Woman sues Walmart for destroying her hair!

[OrangeStripe]

interesting but also horrifying story I saw elsewhere today: http://jezebel.com/woman-sues-walmart-for-destroying-her-butt-length-hair-1563781669/all
she bought a shampoo from them and it ruined her hair, so she's suing them for emotional damage!

What do you think? I think I would be suing the manufacturer, not the store, but there you go :shrug:

[slynr]

I just find it curious that shampoo could cause that kind of damage. I would think a big dollop of conditioner and some shower detangling could have saved it. Maybe you just had to see it to believe it.

[Budgie]

The comments are mean.

[Kaelee]

Equate is manufactured by Walmart or for Walmart (it's their store brand) so I understand that part of it.

I have a hard time believing this actually happened, honestly. I've used some crappy shampoo and conditioner in my time, and I can't imagine how something like that could actually happen the way she said it did. It could dry her hair out, or make it tangly, but to turn it into mats on contact just...no. I could be wrong here, and maybe someone will chime in with experience that proves otherwise, but as of right now, I'm completely unconvinced. The only way I can think it could POSSIBLY have happened is if the bottle was horribly defective and all but caustic, causing her hair to melt on contact. And I doubt that happened.

I suspect something else happened, and she's saying it's the shampoo to try to get money from someone.

[Lady Mary]

Wow, wish I hadn't skimmed the comments section on that article...

[GrowingOut]

Nobody go to the comments section, it's nasty there.

[truepeacenik]

Oh my goodness, the ignorant comments. But my thought is in there... Dandruff shampoo on length?!?

Eta: about three uses of mane and tail gave me tangly, crunchy hair that still felt waxy.
Dr. Bronners will dry hair out, in about six uses.

If someone was not detangling, not conditioning, bedridden, maybe a full bottle could make a beaver tail dread. And those don't come out.

But that is not a manufacturing issue. It might prove efficacy.

[turquoisedays]

Wow, wish I hadn't skimmed the comments section on that article...

Me too, I cringed.

Also:


Overly long hair can lead to serious back/spine problems. The shampoo did her a favor.

What?

[Budgie]

................

[ositarosita]

The part that disgusts me is the comments left by people who have read the article. IE



I am irrationally (?) grossed out by really long hair. Good riddance! It's weird to have your identity wrapped to tightly around the length of your hair.


I once had a stylist say, "if your hair is long enough to wipe your ass with it, it's too long."

[Night_Kitten]

"On the upside, sounds like she was overdue for a trim." (last line of the article) - Than was a nasty remark and completely uncalled for... After seeing that and feeling the "spirit" of the article, I never even bothered going over the comments as I could guess what kind of "target crowd" this article was oriented at...:rolleyes:

[Autumn_Fairy]

Geez, the comments are nasty indeed. I really can't understand what makes people act so mean.

But anyway, as for the shampoo issue, assuming the story is true and she didn't mess her hair up some other way, I think the most likely explanation would be that the bottle was tampered with before she bought it. I have worked at two walmarts and after the second one I quit after a couple months. The place gives me the heebees. Strange people show up in there and do some really strange things. I wouldn't be surprised if some weirdo poured glue into the shampoo bottle.

ETA - Of course, its just as likely that the woman is full of it :)

[turquoisedays]

I once had a stylist say, "if your hair is long enough to wipe your ass with it, it's too long."

Never understood this thinking. I have butt crack length hair, and I'm sure people with this length don't let it even touch our buttcracks while we're naked/in the shower. :justy:

I expected more from the comments of a feminist blog.

[Sharysa]

Yeeeeeah, I think she's just using Walmart as a scapegoat to get money, regardless of how it happened. The only way I can see her getting money is if the tangles were bad enough to go from butt-length to a pixie/bob. There is a LOT of hair spanning half your body length; I'm hip-length while straight with ridiculously thick hair, and even my accidental shampoo tangles only start around mid back. Then I just use more conditioner.

Even the worst shampoo tangles would still leave her with at least Apl length, unless she deliberately had it "fixed" by the stylist to go to a bob and make the loss of length look more dramatic.

[Nae]

Wal Mart has a lot of money therefore it gets sued pretty regularly. I am not surprised at all that someone sued them for this. Par for the course.

The comments are ridiculous though....jeez people.

[Nightshade]

The comments are mean.

It's Jezebel, it's click-bait manufactured-outrage-generating tripe at its finest.

[sarahthegemini]

Tbh the woman just sounds like a skeezy money-grabber IMO. Though the comments are a bit uncalled for!

[getoffmyskittle]

Journalism is dead.

[Anje]

Journalism is dead.

Somewhere, a journalist is offended that you called Jezebel "journalism". :lol:

[Brynja]

Oh my god..I can't believe those comments and I quote "I am irrationally (?) grossed out by really long hair. Good riddance! It's weird to have your identity wrapped to tightly around the length of your hair".
I don't get it why people are mad at this woman,some people have long hair for a long time,since they were little kids and of course it would stick to their persona,it isn't a bad thing. It takes a really long time,a lot of money and a whole lot of time to have not only long hair but also HEALTHY hair. This woman is probably known for her long "Rapunzel-like beautiful locks" since she was a kid and she was proud of those locks,it was her signature,she did the right thing about suing the shampoo manufacturer.

