A mum has penned a warning to other parents claiming a baby shampoo almost caused her daughter to lose all her hair.
Lex Mathos, 21, had only been using the Johnson's baby shampoo on her three-year-old, AuBree, for a few weeks when she noticed her hair was starting to get thinner.
Describing the impact the product had on her daughter's mane, the youth worker, from Utah, USA, said: "Her soft baby hair started to get dry and extremely frizzy.
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"It stopped growing completely. I just assumed she got the frizzy hair gene from my mother's side but then her scalp started to show and that's when I knew it wasn't okay."
However, when she took the little one to the doctor, she was reassured there was nothing to worry about, and so carried on using the shampoo for a full year.
She added: "AuBree was upset that she couldn't have her Elsa braids because her hair wasn't long or thick enough anymore but I wasn't too upset until I posted a TikTok video of us that went viral.
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"I got comments asking about her hair and rude comments about how thin it was and how her scalp was showing.
"I deleted them because I didn't want to see any negative comments on my child."
Convinced the £1 product was the root of AuBree's hair loss, Lex decided to conduct an experiment, ceasing using the product in May.
After doing some research she discovered there was another mum who'd had the same experience with the shampoo.
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The mum-of-one said: "I only found the one woman, but it was enough for me to make the switch. I started to look into the ingredients and realised most of them weren't natural.
"Then I saw some reports about it causing other hair and scalp issues including cradle cap and eczema.
"Once I'd switched, the hair grew back in months but I saw a difference after a few days with the texture. It's still thin on the ends but her roots are definitely a lot thicker than the ends just from regrowth.
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"I can tell a difference in AuBree with how happy she is being able to pull it out of her face and having fun cute hairstyles along with the Elsa braids she's been dreaming of."
Lex posted the incident online as a warning to other parent's and the post has since gone viral, racking up 63,000 shares.
She warned other mums: "Always read the ingredients. I never thought to because its a huge corporate company and they use in hospitals.
"I even used [the product] as a child but everyone reacts differently to things. Take a little bit of extra time to read the bottle before putting things on your child's gentle skin."
Lex went on: "With the shampoo we're using now, I know I'm getting a lot less in product but I'd spend a lot more knowing my child is safe."
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A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson said: "At Johnson's, we are committed to providing safe, high-quality products that help families care for their loved ones.
"We were recently made aware of a consumer's concern regarding our Johnson's Head-to-Toe Shampoo.
"We are actively looking in to the reported event as we take all consumer feedback seriously to ensure we are providing products and solutions that are best for baby."
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