HEAVENER, Okla. — An Oklahoma woman's daily routine turned into a nightmare after she became the latest victim of a practical joke, which she says wasn't funny at all.
When Leeann Buxam's hair began falling out in chunks in the shower and her scalp began to burn, she thought something was seriously wrong.
"It felt like it was falling out so bad that I was going to have to shave my head. I figured, what was wrong? Was there something inside of me making me sick," Buxam said.
The mother of 10 first noticed a problem after she washed and conditioned her hair — and two of her daughter's hair — with products she bought from a local Dollar General store.
Buxam, a cosmetology student, called her instructors for help after examining the products and doing some research. They found a Nair prank online and realized Buxman had fallen victim to it.
Someone had replaced the conditioner inside the bottle that Buxman got off the shelf with the hair removal product Nair.
"I don't think they understand that Nair is what it is, and I don't think they understand that it can really hurt somebody," Buxam said.
She has a message for the person responsible for hurting her and her family.
"It's not funny, and I am praying for you, and I feel like you are hurting somewhere in your life. You just want something more. You want to hurt somebody because you're hurting," she said.
Buxman said she is trying to remain hopeful and positive after being targeted by a hurtful prank.
"There is so much worse. It's just hair. I have a bald spot here a bald spot somewhere back here. This is just hair, and there is so much worse out there," Buxman said.
Buxman said she contacted the store and local police to make both aware of the incident. She said she is not taking legal action.
"The world is not ugly, and I refuse to think it's ugly," Buxman said.
The store manager told her they plan to keep their Nair products behind the counter now.
Dollar General sent KFSM a statement about the situation:
"Dollar Generals strive to provide excellent service and safe, quality products that meet our customers' needs. We are currently investigating the matter at our Heavener, Oklahoma store and have reached out to the customer for further discussion."