[ErinLeigh]

Unless someone tampered with it and put glue in her shampoo I have to take pause with the story.
It hard to imagine a shampoo alone could do this. Perhaps shampoo plus improper wash method such as not detangling prior to shampoo, piling hair on head etc etc. She could have already had a nasty tangle formed before she shampooed so who is to say the shampoo caused it? I feel bad this happened to her. I know how traumatizing it can be...but I sense there is more to the story than a mere shampoo grabbing her hair and knotting it up. Yes some shampoos are incredibly drying. I can see matting happening but I can tell right away when it's too drying and I rinse and not continue to work it into my hair. I just don't know its the products fault if it doesn't work for hair. Unless there are more people coming forward with same claim I just don't see her winning.

I am going to google the ingredient list on this shampoo for curiosity sake.

Lesson I take from this is to test new shampoo with a small amount and not work it in too deep. Yikes. I think buying products that are sealed only could be next on list as society is getting too looney to trust. I used to hate hearing people "joke" about putting Nair in someone's shampoo and other such none sense.

Orange stripe thank you for posting this!

[GoldenSilk]

I get a lot of tangles at ear length or higher just from rubbing my scalp (because I have fine hair with a lot of short new growth from stress sheds), even when my length is braided out of the way, so I could see that happening... especially if the shampoo was defective, with too much SLS or something. Or had been tampered with. I do wonder why she wasn't able to detangle it with conditioner eventually, if the shampoo had its intended formula. But you never know. The first time I had my hair long, I didn't know about LHC detangling methods or anything. I just ripped a brush through, and I was able to reach butt length, because I have fast-growing hair. :shrug:

Either way, the amount of body snark and classism in the comments of a supposed feminist website... Ugh. :(

[Aderyn]

I wonder how in the world her hair managed to get so tangled that she had to cut it all off? I've used plenty of shampoos and shampoo bars that left my hair a tangled mess, still able to untangle that without conditioner, and with a conditioner it's even easier.

Hell, I've seen people on YouTube and knew one person in real life who were able to successfully comb out their dreadlocks.

Would be interesting to see if they could take samples of the shampoo (if she kept it, I hope if she's serious about suing them, she actually kept it - otherwise the story is very, very fishy) and see if the shampoo was tampered with or not.

ETA: I completely agree that the comment section is just awful. Hurts my brain to read.

[lazuliblue]

Wow, yes those comments are pretty scathing. Why can't women just be supportive of one another?!

As for the woman in question, I've seen videos of people removing dreadlocks with just conditioner...I can't imagine what that shampoo did to her hair if she genuinely couldn't get the mats out.

[SleepyTangles]

I expected more from the comments of a feminist blog.

This. I agree that the woman's story doesn't make much sense, but why focus the attention to her hair length? These comments are just stupid, like the ones a bunch of catty highschoolers could say...
You don't own other people's hair, nor is your job to teach them when long it's "too long" or "admissibly long".

As for the woman, we'll never know what was in that product, but I think that if the shampoo was adulterated she would have kept the bottle to prove her claim...

[Lucky_Lucy]

This. I agree that the woman's story doesn't make much sense, but why focus the attention to her hair length? These comments are just stupid, like the ones a bunch of catty highschoolers could say...
You don't own other people's hair, nor is your job to teach them when long it's "too long" or "admissibly long".

As for the woman, we'll never know what was in that product, but I think that if the shampoo was adulterated she would have kept the bottle to prove her claim...

^ Exactly! It amazes me how people can actually be so mean or think they can decide things about others, esp. others' personal choices! They're personal for a reason.

[Kyla]

I was just reading this when I saw it again here. The comments are really mean...I'm a regular reader of Jezebel, but I often find myself disappointing and even disgusted by a lot of their articles and the comments that accompany them.

Although, originally being from Portland, I'm finding all the Portland hipster jokes pretty funny. :lol:

Anyway, like others I think that the story is pretty odd. I definitely understand that it would be upsetting to lose so much of your length, but the cheap shampoo causing such outrageous tangling seems unlikely.

[lapushka]

The article concludes: "On the upside, sounds like she was overdue for a trim." Now that seems like an unnecessary blow! Damn that makes me angry. OTOH, I think $10,000 because a shampoo ruined your hair (I don't see *how*) is... more than a little over the top. You are meant to work the shampoo into the hair, that's manual action. The shampoo is just there, it's a liquid that means nothing if you don't do something with it. And what did she *do*? It's still all up to her, IMO. All her doing. So... this suit is just ridiculous.

[Scarlet_Heart]

I use that very shampoo every other day (yep, the Equate variety - baaaad longhair :whip:). So I think she's full of it. As others have said, unless someone tampered with the shampoo it's bogus.

