner on the market. You’ll master the art of the distraction technique during hair-washing sessions, and you’ll develop biceps of steel from all that detangling.
But oh my goodness, is it worth it. That magnificent crown of curls becomes part of your child’s identity—something strangers comment on, something that makes him instantly recognizable across a crowded playground. Despite the extra work, there’s something heartbreakingly beautiful about watching those curls bounce as they run or seeing how the sunlight catches different colors in each strand.
The day my son finally decided he wanted a haircut at age 11 was bittersweet. It was his choice, and important for him to make, but I saved a few locks which creepily kicked around in my purse for way too long before finding their way to a box of mementos. (I have to say, a clump of regular hair is just so much more unsettling than the fine tendrils of baby’s first hair cut.)
Between the viral TikTok, news coverage, and undoubtedly more attention to come, little Lucio is well on his way to becoming the hair icon we never knew we needed. Move over, Maui from “Moana“—there’s a new hair legend in town, and he’s not even potty trained yet.
So the next time you’re having a bad hair day, just remember: somewhere out there, an 18-month-old is absolutely killing the hair game without even trying. And if that doesn’t perfectly sum up the humbling experience of parenthood, I don’t know what does.