This Woman Developed a Sensitivity to Hair Dye And Her Allergic Reaction Is Terrifying

According to a recent article from People, Seraya Ellison has gone viral on TikTok for documenting her allergic reaction to black hair dye, and the pictures are enough for us to contemplate growing out our roots.

Like most hair-dye reactions, the article states that the reaction was most likely caused by an ingredient called paraphenylenediamine (PPD), which has been known to cause an inflamed skin reaction known as contact dermatitis. As the videos show, the ingredient can cause major swelling and redness, among other reactions, as Ellison told BuzzFeed she also experienced scalp tenderness, chemical burns and numbness in her face.

"Always patch test before dyeing your hair," Ellison writes over her TikTok, which has received 4.1 million likes and 30.1 million views. In a separate video, she posts an update on her healing process and shows the swelling around her eye, a reaction that has gotten worse since her first viral video.

"I’ve been dyeing my own hair for 13 years, so I am used to my hairline and ears getting a little irritated when using cheaper dyes," she tells BuzzFeed. "I did not pay too much mind to it, assuming the dye got onto my skin and would take a few hours to heal itself, like it usually has in the past. The next morning, I woke up to my boyfriend yelling and asking me what happened to my face. I looked into the mirror and saw that the right side of my forehead was swelling...I wanted to share this video with TikTok to help advise people to be very careful with directions when dyeing their own hair, and make sure salons do patch tests with consultations if the option is given."

If Ellison's experience sounds familiar to you, these expert-approved tips will help you identify and prevent a potential hair-dye allergy.