[jacqueline101]

I thought the comments were rude and I don't get how shampoo could wreck her hair that badly.

[Larki]

She'll have to prove that the shampoo actually definitively CAUSED irreversible mats...

[Vrindi]

Somewhere, a journalist is offended that you called Jezebel "journalism". :lol:

Wait? There are still journalists? I thought they were extinct. :confused:

(My apologies to any actual journalists. You are an endangered species.)

[Katlette]

The comments!!!!

I should've read everyone's warnings on here before going on to read them. Long hair is so gross, dirty, difficult to keep clean? Someone claiming to have used 2 bottles of shampoo per weekly wash for knee-length hair?

Also, the Sikh discussion is so odd. Why is it perfectly fine to judge people for having long hair - unless, of course, it's for religious reasons? Surely it's never any of your business? I completely understand that not everyone likes long hair, but the number of comments saying it's always gross and gets caught in your armpits and buttcrack... It's just mean. And silly.

Jezebel always disappoints with how judgemental it is. I should really stop reading it.

[woodswanderer]

People have a lot of misconceptions about long hair. I'm always surprised by the distaste for long hair from these internet pieces. I have never had anyone say anything negative to me about my hair beyond little kids who tell be my hair is beautiful but I'm supposed to cut it in the same sentence. They say it like maybe I never noticed that most people have short hair. ;) Maybe other people do think my hair is gross, but they at least keep their mouth shut.

However, I really don't get how the mishap occurred without some user error contributing.

[Autumn_Fairy]

Would be interesting to see if they could take samples of the shampoo (if she kept it, I hope if she's serious about suing them, she actually kept it - otherwise the story is very, very fishy) and see if the shampoo was tampered with or not.



The original Oregonian article says:
Ball said he has not yet done a chemical analysis of the remainder of the bottle's contents, which Fahey saved to try to discover what caused the problem.

[Of the Fae]

Why would someone use anti dandruff shampoo from wall mart anyway? Anti dandruff is usually aggressive and drying. But that much damage sounds so unlikely just from shampoo. A buttload of condish should solve that :S

[Allie_snowflake]

And what would stop her from tampering with the contents after the fact? I don't buy it. I'd be willing to bet she did something stupid (double processing, etc.) and she wanted someone to blame so she invented the "shampoo story".

When I was young and stupid, I would buy those frosting kits with the caps and my (already bleached and abused) hair would come out like cornsilk... Sticky and clumpy. Broke off in sticky matts. Putting an already drying shampoo on something like that (if she actually even PUT the dandruff shampoo on!) would probably cause a big mess and cutting would be the only remedy.

[starlamelissa]

if the shampoo caused irriversiable felt like dreads, then some one tampered with it, and I'd sue too.

[lapushka]

I'd sure like to hear from the hairdresser who had to cut her hair shorter, in what state it really was.

[MadeiraD]

It sounds to me like it must have been tampered with

[Jumper]

I doubt it was shampoo alone that caused the issues she is describing. I had to use T-Gel on my scalp as a teenager and yes, it was drying, but I used conditioner and it was never that bad. Smelled awful. But never matted my hair up.

I expected worse from the comments from the way people were talking on here. I actually laughed at some of them and was not horribly offended by any of them. But I guess it takes a lot to offend me.

I identify with by my hair a lot, I get really upset at a bad haircut (like my layers) but at the end of the day the beauty of hair is that it grows back. So I think $10,000 is a bit much for any suffering caused by lack of hair.

[truepeacenik]

Never understood this thinking. I have butt crack length hair, and I'm sure people with this length don't let it even touch our buttcracks while we're naked/in the shower. :justy:

I expected more from the comments of a feminist blog.

No, I get buttflossing with regularity. But it's clean. Because you know, I wash my crack and puckers places. Don't they?:cool:

People troll everywhere. I'm forever booting hippie haters from the hippie site.

[ErinLeigh]

And what would stop her from tampering with the contents after the fact? I don't buy it. I'd be willing to bet she did something stupid (double processing, etc.) and she wanted someone to blame so she invented the "shampoo story".

When I was young and stupid, I would buy those frosting kits with the caps and my (already bleached and abused) hair would come out like cornsilk... Sticky and clumpy. Broke off in sticky matts. Putting an already drying shampoo on something like that (if she actually even PUT the dandruff shampoo on!) would probably cause a big mess and cutting would be the only remedy.

I had wondered the same thing. Had her hair been chemically treated recently or something?
That, tampering and mishandling of hair are my 3 choices. Untampered Shampoo alone that millions buy? I just cannot see it being the sole cause. End result coupled with something else?...sure.

[Ravenwind]

Idk... I think she's being overdramatic. I understand that it takes a lot of time and patience to grow that length of hair and keep it healthy, and I understand the emotional aspect of it, but to say she's suing walmart because of "physical and emotional damage, anxiety, humiliation and embarrassment" is a bit much... Maybe that's just me, but I wouldn't make it as big of a deal as she is. Besides, it's not Wal Mart's fault, she could try to sue the manufacturer if she wanted to. And, it's not like tangles are permanent unless they suddenly got matted up with whatever shampoo she used. A little deep conditioner or oils will do the trick.

