We’ve all been victim to at-home hair styling fiascoes like self-trimmed haircuts or kool-aid dyed hair. But one woman’s at-home attempt for unicorn-hued tresses turned into a DIY disaster that left her hospitalized for six weeks.
Kirsty Weston, a 29-year-old mom from Hertfordshire, England, attempted to try the unicorn hair trend by dyeing her hair at home. She purchased powder bleach and peroxide to lighten her hair before applying the pastel colored dyes. Shortly after applying the mixture, she knew that her results were going to be less than magical. In an interview with DailyMail, Weston described her painful bleaching experience. “Within 15 minutes, my hair was literally smoking,” she said. “The pain was so excruciating that I started to feel dizzy, like I was going to faint.”
Despite immediately washing off the chemicals, Weston encountered a swollen face, and had to be rushed to the emergency room the next day where she was treated for an allergic reaction. However, after weeks of continuous pain and symptoms, Weston returned to the hospital where doctors told her that she was suffering from a severe chemical burn. She had to undergo a skin graft on her scalp, along with four other surgeries that resulted in permanent hair loss. Weston was offered two treatment options for replacing the hair, but she has chosen to postpone them.
If you’re thinking about coloring your hair, you may want to consider Weston’s advice. “I would tell other people to just go to a professional who knows what they are doing,” she said. “I was trying to save some money but bleach is dangerous stuff.”