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Action 9: Orange County woman wants investigation of salon after getting 3rd-degree burns on scalp

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County woman is calling for state regulators to investigate a local salon after she claims a hair bleaching left her with third-degree burns on her scalp.

Two and a half years after Morgan Reynolds had her hair bleached, a 2-inch bare spot with very thin skin remains on the top of her head.

“I had no idea I could be permanently disfigured,“ she said.

She blames Honeycomb Hair and Make-up Studio in Winter Park and its stylist. She has also sent a formal complaint to Florida regulators.

During the treatment Reynolds said she complained, but the stylist told her everything was OK.

“She said a burning sensation can be normal and just keep her posted," Reynolds said of the stylist's response.

That night, Reynolds said, her scalp was red and when hair started falling out two days later, she went to a hospital emergency room.

“They told me I had a full thickness third-degree burn,” she said.

Later, a dermatologist confirmed it was a serious chemical burn.

“It's been the worst experience of my life,” Reynolds said.

She claims the salon owner denied it happened at her salon.  Reynolds said she contacted two local attorneys about her injuries, but both cases ended without results.

According to Reynolds, the attorneys discovered the salon did not have liability insurance.

Attorney Kendall Ali was not involved in her case, but said without that coverage, a salon injury case is tough.

“More than likely, insurance will have deep pockets, as attorneys say, so you can actually recover the damages you have,” Ali said.

Salon owner Samantha Schulze told Action 9 that Reynolds wanted the bleach on longer than allowed, but the stylist refused.

She said Reynolds finished the coloring without complaint then posted a smiling picture on social media.

Schulze believes the injury happened after Reynolds left her salon.

Reynolds told Action 9 that her doctor expected she would need at least two more surgeries to repair the damage caused by the burn.

Response from salon owner Samantha Schulze:

"Morgan Reynolds came into the salon on Oct. 29, 2014, for highlights and color. While Morgan Reynolds was in the chair, she kept asking the stylist to keep the peroxide and bleach agent (highlights) on her hair for longer than the product allows. 

Of course, the stylist would not do it (Morgan Reynolds wanted the product to stay on her hair longer because she wanted it to be super light).

After the highlight treatment the stylist washed Morgan Reynolds' scalp and hair and proceeded to put the color on.  (This is important because if Morgan Reynolds' scalp was burned then it would be burned from the highlight product and as you can appreciate when you burn your scalp and skin with peroxide and bleach, the burn is instantaneous.

Therefore, Morgan Reynolds would be in excruciating pain during the wash and color treatment if Morgan Reynolds was burned.

Please understand I do not take it lightly that a client of my salon complains of being burnt by a treatment, but I truly believe that Morgan Reynolds' scalp was burnt by something she got into after she left my salon ...  It does not make sense that an injured person with 3rd degree chemical burns on their scalp would be posting on social media no less than 24 hours from the supposed injury that she would be bleaching her hair more.  If anything a person should be posting about her 3rd degree chemical burns.

So, as I stated in the beginning, if Morgan Reynolds' scalp was burned it seems to be something she got into after she left my salon."

Todd Ulrich

Todd Ulrich, WFTV.com

I am WFTV's Action 9 Reporter.