[Hadley]

I would not sue the store. I think that is really silly. It is not Walmarts fault.

[Larki]

Idk... I think she's being overdramatic. I understand that it takes a lot of time and patience to grow that length of hair and keep it healthy, and I understand the emotional aspect of it, but to say she's suing walmart because of "physical and emotional damage, anxiety, humiliation and embarrassment" is a bit much... Maybe that's just me, but I wouldn't make it as big of a deal as she is. Besides, it's not Wal Mart's fault, she could try to sue the manufacturer if she wanted to. And, it's not like tangles are permanent unless they suddenly got matted up with whatever shampoo she used. A little deep conditioner or oils will do the trick.
It's a private label shampoo - Walmart's brand.

[Carolyn]

I didn't see any mention of using conditioner after shampooing her hair. I would think she would have tried detangling from the ends up with boatloads of conditioner. The only way I could see that scenario happening is the shampoo was tampered with in the store. It would be easy enough to do. Walmart would be responsible since she used the Equate brand. People tamper with stuff all the time. I remember one night when I was working some asshat poured Clorox in the gold fish tanks. That was horrible. I'm all for anyone suing Walmart.

[LongHairLesbian]

It's possible that the manufacturer let a really defective bottle slip past them, and if that ends up being true, I think she totally has a case. When a company puts an unhealthy, incredibly damaging product on the market under the guise of being safe for someone to put on their body, even if it is an accident, they should be held accountable.

I think a more likely scenario is that her hair just didn't agree with the shampoo, and she isn't used to having super tangly hair. Some folks are blessed with hair that untangles fairly easily, and they might not know what to do when their hair turns into something they don't recognize. A while ago, I was supposed to meet up with the person I was seeing and I was running late, so I didn't fully detangle my hair before putting it in a braid and running out the door. Later, when I was at her place, I got up to go to the bathroom, where I planned to finish detangling. While I was working through a fairly (to me) small knot, she happened to peek in on me and when she saw the knot, her eyes got wide and she asked me what happened to my hair. I said nothing, this is just what happens after a wash. She was pretty taken aback; her hair texture doesn't tangle a lot, so she isn't used to seeing knots like mine. It's possible that this woman has never had to deal with the mega knots and matted hair that some of us have had to work through, so she isn't familiar with the detangling techniques that can undo even the toughest knots. The shampoo she used is also apparently for dandruff and she used it on her entire length... it makes me cringe just thinking about it. But if you don't usually have tangle-prone hair, that thought might not cross your mind. None of this is to say that I think the lawsuit is reasonable, just that I can see how this woman might have freaked at dealing with hair that *seems* impossible to get through, and thought that the only way to get rid of it is to chop it off. Lord knows my mum cut a few matts out of my hair when I was a child, and she was used to dealing with super fine hair. Not the company's fault though, as long as their formula is safe.

Jezebel fails at intersectional, inclusive feminism pretty frequently. Not only were a lot of the comments really judge-y towards women who choose to wear their hair long, but a lot of them were blatantly classist. SO many "OMG if you care about your hair you must buy salon/high end shampoo!" comments. One of them even went so far as to say that you should spend $25 a bottle on shampoo if you want healthy long hair. And if you don't, it's your fault if your hair gets destroyed. To those commenters: good for you if you don't have to stoop to using a *gasp* DRUGSTORE shampoo on your head (oh the humanity!), but most people don't have your leisure time or disposable income. Many long-haired women have to buy shampoo for their whole family to use, and a LUSH shampoo that costs $20 for a 250ml bottle makes no sense to purchase. Many long haired women don't live in the city, so they don't have a whole lot of choices outside of big box department stores that only carry (oh noes!) drugstore brands. Some long haired women barely live paycheque to paycheque, and they need to count on their shampoo to last half the year or more. No woman deserves to be told that she doesn't care about her hair if she doesn't spend lots of money on it. And using inexpensive shampoo isn't bad for your hair! I have used drugstore shampoo and conditioner my whole life, and my hair is no worse for it. I buy $6 on sale S&C that last me 3-4 months, but plenty of people spend way less and still have great hair. Cheapie shampoos often have similar ingredients as the salon brands, so more money doesn't always mean better quality. But I guess it makes some people feel superior to those who can't/won't spend as they do, so...

[spidermom]

Hmmm - reminds me of the time I added baking soda to my shampoo. After washing, as it dried, my hair matted together like felt. Every single morning I had to load my hair with conditioner to comb it, but it would dry the same felted way. It returned to normal after about two weeks of this, however.

[Ennapic]

So many of those comments were just mean.

I have never heard of any shampoo causing hair to react the way she described. I've tried different shampoos over the years - who hasn't - but really something sounds off about her story.

