TOKYO • A Japanese baby who became Insta-famous for her full head of hair from birth is now the star of her first shampoo commercial.

Baby Chanco first captured the hearts of netizens in May last year when her mother Mami Kano started posting photographs of the four-month-old with thick, poofy locks on social media. Her voluminous hairstyle, which occasionally threatened to overwhelm her tiny frame, won her thousands of fans on her Instagram account. She now has 345,000 followers.

The one-year-old starred in her first campaign for P&G-owned Pantene on Monday with Japanese TV announcer Sato Kondo, known for her natural grey hair. The advertisement tells Chanco's "hair story" from birth and encourages people to embrace their differences.

Ms Kano, who was interviewed by People magazine on Tuesday, said: "I'm so surprised by the reaction (to the video), but also very proud of the praise from many countries."

She said she has no plans to trim her daughter's hair any time soon: "I prefer to keep her hair long. In the future, I want to try some new arrangements, like braids."

Ms Kano added that the key to caring for her daughter's hair is brushing and letting her "live as she is".