Woman's horrific reaction to hair dye

A young woman claims she now uses coffee granules to colour her hair – after a horror allergic reaction to black hair dye left her looking ‘like a monster’.

Horrifying photos show how Georgina Paraskeva’s face ballooned to double its size after reportedly dying her hair using the Clairol Nice ‘N Easy product last November.

The 18-year-old said she was temporarily blinded for two days and believes she’s lucky to be alive after suffering a severe allergic reaction to Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) – a chemical commonly found in dark hair dyes.

“It was honestly the most horrific experience of my life,” Georgina, from Bristol, UK, said.

“Looking back at the pictures now is just horrible, my head doubled in size and I looked like a monster.

“It made me feel like I had zero confidence. I hated going out and felt really self-conscious and like people were staring at me.”

Georgina was refreshing her hair colour using the Clairol black hair dye on November 18th – a product she’d previously used with no problem – and claims her face and scalp suffered no adverse reaction.

However, the following evening during a romantic meal with her partner, she said her head began to feel really hot and itchy.

Over the next two days her face slowly started to balloon so panicked Georgina rang doctors where an operator advised taking an antihistamine to combat the swelling.

After visiting her GP the following day and receiving cream to soothe her scorched and blistered skin her face continued to swell so much so her eyelids closed over leaving her unable to see.

Her mum called an ambulance then and she was rushed to Southmead Hospital where she was hooked up to a drip.

“When my eyes started to swell up and I couldn’t open them, that’s when I felt really panicked,” she remembered.

“When I went to the hospital it felt like I had glass in my eyes and I went full-on blind.

“I couldn’t see a thing for two days, it was horrible.”

After being discharged from hospital with an antihistamine and steroid prescription, Georgina had to be cared for by her mum and partner as her vision was still affected for a few days.

Three months on Georgina now avoids chemical hair dyes and uses coffee granules to tint her brunette locks.

The online jewellery store owner is now speaking out about her terrifying experience to ensure other people know of the potential risks and are aware of alternatives.

“My whole family use Nice ‘N Easy and I’ve used it a few times before with no problems,” she said.

“I want people to be aware that things like this can and do actually happen.

“A lot of people don’t realise what’s in hair dye and that it can be really dangerous, I’m really lucky and super grateful that it didn’t escalate.

“Since this happened I’ve read up on it and I could have permanently lost my eyesight and it’s scary to see that people have died from it.

“I’m also a lot more cautious about the things I use on my skin and I just make sure I read everything and make sure it contains natural ingredients.”

A spokesperson for Clairol said the company was very concerned to hear about Georgina’s experience.

“The safety of the people who use our products is our first and most important priority. Unfortunately, we were unable to get in touch with Ms Paraskeva at the time,” a spokesperson said.

“Allergic reactions are very rare and hair colourants are extensively researched to ensure they are safe when used as directed and it is imperative patch tests are conducted at least 48 hours before each colouring occasion.

“Details of how to perform this test are included with each of our products to help minimise risk to consumers.

“We remain happy to discuss the matter with Ms Paraskeva should she wish to contact us on our customer helpline.”

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