[MadeiraD]

It really does sound like a case of tampering or something going very wrong during manufacturing

[Rosetta]

I have a hard time believing this actually happened, honestly. I've used some crappy shampoo and conditioner in my time, and I can't imagine how something like that could actually happen the way she said it did. It could dry her hair out, or make it tangly, but to turn it into mats on contact just...no. I could be wrong here, and maybe someone will chime in with experience that proves otherwise, but as of right now, I'm completely unconvinced. The only way I can think it could POSSIBLY have happened is if the bottle was horribly defective and all but caustic, causing her hair to melt on contact. And I doubt that happened.

I suspect something else happened, and she's saying it's the shampoo to try to get money from someone.
This.


Exactly! It amazes me how people can actually be so mean or think they can decide things about others, esp. others' personal choices! They're personal for a reason.
Unfortunately, that's so common that nobody usually even bats an eyelid anymore, it seems... If I had a cent for every time I've heard/read someone saying someone else "needs a haircut", I'd be very rich indeed ;)

[followingup]

the comments are absolutely horrible. i agree

[SleepyTangles]

Jezebel fails at intersectional, inclusive feminism pretty frequently. Not only were a lot of the comments really judge-y towards women who choose to wear their hair long, but a lot of them were blatantly classist. SO many "OMG if you care about your hair you must buy salon/high end shampoo!" comments. One of them even went so far as to say that you should spend $25 a bottle on shampoo if you want healthy long hair. And if you don't, it's your fault if your hair gets destroyed. To those commenters: good for you if you don't have to stoop to using a *gasp* DRUGSTORE shampoo on your head (oh the humanity!), but most people don't have your leisure time or disposable income. Many long-haired women have to buy shampoo for their whole family to use, and a LUSH shampoo that costs $20 for a 250ml bottle makes no sense to purchase. Many long haired women don't live in the city, so they don't have a whole lot of choices outside of big box department stores that only carry (oh noes!) drugstore brands. Some long haired women barely live paycheque to paycheque, and they need to count on their shampoo to last half the year or more. No woman deserves to be told that she doesn't care about her hair if she doesn't spend lots of money on it. And using inexpensive shampoo isn't bad for your hair! I have used drugstore shampoo and conditioner my whole life, and my hair is no worse for it. I buy $6 on sale S&C that last me 3-4 months, but plenty of people spend way less and still have great hair. Cheapie shampoos often have similar ingredients as the salon brands, so more money doesn't always mean better quality. But I guess it makes some people feel superior to those who can't/won't spend as they do, so...

The "she shouldn't have used cheap shampoos if she cares about their hair" comments just don't make any sense :confused:. I've tried a good share of products during my life, and I've discovered tons of cheapies that are true holy grails, and tons of expensive products that were quite crappy or just meh.
Hair textures are too different in their needs to say "Slap on some expensive stuff and it will be fine!".

I'd really like to see the hair of all this girls: since they seem absolutely persuaded that hair longer than shoulder just turns into a split-end ridden mess, I really doubt their products are so good...

[OrangeStripe]

When I was in Sweden on holiday I forgot to take any shampoo/conditioner with me, so I had to use the stuff that was in the guest shower room. I assumed it was shampoo because of the texture, but I can't be certain, and that combined with swimming in the sea every day meant my hair was a tangled, sticky mass that hust to even think about running a brush through. I went a week without brushing my hair because it was impossible, and by the end, it looked awful.
But when I flew back home and washed it with a product that I knew my hair liked, in water that was as soft as I'm used to, it took only two washes to go back to normal. I don't understand how this woman jumped to cutting out a chunk of hair BEFORE she marched to the store to show them the damage, or really how it could have possible gotten that bad in the first place without serious tampering....

[bekstamonkey]

It musta been tampered with, or just a case of her using this as an excuse for a payday.

I had dreads for 6 years. To get root growth matting-up, I used a really harsh, drying shampoo (basically fragrance-free, colour-free, residue-free dishwashing soap called 'shampoo' LOL), and yeah, it did make my roots mat-up, but only with a heck of a lot of clockwise and counter-clockwise root rubbing whilst I was lathered-up. So unless the woman was going to town on her scalp and rubbing in a way that is FAR from conducive to hair health, I find it hard to believe that her hair was matted beyond the help of conditioner. It used to take me 3-4 weeks (washing once a week) to get my new matted roots to the point where they were properly knotted (i.e. unable to be removed without a lot of damage occurring). So, yes, I find it hard to believe that one wash, done with care, with a standard shampoo (whether a cheap brand or not) could have had this effect.

[Tini'sNewHair]

Ahhhhhh the comments are just nasty!!!!!!!!!!!

[Crumpet]

The comments are so infuriating and hurtful.

