There’s a warning on all boxed hair dye labels that instructs users to patch-test the dye prior to use, in order to check for an allergic reaction. If you’ve ever dyed your hair at home before, you’ve probably seen the warning—and then, promptly, ignored it. Fortunately, severe reactions to the chemicals in hair dye are rare, so most of us never have to pay for our laziness. But as one Australian teen recently learned, when an allergic reaction does develop, it’s hell.
According to Yahoo! Beauty, 16-year-old Tylah Durie was hospitalized this week after an attempt to tint her eyebrows and lashes resulted in a severe reaction. The teen had opted to skip the recommended patch test, unaware that she was allergic to paraphenylenediamine, or PPD, a chemical often used in dark hair dyes and henna. The consequences of that mistake were brutal. As Durie tells Yahoo! Australia, she woke up “almost blind from the reaction” the following morning, adding, “My eyes had blown up like huge balloons. I was screaming and crying. My mum said I looked like a frog because my eyebrows were folded over and my eyes were horribly swollen.”
In addition to the swelling, Durie had developed severe chemical burns on her eyeballs, which she calls “inexplicably pain[ful].” The teen rushed to the hospital, where doctors determined she’d suffered an extreme allergic reaction. Though they were able to treat her symptoms, they warned her that the burns could have left her permanently blind, and if she so much as touches hair dye again, she risks serious consequences, including death. Furthermore, Durie will have to have her eyes examined regularly from now on to monitor for residual effects from the chemical burns.
More on hair-coloring at home::
- 11 At-Home Hair Color Tricks and Hacks to Nail Your DIY Dye Job
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- At-Home Hair Color by the Numbers: 13 Secrets You Never Knew
Though Durie will likely suffer lifelong consequences from the horrible reaction, she hopes she can "protect others: from a similar fate by sharing her terrifying story. So next time you're planning to use an at-home boxed hair dye, please, honor Durie's suffering, and do the damn patch test. Seriously: Your eyes and skin (and god knows what else) will thank you.
Now, watch to find out the six most common hair color mistakes:
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