Tessica Brown said she spent weeks trying to get it out.
Brown introduced himself to ABant7’s Samantha Chatman about why the product was put on her hair, opening up a bigger conversation about black hair and acceptance.
“My hair has been like this for about a month now,” Brown says in the social media video. “Everyone, don’t move. Don’t move!”
Brown said he posted the now viral video thinking only his small circle would see it. I was in crisis and needed advice on how to get the glue out of my hair.
The post has been viewed more than 4 million times on Instagram.
Brown said he wanted to make sure his hair was clean and in place, loose-fitting.
The Louisiana woman said in January that she was running out of lacquer. So he turned to a product in his house that he thought would give him the hand he needed: Gorilla Glue.
“I can spray this and when I get home I can wash it. That didn’t happen,” Brown explained.
In his music video, he passed viewers through the hair crisis and showed them how bad he was.
“I’ve used this. Gorilla Glue. Bad, bad, bad idea! I’ve washed my hair 15 times and it doesn’t move,” Brown says in the video.
Brown said he made extreme efforts to remove the glue, testing items such as cooking oil and even nail polish remover, to no avail.
“We started putting it right here and as we cleaned it, the hair came off,” he said. “I really spent 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 high school.
FULL INTERVIEW: “Gorilla Glue girl” has a message for black women about “hair love”
She said being a darker-skinned girl, she felt pressure to make sure her hair was perfect to make up for her skin.
“(I thought) if you have another flaw, if you have your hair together, you know you look better,” he said. “If I can’t do anything else, I’ll make sure my hair is ready. This has been a problem for me for a long time,” he explained. “If I hadn’t cared so much about my hair, I wouldn’t have happened right now.”
It’s a fight that Rahni Flowers, a Chicago salon owner and stylist, said is too common among black women.
Flowers, of Van Cleef Hair Studio, said that while Brown’s story isn’t surprising, it does make him sad.
“African Americans, especially African Americans, have had to have 400 years of assimilation to a white aesthetic norm. We have to always be in place. That means having straight hair, having everything tidy and enough to assimilate.” the bear”. It’s a very daunting, difficult and exhausting thing to do, “he said.
Just as Brown was about to give up, he said he got a call about a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, Dr. Michael K Obeng, who said he could get his glue out of his hair for free.
“When I heard about Tessica, the ordeal I had lived through, the pain, the suffering, having my hair stuck to my scalp for a month, the least I could do was reach out and expand my services,” Dr. Obeng. .
Its foundation, Restore Worldwide, provides and covers the cost of reconstructive surgeries for people around the world.
Brown called Dr. Obeng as a gift from God.
“I think he was sent to me. Like who goes to his kitchen saying, ‘Let’s mix things up and get this out of this girl’s head? Dr. Obeng. I love this man. I love it, really do it.’ , she said.
The surgery was a success, Brown’s hair doesn’t officially have Gorilla Glue.
“It seems like a Christmas morning to me! I don’t think anyone understands how amazing that is,” he shared.
Brown turns his mistake into a message. She hopes to help other black women learn to accept themselves and their hair.
“I want all the girls in my children, the women my age and my mother’s, to know that they won’t let you do their hair. People will go through a lot of things through their hair,” Brown said. “You have to keep in mind ‘I’m not my hair'”.
Brown said he has received more than $ 25,000 in crowdfunding donations. He said most of this money will be donated to the foundation of Dr. Obeng to help other women who need emergency surgery. He said he also sends checks to families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for Gorilla Glue, Brown said he realizes the company is not to blame for his decision. Gorilla Glue carries a spray label on the spray that says, “Don’t put it on. Don’t put it on your eyes, skin, or clothes.” The Gorilla Glue company said it wishes the best to Brown.
Full statement from Gorilla Glue Company
“We are aware of the situation and we are sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident that Mrs Brown experienced with our hair spray sticker. This is a unique situation because this product is not indicated for use or on hair as is considered permanent.Our spray sticker indicates on the warning label “do not swallow. Do not get into eyes, skin or clothing … “
It is used for craft, home, automotive or office projects to assemble things on surfaces such as paper, cardboard, wood, laminate and fabric.
We are pleased to see in her recent video that Miss Brown has received medical treatment from the local medical center and we wish her all the best. ”
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