[Crabbyco]

Wow...I have so many problems with this article.
First, as everyone has said. How could that even happen? My hair has come undone when riding motorcycle and I've gotten the knots out. If she was that attached to her hair she would have found a way to untangle it.
Second, the lawyer that was willing to file this case should be fined. Any judge worth sitting on the bench is going to throw this out of court. The bottles aren't sealed, anyone could have tampered with it awhile it was sitting on the shelf. It was her choice to wash with it and the ingredients are listed on the bottle. Falls under buyer beware.
Third, Wal-mart and most big corps. don't carry insurance for product liability. They carry full time lawyers.
Last, and this is kind of personal because I just went through a product liability case in which myself and my husband were plaintiffs. Emotional trauma...Really! Her hair will grow back. I could understand if she was going to be bald for the rest of her life and her income depended on her hair.

[Budgie]

....................

[White]

I'd really like to see the hair of all this girls:

Me too, I've used all sorts of shampoos and conditioners, shampoos are all the same, according to my hair, never noticed any kind of difference except if they contain silicone, and I don't use that kind anymore, and one of the best conditioners I have ever used is really, really cheap. And I get all sorts of comments from girls that have shoulder to (barely) BSL and they all use expensive products, how it is "impossible" to have long hair (waist+) unless you spend a great deal of money on products. :rolleyes:

[MandyBeth]

Harsh detergents plus not combining hair does lead to very nasty matting. BTDTHTT. However, you can carefully comb that out. Adorably evil minion has mechanical damage from that, but that's six years vs one wash.

She did something else to her hair.

As for article and comments. It's on jezebel, it's junk writing and attracts junk comments.

[clioariane]

Yes this, I'm a feminist and I HATE how that site fails at intersectionality, hell, even the way they treat feminism is pretty crappy. I can't stand watered down mainstream feminism.
I also hate Jezebel and their 'more feminist than thou' attitude.

[Venefica]

I would sue the manufacturer not Walmart they have probably not put the stuff in their shelves with people with that long hair in mind, however I do wonder how one would get that kind of damage from a shampoo, the story is a bit weird to me.

The comments pissed me off, so many mean comments about long hair. The problem are people who think that if they do not have long hair, no one else should either, idiots.

[Caldonia Sun]

Fahey's is seeking the $10,000 for her "past, present and future physical and emotional pain and suffering, anxiety, humiliation and embarrassment, expenses for replacement hair, along with diminished and lost wages," according to her suit. The suit also seeks the cash award for her "loss of life's pleasures and activities."

Lost wages? Was she playing Lady Godiva? Replacement hair? Can't help thinking that if she now wants extensions, she must not be too interested in growing healthy hair after whatever damage was done. This whole thing reeks of a "victim" seeking an opportunity to make a few $$$.

[Budgie]

...............

[ErinLeigh]

This thread really makes me wonder why all shampoo is NOT sealed in the first place. It really bothers me that a really high percentage of hair products do not not come with a seal.
She could have a case in the sense she could say Walmart does not practice good safety precautions so how can they prove their products are pure. Maybe it will change how companies package their products.

[Kaelee]

This thread really makes me wonder why all shampoo is NOT sealed in the first place. It really bothers me that a really high percentage of hair products do not not come with a seal.
She could have a case in the sense she could say Walmart does not practice good safety precautions so how can they prove their products are pure. Maybe it will change how companies package their products.

:shudder: you're right! I never really thought about it before, you know, I always cringe when I see makeup that's not sealed (and there are people who go into stores and open non-testers, and use them! :disgust:) but I don't really think about hair products. There are some sick twisted people out there who would delight in destroying some random person's hair or possibly making them sick for whatever reason their sad mind can come up with. I don't want to be on the receiving end of some random act of personal violence.

[ErinLeigh]

When I was in Sweden on holiday I forgot to take any shampoo/conditioner with me, so I had to use the stuff that was in the guest shower room. I assumed it was shampoo because of the texture, but I can't be certain, and that combined with swimming in the sea every day meant my hair was a tangled, sticky mass that hust to even think about running a brush through. I went a week without brushing my hair because it was impossible, and by the end, it looked awful.
But when I flew back home and washed it with a product that I knew my hair liked, in water that was as soft as I'm used to, it took only two washes to go back to normal. I don't understand how this woman jumped to cutting out a chunk of hair BEFORE she marched to the store to show them the damage, or really how it could have possible gotten that bad in the first place without serious tampering....

I agree. I think Walmarts people are going to be all over the "post wash" actions. The article doesn't explain what she tried to do to fix it before cutting and that is for me a big part of the story that I would want to know before judging my feelings on it actually.

[Of the Fae]

By the way, the comments on the article in the link are just vile and nasty...

[Venefica]

Also I have had hair tangles to big to be able to get out of my hair, but my hairdresser got the tangles out with minimal damage. Now granted my hair is strong and can take allot of abuse and not all hair can take that, but why did she not even try it?

[ErinLeigh]

:shudder: you're right! I never really thought about it before, you know, I always cringe when I see makeup that's not sealed (and there are people who go into stores and open non-testers, and use them! :disgust:) but I don't really think about hair products. There are some sick twisted people out there who would delight in destroying some random person's hair or possibly making them sick for whatever reason their sad mind can come up with. I don't want to be on the receiving end of some random act of personal violence.

