The company behind the adhesive brand Gorilla Glue has apologized after a TikTok user applied it to her own hair in lieu of hairspray.
The trouble began last week when TikTok a user by the name of Tessica Brown, who also goes by the handle @Im_D_Ollady on the video-sharing platform, shared a video of herself explaining that she had used the glue to style her hair after running out of hairspray.
In the video above, Tessica told her 752,000 followers that her hair hack had worked and held her hair perfectly in place... in fact, it had worked a little too well. Brown stated that she washed her hair 15 times. But more than a month later it was still stuck in the same position.
Her original post documenting the unfortunate incident quickly went viral, accruing over 20 million views, 3.9 million likes, and over 133,000 comments from other TikTok users who were stunned by her foolhardy stunt.
For instance, one person wrote: "You got 2b kidding me. [sic]"
Another person stated: "girl you done created a helmet. [sic]"
Meanwhile, someone else chimed in: "Ma'am why would you do that?"
Another added: "BABY PLEASE HOW DID YOU THINK GORILLA GLU- [sic]"
Another commenter added: "At least it stuck looking good. [sic]"
Another chimed in: "Well I mean at least your hair looks good."
Finally, another person wrote: "Baby you made a helmet. You could survive a natural disaster.... wind and [debris] could vevvvaaaa [sic] you're unstoppable. [sic]"
In another follow-up video, a friend of Tessica's can be seen applying a treatment to her head in an attempt to remove the glue with a wet wipe.
In the video in question, the friend states: "As you can see, the cotton has kind of got stuck [to Tessica’s hair], but we’re gonna try to use this, like they said. I’m gonna try for it to not burn too much, that’s why we’ve got the water soaking so after I wipe it with these."
The product's manufacturers have now addressed the accident in a formal statement.
Writing on Gorilla Glue's official Twitter account, a spokesperson for the company wrote:
"We are very sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident that Miss Brown experienced using our Spray Adhesive on her hair.
"This is a unique situation because this product is not indicated for use in or on hair as it is considered permanent."
"Our Spray Adhesive states on the label: 'do not swallow. Do not get on eyes, skin, or on clothing.'"
The spokesperson continued: "It is used for craft, home, auto, or office projects to mount things to surfaces such as paper, cardboard, wood, laminate, or fabric.
"We are glad to see in her recent video that Miss Brown has received medical treatment from her local medical facility and wish her the best."
Brown has now launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to pay for her hair treatment as a result of her accident