Man Suffers Severe Allergic Reaction After Buying Hair Dye Online, Wakes Up to Festering Scalp and Facial Swelling

A man's purchase of online hair dye resulted in a severe allergic reaction that left his scalp festering with yellow fluid discharge and facial swelling. After posting about his experience on Facebook, describing the itching, fluid leakage, and hair loss he experienced, the post went viral with thousands of likes, comments, and shares. On May 13, 2025, reporters contacted the man, identified as Nai Kai, 44, from Muang District in Ratchaburi Province, who owns a fish rice soup restaurant in Ratchaburi Municipality. Nai Kai still needed to wrap his head with white gauze due to continuous yellow fluid seepage.

Nai Kai explained that he purchased the hair dye from a popular app that advertised it as made from natural extracts at an affordable price. On May 9, he applied the dye for approximately five minutes, coloring only the hair roots at the front and temple areas. "When I woke up the next morning, my face felt tight and I noticed yellow fluid oozing out," he recounted. He initially thought it was a typical allergic reaction and bought medicine to take and washed his hair with children's shampoo, but the symptoms worsened and his face began to swell.

After visiting a doctor, Nai Kai requested a medical certificate but the doctor was unable to provide one because the specific allergen was unknown. The product packaging contained no Thai language labeling. Following advice from friends, he filed a report with the Muang Ratchaburi Public Health Office, which discovered the hair dye brand had no official product registration. When Nai Kai contacted the Facebook seller and showed photos of his severe reaction, the seller went silent. He now urges consumers to carefully verify reviews and check credentials before purchasing products advertised as natural extracts, as he admits having no prior knowledge of such matters. He was fortunate the dye did not contact his eyes.