I know. I just realized I actually open the lids of hair products often to "sniff" them. No one stops you. What is to stop some messed up person from pouring something like Nair, glue, poison or anything else into the bottle. We know there are unstable people out there. We hear shocking stories every day. Why are we not demanding things placed onto our hair/bodies be safety sealed? I only recently started thinking about this. I used to buy products on Amazon without even thinking. One day I got a product that looked off. It was cloudy and thinner. I tossed it and contacted Amazon. After that I realized I was taking a HUGE gamble. Sealed only for Amazon is my rule now. Why am I accepting less from stores?

[lapushka]

I know. I just realized I actually open the lids of hair products often to "sniff" them. No one stops you. What is to stop some messed up person from pouring something like Nair, glue, poison or anything else into the bottle. We know there are unstable people out there.

In all truth, the spout of a shampoo bottle is pretty narrow, can't really "pour" something in it. You'd have to pull the entire cap off, and often those are on pretty damn tight!

[Kaelee]

I know. I just realized I actually open the lids of hair products often to "sniff" them. No one stops you. What is to stop some messed up person from pouring something like Nair, glue, poison or anything else into the bottle. We know there are unstable people out there. We hear shocking stories every day. Why are we not demanding things placed onto our hair/bodies be safety sealed? I only recently started thinking about this. I used to buy products on Amazon without even thinking. One day I got a product that looked off. It was cloudy and thinner. I tossed it and contacted Amazon. After that I realized I was taking a HUGE gamble. Sealed only for Amazon is my rule now. Why am I accepting less from stores?

I do this too. In all honesty, though, I'm highly sensitive to certain scents and if I don't, there's a good chance I'll get it home and won't be able to use it. :-\

[Redvelvetdragon]

I remember when that Tylenol was tainted back eons ago. You could just open all the bottles and look in, no seals or anything. Of course, now they seal everything, which is good but why not hair products? They could do a sniff label or something on the outside so you know how it smells.

[ErinLeigh]

In all truth, the spout of a shampoo bottle is pretty narrow, can't really "pour" something in it. You'd have to pull the entire cap off, and often those are on pretty damn tight!

Not at all. I have seen it done many times. It is simple to twist off a bottle top. They aren't sealing that part either.

[ErinLeigh]

I do this too. In all honesty, though, I'm highly sensitive to certain scents and if I don't, there's a good chance I'll get it home and won't be able to use it. :-\

Me too. I get migranies from certain smells. That is why I sniff everything :) I am a huge fan of tester bottles and that may be a stores best bet.

[HazelBug]

I wonder if the product itself was faulty. Sometimes things get shelved when they were made wrong. I think that she is owed something if the product is at fault. I'm not sure exactly what though. I do know hair grows. But we identify so much with the way we look. It can be very calous to say that her appearance isn't important to her. If a styalist did this to her hair then people would probably freak out.

I wonder though how she washes her hair. If she is the type to pile her hair on her head or not. That can make a big difference. At the least, if this product did damage her hair that bad, then she is owed a high quality long hair wig to use untill she is back where she started.

[Budgie]

...............

[Aderyn]

I agree about sealing hair products, scary to think about what could be done to the products with just one sick person.

Would like to see the results of the test on the shampoo contents. I'm still skeptical of her claims, something seems off about the story (that may due to Jezebel's bias coming through, though). Also, if the shampoo had been seriously tampered with (for instance, if it was glue), how did the hair above her shoulders manage to survive, especially since shampoo (and thus the contents of the product) is usually concentrated on hair above the shoulder? Were they able to remove the matts from the top of her hair? If they could do that, why couldn't they remove the tangles from the rest of her hair? Were they just lazy? I get that it would be worse further down, don't get me wrong, just curious about the top of her hair, especially if it was glue or something that you genuinely could not comb out.. Just how much hair did she have to get cut off? If she had to practically shave it all off, that would be different than just a chin length cut. :shrug:

And those people in the comments who think expensive products = better products.. Seriously? Last time I used a sample of a high-end hair mask, it left my hair feeling like straw. Cheapy from Walmart for $7-8? Fantastic results. In fact, nowadays I'm making it a point to avoid overly expensive hair products, as I can find more affordable hair products to fit a variety of my desires (whether I want coney, cone-free, sustainable, organic, whatever have you) that work just as well, if not better.

ETA: I see she was left with 4 inches of hair. Interesting.

[queenovnight]

I find this ridiculous. Ah. Sorry. Just strange. I find it strange because she purchased this product herself. A stylist didn't damage her hair, she damaged her own hair. I also think it's sad that she identifies with her hair, and not who she really is. Anywho though, this is just ridiculous. I think she needs to take responsibility and maybe be more careful about the crap she chooses to put in her hair.

