[ad_1]
Tessica Brown said she spent weeks trying to get it out.
Brown opened up to ABC7’s Samantha Chatman about why she put the product on her hair, which opens up a bigger conversation about dark hair and acceptance.
“My hair has been like this for about a month now,” Brown says on the social media video. “All of you, it’s not moving. It’s not moving!”
Brown said she posted the now viral video believing it would only be seen by her inner circle. She was in crisis and needed advice on how to remove the glue from her hair.
The post has now been viewed over 4 million times on Instagram.
Brown said she wanted to make sure her hair was neat and in place, with no loose strands.
The Louisiana woman said in January that she was out of hair spray. So, she turned to a product at home that she said would give her the outfit she needed: Gorilla Glue.
“I can spray this and when I get home I can wash it off. It didn’t happen,” Brown explained.
In her music video, she walked viewers through her hair crisis, showing them how bad she was.
“I used this. Gorilla Glue. Bad, bad, bad idea! I washed my hair 15 times and it doesn’t budge,” Brown says in the video.
Brown said she went to extreme lengths to remove the glue, trying items like cooking oil and even nail polish remover to no avail.
“We started putting it in here, and as we wiped it off the hair came off,” she said. “I really went a month without being able to touch the inside of my head.”
Brown explained that her intense relationship with her hair began when she was in college.
FULL INTERVIEW: ‘Gorilla Glue girl’ has message for black women about ‘love of hair’
She said that as a darker-skinned girl, she felt pressure to make sure her hair was perfect to match her skin tone.
“(I thought) if you’ve got another blemish, if your hair is gathered, you know you’re better,” she said. “If there is nothing else I can do, I’ll make sure my hair is on point. This has been a problem for me for a long time, ”she explained. “If I hadn’t cared so much about my hair, I wouldn’t be going through this now.”
It’s a struggle that Chicago salon owner and hairstylist Rahni Flowers says is all too common among black women.
Flowers, of Van Cleef Hair Studio, said that while Brown’s story came as no surprise, it saddened him.
“African Americans, especially African American women, must have had 400 years of assimilating to a white aesthetic standard. We must always be in place. It means having straightened hair, having everything clean and sufficient to assimilate. It’s a very intimidating, difficult and exhausting thing to do, ”he said.
Just when Brown was ready to give up, she said she got a call about a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, Dr. Michael K Obeng, who said he could remove the glue from her hair, for free.
“When I heard about Tessica, the ordeal she had been through, the pain, the suffering, having her hair stuck to her scalp for a month, the least I could do was reach out and extend my services, ”said Dr. Obeng.
Its foundation, Restore Worldwide, provides and covers the cost of reconstructive surgeries for people around the world.
Brown called Dr. Obeng a godsend.
“I feel like it was sent to me. Like, who’s just going to their kitchen saying, let’s mix some stuff up and get this out of this girl’s head? Dr Obeng. I really, really like this. man. I really, really do it, “she said.
The operation was a success, Brown’s hair is officially Gorilla Glue free.
“It’s like Christmas morning! I don’t think anyone will understand how amazing it is, ”she shared.
Brown now turns his mistake into a message. She hopes to help other black women learn to accept themselves and their hair.
“I want all the little girls my children’s age, women my age, my mother’s age to know, don’t let the hair get in your way. People are going to go through a lot of things for their hair, ”Brown said. “You have to keep in your head, ‘I’m not my hair.'”
Brown said she received more than $ 25,000 in crowdfunding donations. She said most of this money will be donated to Dr. Obeng’s foundation to help other women who need emergency surgery. She said she was also sending checks to families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for Gorilla Glue, Brown said she realizes the company shares no blame in its decision. Gorilla Glue has a warning label on the spray that reads: “Do not swallow. Do not get in eyes, on skin or on clothing.” Gorilla Glue Company has said they wish Brown the best.
Full Gorilla Glue Company Statement
“We are aware of the situation and are sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident Miss Brown experienced using our spray adhesive on her hair. This is a unique situation as this product is not indicated. for use in or on hair in its considered permanent condition. Our spray adhesive says on the warning label “do not swallow.” Do not get in contact with eyes, skin or clothing … “
It is used for craft, home, auto, or office projects to mount objects on surfaces such as paper, cardboard, wood, laminate, and fabric.
We are happy to see in her recent video that Miss Brown has received medical attention from her local medical facility and we wish her the best. ”
Copyright © 2021 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
Source link