Social media users were captivated by the plight of a woman named Tessica Brown, her decision to use Gorilla Glue instead of hair spray and a harrowing month-long quest to undo a seemingly permanent hairstyle.
It all started when Mrs. Brown ended up with her usual hair spray, Got2b Glued. In a pinch, she chose to use a different product she had on hand to finish her hair: Gorilla Spray Adhesive, by Gorilla Glue.
“Bad, bad, bad idea,” she said in a TikTok posted last week who warned others against making the same mistake.
After more than 15 washes, several treatments and a trip to the emergency room, his hair still hadn’t moved.
“My hair has been like this for about a month – it’s not by choice,” she said in the video.
Ms. Brown’s hair accident puzzled Internet users who invested in her situation and rooted her virtually, leaving messages of encouragement and ideas in the comment sections of her posts.
His original video was viewed almost 16 million times on TikTok and almost two million times on Instagram, and was widely shared on other social platforms.
The situation generated chills and sympathy in the community for Ms. Brown, who became known as the Gorilla Glue Girl, as the days passed and several remedies did not help.
“You have to keep us updated 😂😂😂😂 I’m very invested now. I’ll travel with you😩 ”, commented a user in her Instagram post.
Ms. Brown brought her followers along with her through several attempts to “get rid of this ponytail forever”, as she described on Instagram.
In a second video, Mrs. Brown demonstrated an attempt to wash it: she filled her palm with a generous amount of shampoo, spread it over her head and rubbed furiously. She wiped the foam, which did not appear to have penetrated the glue layer and appeared to be on the verge of tears.
She later posted on Instagram that a combination of tea tree oil and coconut oil that she left on her head overnight was an “epic failure”.
“This is the life I am living at the moment,” she said in the video. “This is the life I think I will have to live.”
Mrs. Brown did not respond to requests for interviews on Sunday.
Some users have suggested natural remedies, many involving apple cider vinegar or various mixtures of alcohol or acetone. A woman who identified herself as a licensed stylist suggested applying glycerin to her hair, letting it rest for about 30 minutes and massaging it to loosen the glue.
“We are very sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident that Miss Brown experienced while using our spray patch on her hair,” said Gorilla Glue in a statement on Sunday. He called what happened “a unique situation” because the product was not intended to be used “on or in hair” because it is considered permanent.
“We are happy to see in your recent video that Ms. Brown received medical treatment from her local medical unit and we wish her well, ”he said.
On Saturday, Ms. Brown posted a video of St. Bernard Parish Hospital in Chalmette, Louisiana, and shared a photo of herself on a hospital bed.
A later video showed another woman, a TikTok user named Juanita Brown, applying acetone and sterile water to Ms. Brown’s head. It was not clear whether the treatment worked.
Skin and hair experts gave their opinions on TikTok and other social media platforms with suggestions.
Tierra Milton, owner of She and Her Hair Studio on Staten Island, said that if anyone in Brown’s situation came into her salon, she would probably recommend shaving her head.
“I wouldn’t even try to save it because we’re talking about an industrial product that is used for purposes other than hair,” said Milton. “Women in all areas, all walks of life, should seek professional help when it comes to hair care regimes.”
She noted that Gorilla Glue is not sold in beauty supply stores.
Dr. Dustin Portela, a dermatologist, suggested starting with acetone to break the glue or using Goo Gone, a product that helps remove bandages and adhesives. Coconut oil, sunflower oil or petroleum jelly heated in hot water can also work, he said, but added that the solutions must be tested in a small area first.
“Obviously, Gorilla glue was designed – and any superglue – not to come off easily with soap and water,” he said. “They formulate the product with connections to support the most common types of things, so I knew it would be incredibly difficult.”
Patches like Gorilla Glue should not be used on the skin, Portela said.
They can be irritating and cause skin rashes, such as contact dermatitis. If all else fails, he said, going to a beauty salon to shave your head may be the best solution.
“I think there would be a lot of anxiety that anyone would have if they were in that situation,” he said. “Now, more than ever, we just need to have compassion for people and try to help them. And she deserves all the help she can get now because it is a really unfortunate situation. “