Woman's horrific reaction to hair dye

A woman shares images of her severe reaction to hair dye. Photo / Imgur

A young woman was left wishing she'd taken the time to do a test patch before using a hair dye that left her face so swollen she looked "like an alien".

In a series of images posted to Imgur, the woman and her friend document what they believe to be a severe allergic reaction to a packet of hair dye.

"So my friend had a pretty ridiculous allergic reaction to hair dye..." was the caption by her friend, known as thechosenginger, on the image-sharing site.

The first photo shows the woman on "the day she decided to go to the ER". At this point, her forehead and cheeks are heavily swollen and one eye has been forced shut.

They also share a picture taken before the reaction to show the dramatic difference in her appearance.

On day two, the woman shares a snap of herself with a towel around her head. While her previously swollen eye has opened, her face is still severely distended.

On the second day of her recovery, the woman snapped photos of her swollen head and face. Photo / Imgur

Over the next five days, her face continues to change with both eyes swelling shut before things start to improve.

The woman's face became puffy and square by the third day. Photo / Imgur

By the fourth and fifth day her face starts to revert to normal. Photo / Imgur

Almost a million people have viewed the picture series with many commenting the reaction made her "look like an alien".

Some poked fun at the images while others shared their own horror hair dye stories.

One suggested she use her altered face to "rob a bank while she's unidentifiable" while
another joked: "Ah, I see the problem here... She chose 'ballooned' instead of 'blonde' dye."

But another warned that it was no laughing matter, explaining: "My mom used [to] dye her hair all the time until she got a similar reaction a few years ago and almost died, she had to be rushed to the ER."

Others noted she should have followed general hair dye instructions which recommend testing dye on a small patch of skin before applying it to the hair and scalp.

"This, internet friends, is why you're supposed to test the hair dye on your hand before rubbing it on your head. Risky decision of the day," one person wrote.

- nzherald.co.nz

Readers share their hair dye horrors:

"My mum use to dye her hair often and had no reactions until a couple of years ago she used a cheap packet of hair dye. Her head swelled up like a balloon and her eyes were swollen shut. She has reacted to any and everything ever since then. We have no idea why this happens and why it didn't happen before. Wish we knew." Tina

"I had been dyeing my hair for years, until one day my scalp blistered and where the dye had landed on my arms I had big red welts. Freaked me out and was terrible. [I] had sores on my head. I Googled information and it was a chemical in the dye, that of course is highly toxic... I am not so vain now. Henna is a great alternative." Susan