Imagine washing your hair and going about your daily routine when suddenly your scalp starts burning and your hair starts falling out. That’s the real-life nightmare Leeann Buxam, a mother of 10 from Heavener, OK experienced when she fell victim to an awful practical joke – one where a prankster added Nair, a hair removal product, to bottles of shampoo and conditioner at her local Dollar General.
According to 5NEWS, Buxam started to notice a problem with the shampoo and conditioner when her hair started falling out in chunks while she was taking a shower. “I felt like it was falling out so bad that I was going to have to have shave my head,” she said, “I figured what was wrong was there was something inside of me making sick.” What’s even more terrifying is that she used the products on two of her daughters’ hair as well.
Buxam, who is a cosmetology student, contacted her instructors to see if they could help her get to the bottom of what had happened. After examining the shampoo and conditioner and doing some research, they found that someone had put Nair into bottle of conditioner and that this was popular prank on the internet.
“I don’t think they understand that Nair is what it is,” said Buxam. “I don’t think they understand that it can really hurt somebody.”
Though hair removal products, like Nair, is generally safe to use, it can have potentially dangerous side effects if you have sensitive skin or allergies. Even if you aren’t allergic to hair removal cream, you can still get a chemical burn from it if it is on your skin for too long.
Though the experience was clearly frustrating and traumatic, Buxam refuses to let it get the best of her. “There is so much worse…it’s just hair,” she told 5NEWS, “I have a bald spot here, a bald spot somewhere back here. This is just hair, and there is so much worse out there.”
Buxam contacted both the Dollar General and local police to let them know of the incident, but she has no plans of taking legal action. The store manager said they will now keep their hair removal products behind the counter indefinitely.
In response to the situation, Dollar General released the following statement:
“Dollar Generals strie to provide excellent service and safe, quality products that meet our customers’ needs. We are currently investigating the matter at our Heaver, Oklahoma store and have reached out to the customer for further discussion.”
What would you do if you were in this situation? Let us know in the comments!