A mother has issued a warning to shoppers after claiming her daughter had to shave her head as a result of using conditioner which had been mixed with hair removal cream.
44-year-old Taffy Jo Timm shared the story on Facebook on Sunday (July 28), where she said her daughter Ashley’s hair began to fall out after using a shampoo and conditioner set she had purchased at a Walmart in New Richmond, Wisconsin, on July 23.
The concerned mother believed the conditioner had been mixed with a hair removal product such as Nair or Veet and after leaving it on her head for around 10 minutes Ashley’s hair began to fall out in clumps.
I have to share bc tonight has been very, very traumatic for me. You don’t think to check your shampoo or conditioner…
Posted by Ashley Rose on Sunday, July 28, 2019
Nair is a popular hair removal cream which works to remove hair from the skin’s surface when applied. It is usually used on legs and armpits and the product has a strong odour as chemicals are required to remove the hair. Veet works in a similar way and the company’s website warns it is not to be used on the head.
A GoFundMe page has since been set up for the young woman, which explains:
[Ashley] let the conditioner sit for about 10 minutes while she went about other steps of showering before rinsing it out. As she exited the shower, she realized that her hair had a foul odor to it, so she re-entered the shower and began washing it again.
At this point, Ashley’s hair began falling out in massive clumps. It is believed that the conditioner was tampered with and someone put some sort of chemical depilatory cream inside of it.
Attention new Richmond Walmart shoppers be aware of shampoo and conditioner you buy there as my daughter Ashley Rose…
Posted by Taffy Jo Timm on Sunday, July 28, 2019
In a Facebook post Ashley said she went to the emergency room after using the product to ensure she didn’t suffer chemical burns, adding ‘thankfully in some spots [the scalp] was just red and irritated but looked okay.’
In another post, the heartbroken woman wrote:
My hair was finally the way I loved it to be and now it’s gone.
Picture[s] do not do it justice or show the 100% damage it has caused me.
My heart hurts terribly I don’t even have any words to say to anyone as I just can’t get anything out but that it hurts and has been scary.
My only intentions for sharing is to prevent it from happening to anyone else. Check your bottles where ever you get them, nothing can be trusted anymore.
Posted by Ashley Rose on Monday, July 29, 2019
The young woman also went to the hairdressers in the hope of getting extensions to try and conceal her hair loss, however her remaining hair was determined to be too fragile to handle them. As a result, Ashley felt the only solution was to shave her head.
Her uncle removed the rest of her hair on Monday night and Taffy wrote on Facebook that while her daughter is ‘doing great’ her newly shaved head is something she has to get used to.
The GoFundMe page adds:
Hair is such a part of our personal identity and having to lose all of it without expectation or choice is an incredibly traumatic experience.
“Behind every bald head is a powerful story, one worth changing someone else’s life.” 💗This is me Saturday heading to a…
Posted by Ashley Rose on Tuesday, July 30, 2019
The page has been set up with the aim of raising money for Ashley to buy wigs, as well as offsetting any potential medical costs and legal fees.
It has been pointed out Ashley lives alone, meaning the product could not have been tampered with in her home. The young woman reportedly filed a police report so Walmart can release surveillance footage to investigators, though Taffy has said there is no news from the authorities yet.
Posted by Ashley Rose on Monday, July 29, 2019
Fox10 report Tara Aston, a spokesperson for Walmart, confirmed the company is investigating the incident and working with law enforcement to review camera footage.
Both Taffy and her daughter have urged people to stay wary when buying products so no one else suffers in the same way Ashley did.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.