Let me add, of course.. I think a complaint should be filed. They should know what's happened, but to sue? That seems a bit far to me. Idk. I'm very careful about what I use, for this very reason. I feel that more people should maybe pay attention, and not just grab up any product because it says it's magic and can do this and that. Read the ingredients.

[Jumper]

What if she poured glue or something into the shampoo bottle herself, after the fact? I doubt analyzing the contents will prove anything.

[Aderyn]

What if she poured glue or something into the shampoo bottle herself, after the fact? I doubt analyzing the contents will prove anything.

This has also crossed my mind. Very difficult to prove it was something that was done in-store.

[rachel1031]

I am a lawyer in the PNW. Based on the comments here, I think this woman has an uphill battle to prove negligence against Wal-Mart or the Manufacturer!

[MandyBeth]

Given how damaged my daughter's hair was, I do know how harsh detergents can be. Add in her never combed out very curly hair - cutting would have been easier. But we did successfully get the matting out. It wasn't perfect. There's still damage that has to grow out. But if that nightmare was manageable, a single use of harsh detergent on reasonably healthy hair isn't going to be the nightmare claimed.

Also, having rowdy boys, even glue isn't impossible to remove. E-6000 comes out with acetone. Anything strong enough to need acetone is going to reek and have an obvious odor. If it's tainted prior to use, you're going to notice the smell. Plus, minor testing here, glue in shampoo reacts oddly and at least here it's not exactly a liquid.

Anything gummy comes out with oil. It can be an unholy mess, but it comes out.

Honestly I'm just can't think of any result that requires drastic cutting from just detergent or even tainted detergent. I have to think she did something to her hair first. Equate shampoo is pretty well known for stripping color and perms. Using it after a box dye gone bad, I could see damage that needs cut. I can't say I'd see matting, but serious damage is possible. But that's not the fault of the shampoo. Plus, chemical stripping is the only reason I can think of to use dandruff shampoo on the length of your hair - thus causing the length to mat up.

[Leslieslsa]

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't even trust generic shampoo to begin with.

[Aderyn]

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't even trust generic shampoo to begin with.

How come? Generics, assuming they're branded (unbranded or off-brand things can be kind of scary, and I definitely don't trust those), are relatively harmless (as harmless as anything can get) in my experience.

I've actually had worse luck when using the higher end brand hair care items than I have had with the cheaper items. :shrug:

[ErinLeigh]

I agree about sealing hair products, scary to think about what could be done to the products with just one sick person.

Would like to see the results of the test on the shampoo contents. I'm still skeptical of her claims, something seems off about the story (that may due to Jezebel's bias coming through, though). Also, if the shampoo had been seriously tampered with (for instance, if it was glue), how did the hair above her shoulders manage to survive, especially since shampoo (and thus the contents of the product) is usually concentrated on hair above the shoulder? Were they able to remove the matts from the top of her hair? If they could do that, why couldn't they remove the tangles from the rest of her hair? Were they just lazy? I get that it would be worse further down, don't get me wrong, just curious about the top of her hair, especially if it was glue or something that you genuinely could not comb out.. Just how much hair did she have to get cut off? If she had to practically shave it all off, that would be different than just a chin length cut. :shrug:

And those people in the comments who think expensive products = better products.. Seriously? Last time I used a sample of a high-end hair mask, it left my hair feeling like straw. Cheapy from Walmart for $7-8? Fantastic results. In fact, nowadays I'm making it a point to avoid overly expensive hair products, as I can find more affordable hair products to fit a variety of my desires (whether I want coney, cone-free, sustainable, organic, whatever have you) that work just as well, if not better.

ETA: I see she was left with 4 inches of hair. Interesting.

Good point on the roots if it was tampered.
Also, yes expensive isnt always better. Pureology turns my hair to straw. I would use VO5 any day of the week before using Pureology. Also most Redken dries out my hair (except my beloved deep treatment), Aveda products, Goldwell and a few others. I don't have issue at all especially with generics. I think people are being extra harsh on her because she is suing and being dramatic about not being able to go to work, and of course her appearance being affected. The claws really come out when one admits to vanity of any kind.

[x0h_bother]

Um I Think I tried this shampoo. And I do remember the paste. Why wouldn't she just add water though? Strange.

[MandyBeth]

Most of the products here are generics. Or cheap.

It's Suave or GVP knockoff here. The Biolage Conditioning Balm - GVP is as good plus it comes in a much nicer container. I got a liter of the Shampoo One knockoff and that's lasting probably a year for $10. Why do I want to pay $15 for a smaller bottle? At the rate we use conditioner here, I am not paying $20 for one container.

Only product that is full price is my preferred silicone argan serum. But, $30 is what I'd pay for straight argan oil and to get half the drastically needed slip, I'd use three times as much. Yes, there are cheaper options. I just like the brand because it smells the best to me, still has the yummy argan scent. Given as I use that daily, am still on my first bottle which is 2/3 full and I got it around Christmas, it's not unreasonable.

Redken has only worked with Clear Moisture shampoo. And Shampoo One is better. But all the PM products here are GVP versions.