20YO Bleaches Hair At Home To Save Money; Ends Up Suffering 3rd Degree Chemical Burns Instead

Truly a nightmare come true for those who frequently dye their hair. 

“My head literally had steam coming from it.”

That’s not something you want to see when you’re bleaching your hair. But that was what happened to 20-year-old fruit worker Annaliese Fox when she decided to bleach her own hair at her NSW Central Coast home to save money.

Wanted To Save Money 

Like some of us cheapskates here in Singapore, we find the cheapest alternatives to things.

Fox had decided to DIY bleach her hair with a $16.53 powder bleach that she had bought.

Horrific Burns 

However, what was supposed to save her about $200 ended up scarring her for life.

After applying the powder bleach on her hair, she wrapped her hair in cling wrap before heading out to buy some hair dye at Coles.

Within an hour, she felt intense burning on her scalp and neck.

It was so hot that she described the feeling as “being pressed against a hot stove”.

Tried To Wash Bleach Out 

Something was clearly wrong.

“Your head is meant to burn a bit with bleach on it but it was like my head was on fire,” Fox said.

She ran to the bathroom at Coles and ripped the cling wrap off and saw literal STEAMS coming from it.

The bleach was literally burning her skin.

Because it was so hot, Fox was not able to get the hair tie out to wash the bleach.

The tap in the toilet was also very low, hence she was only able to get some bleach out of her hair.

A Third Degree Burn 

Fox rushed home after and jumped under a cold shower.

Unfortunately, the damage to her skin was already done.

She went to a local hospital that night and photos of her head were sent to the Severe Burn Unit at Royal North Shore Hospital.

The third-degree burns had left her with white patches of burned flesh on the back of her head and neck, extending past her ears.

Skin Grafts To Treat Burns 

In an update on her Facebook page, Fox said that she was “heartbroken” and she would have to get surgery on Monday next week (9 December) to cut out the dead skin from the burn.

After which, a part of her thigh would be cut for a skin graft on her head.

“It’s so terrifying because I don’t know if the skin graft will work or not. My hair will never grow back on that big part of my head”, she said.

Fox also posted a picture of her burnt scalp as an update.

Scarred For Life 

Fox begs other women to not risk similar injuries by trying to bleach their own hair.

She said that it was a stupid decision and “it’s not worth it at all and you could severely damage your hair”.

“It’s the most traumatic thing I’ve ever been through.”

Thinking about bleaching your hair to save some money? Think again… you could be her.