She went viral for using the powerful Gorilla Glue – an industrial adhesive – on her hair when she ran out of a product called Got2b Glued. Brown’s hair clung to her scalp for over a month.
Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Michael K. Obeng, felt empathy when he heard about her story.
“I’ve seen how much pain she can possibly be,” said Dr. Obeng. “And after talking to her, I realized she needed help.”
He began to work on a solution that would be safe and effective. Brown flew to Los Angeles from New Orleans. The hour-long procedure conducted pro bono through Obeng’s nonprofit organization, Restore, worked.
“I was very ecstatic that I could put a smile on someone’s face to relieve headaches and suffering,” said Obeng.
Brown can finally run her fingers through her hair again.
“It was a month, but it felt like years,” Brown told our sister station KABC-TV.
“I have a happy dance,” said Brown, smiling.
But she admits that the judgmental and ridiculous comments were painful for her and her family.
“She’s so stupid. That was stupid,” you know, “you have to chop your whole head off,” she said of the social media comments.
One of her children was bullied.
“Someone made up a song,” said Brown. “But instead of saying to her, ‘Don’t worry what people say’, I was in the bathroom crying because I read all these comments … People need to understand that you can’t bring anyone down when they’re already so low. “
Brown, a mother of five who runs a daycare center and dance team, received support. Her video sparked a conversation about the hair styling challenges many black women experience due to Eurocentric beauty standards.
Others simply let her know they were rooting for her. She said she intended to respond individually to each person who contacted her.
“If it takes me a month, three months, I’ll thank everyone in my inbox,” said Brown.
She regretted posting the video, but is now relieved that it helped her find a solution.
“I don’t even care about all the negative things everyone said. My hair is here, the glue is gone,” she said.
Copyright © 2021 WPVI-TV. All rights reserved.