Girl suffers third-degree burns after head lice shampoo catches fire: graphic images

In a shocking incident, a 12-year-old girl suffered third-degree burns on her face and body after lice shampoo on her head caught fire in Bradford, England.

The incident took place in December 2016 when, Aleema Ali, caught head lice after returning from a boarding school in Bradford.

In an effort to get rid of the lice, she applied a medicated shampoo on her head. As Aleema had to leave the product on her head for some time, she decided to help her mother who was cooking food in the kitchen.

As  she walked into the kitchen to grab the trash bag, her hair suddenly caught fire and her entire head was engulfed in flames. She was rushed to the hospital’s intensive care unit and placed in a coma for two months.

Aleema suffered third-degree burns on 55 per cent of her body including her face, head, arms, chest, thighs, stomach, back and hands. She also lost seven fingers in the incident.

Describing the terrifying accident, Aleema Ali, 16, who is currently a full-time A-level student in college, said, “I came back from boarding school on December 2016, I had caught head lice and I asked my mum to take them out for me that same night.”

“She put the medication onto my hair and then went to the kitchen to make food. I went to the kitchen to get to the bin and whilst I was walking past, my hair caught fire as the medicine was extremely flammable.”

She said, “I panicked and went to a state of shock and the only thing I could think was, ‘I’m going to die.’

“I was in a coma for 2 months so there was no immediate reaction.

“They slowly built up the amount of time I was awake.”

The 16-year-old said: “My recovery was extremely difficult and it is still ongoing, 7News reported.

“Every day, I have to do nebulisers, humidifiers, pressure garments, splits, creams, medication and much more. I’ve had hundreds of surgeries before and will hopefully have more in the future.”

“I was also told my hair wouldn’t grow back but miraculously it has. I can still lead a completely normal life. I can drive and do everyday activities.”

Even with all the challenges, Aleema is grateful for the circumstances and said the accident has made her love herself from within and made her into a more confident person.

“It’s changed my life for the better. I’m much stronger, braver and confident than I was before.”

Aleema has since started her own Tik Tok page where she posts make up tutorials to a thriving fan base of over 200,000 followers.

She has gained millions of views on her videos, with one of her make up videos amassing 15.8 million views.