Allergies can sometimes be unpredictable. We may have a wide range of reactions that can be as small as a stuffy nose or as bad as somebody dying. It all depends on the severity of the allergic reaction we experience.

Perhaps one of the more frightening things about allergies is the fact that we might have a reaction to something with no prior warning. That is what happened to Estelle, a 19-year-old girl from France. She found out in a most difficult way that allergic reactions can be unexpected.

She had her hair dyed with a well-known, store-bought dye but shortly afterward, her face began to swell.

She followed the instructions provided in the packet to do a quick allergy test. Rather than waiting 48 hours, however, she only waited 30 minutes and she is now regretting the fact that she was impatient.

Shortly after the dye was applied to her scalp, she began to notice some mild itchiness and swelling. She grabbed some antihistamines quickly, hoping that it would stop the reaction but it just kept getting worse.

“My forehead had doubled in volume,” Estelle told the paper. “My head was like a light bulb”.

Estelle was taken to the hospital and provided with corticosteroids and antihistamines. She was then sent home.

The situation continued to go downhill. She even had a difficult time breathing at one point when her tongue was swelling. After going back to the hospital, the doctors took her more seriously.

Estelle was admitted to the hospital and her face continued swelling. The hospital shared pictures to warn people about the risks of dying your own hair.

It turns out, a chemical, PPD was in the dye and it is very common for it to be included in those drugstore hair dye kits. Most people don’t have a reaction and certainly, hers was serious.

Makeup is no longer allowed to include PPD but it can be included in hair dye. Up to 3% of the population has a sensitivity to the chemical but hair dyes can still include it, although the allowable limit has been lowered.

Estelle was able to make a full recovery but she still wants others to know about the dangers that almost killed her.

“I almost died, I don’t want something similar to happen to other people,” she said.