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A Portland woman is suing Walmart after buying shampoo there. She says the product, Equate, irreparably tangled her hair.

(The Associated Press)

A Portland woman whose hair had reached the small of her back since childhood is suing Walmart and a shampoo maker for $10,000, claiming her hair became so tangled after using the product that she was forced to cut most of it off.

Jennifer Fahey's suit states she bought a bottle of "Equate Everyday Clean Dandruff Shampoo" at a Portland Walmart, and on Oct. 8 her hair became irreparably tangled within seconds of massaging it into her scalp for the first time.

“She was not able to remove the knots and as a result she had to cut a large portion of her hair from the top and back of her head,” states the suit, filed Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court by Portland attorney William Ball.

Ball said Fahey had to lop off a few feet of the length, leaving her with about four inches of hair. A stylist tried to fashion Fahey's hair into a flattering cut. But Ball said his 30-year-old client is someone who identifies with long hair, and the loss was devastating.

Ball said he has not yet done a chemical analysis of the remainder of the bottle's contents, which Fahey saved to try to discover what caused the problem.

Fahey’s is seeking the $10,000 for her "past, present and future physical and emotional pain and suffering, anxiety, humiliation and embarrassment, expenses for replacement hair, along with diminished and lost wages," according to her suit. The suit also seeks the cash award for her “loss of life’s pleasures and activities.”

Walmart’s website Tuesday listed a 23.7-ounce bottle of Equate for $3.44.

Along with Walmart, the shampoo's maker, Vi-Jon, is listed as a defendant. It is based in St. Louis, Mo.

The company couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

-- Aimee Green