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HOW THE STYLIST USED A SOCIAL PLATFORM TO MOBILIZE ENOUGH CONSUMERS TO FILE A CLASS ACTION SUIT FOR MILLIONS. >> IF SOCIAL MEDIA IS USED TO TELL STORY, STEPHANIE’S A STORY IS ABOUT HER HAIR. SHE SPECIALIZES IN CURLY HAIR. FOR YEARS SHE SAYS SHE HAS BEEN USING DEVACURL PRODUCTS TO ENHANCE OUR CLIENTS NATURAL TEXTURE. SHE SAYS SHE HAS USED THEM ON HER OWN HAIR EXCLUSIVELY SINCE 2018. SHE SAYS SOMETHING CHANGED. MY HAIR BASICALLY MELTED. I USED TO THE CONDITIONER WHILE I WAS HERE BECAUSE IT WAS ALL I HAD. >> IN JULY 2019, SHE STARTED NOTICING BALDING AND SCALP DAMAGE ON HER OWN HAIR. SHE NOTICED SIMILAR EFFECTS ON HER CLIENTS. >> SHE BELIEVES DEVACURL IS TO BLAME AND STARTED SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THE COMPANY ON HER >> SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE. >>I DO NOT -- ON HER SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE. >> I DO NOT TO THINK ABOUT THE PARENTS USING IT ON HER KIDS. SHE IS NOT ALONE ON HER -- IN HER CLAIMS. SHE CREATED A FACEBOOK PAGE THAT HAS GROWN TO OVER 50,000 MEMBERS. DEVACURL IS RESPONDING TO THESE ALLEGATIONS WITH TWO SEPARATE STATEMENTS. A COMPANY SPOKESPERSON CLAIMS THAT ALL OF OUR PRODUCTS HAV GONE THROUGH RIGOROUS TESTING THAT HAVE CONFIRMED THEIR SAFE. HE COMPANY IS NOT CONSIDERING A RECALL OF ANY TIME KIND. THEY STAND BY THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF THEIR PRODUCTS. LAW FIRMS FROM WASHINGTON INTO CHICAGO ARE TAKING UPPERCASE BY FILING THIS CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT. THE LAWSUIT SAYS THE HAIR PRODUCT LINE IS NEGLIGENT. THE COMPLAINT FILED IN FLORIDA AND CALIFORNIA SAYS THIS CONTROVERSY EXCEEDS $5 MILLION IN DAMAGES. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT IS DEVACURL PRODUCTS? >> IT IS THE ONLY COMMON DENOMINATOR. I HAVE RULED OUT EVERYTHING ELSE. >> SHE BELIEVES MASSIVE ONLINE SUPPORT IS HER BEST TOOL FOR PUSHING FOR CHANGE. IN ORLANDO, I AM CHRIS GUARDARO. MICHELLE: DEVACURL SAYS IT WANTS CUSTOMERS TO BE SATISFIED WITH ITS PRODUCTS WHICH IS WHY THE COMPANY IS OFFERING REFU

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A popular hair product line is facing backlash from thousands of consumers who claim it caused them hair loss and scalp damage. DevaCurl is now the target of a class action lawsuit for damages.Stephanie Mero is a hair stylist in Orlando who specializes in curly hair. She goes by the username The Curl Ninja on social media platforms. Mero posts videos with tips on how to style natural curls. She says for years she’s used DevaCurl hair products on her clients and her own hair.In July 2019, Mero says she started noticing balding and scalp damage on her own head and then saw similar effects on her clients.“My hair basically melted and I used the conditioner while I was here cause it was all I had, and my hair was freaking out before it even dried,” Mero said. The Orlando stylist believes DevaCurl is to blame and started speaking out against the company on social media. In a Youtube post titled “Literally crying for help....who is going to stand with me? This DevaCurl DISASTER has to end....” Mero expresses concern for other consumers saying “I don't want to think about the parents who are still using it on their kids because they don't know and the people who already don't have a lot of hair to begin with and are losing their hair.”Mero is not the only consumer who has made claims on the internet about suffering negative effects from the products.Mero created a Facebook group named "Hair Damage & Hair Loss from DevaCurl- You're not CRAZY or ALONE!" The page has grown to more than 50,000 members. Many of them have posted their own experiences with DevaCurl.DevaCurl responded to these allegations with two separate statements on its website. A company spokesperson claimed, "All of our products have gone through rigorous independent testing that has confirmed they are safe." According to the frequently asked questions section of the DevaCurl site, the company is not considering a recall.Law firms from Miami, Washington, D.C. and Chicago are taking up Mero's case by filing a class action suit against DevaCurl in February. The lawsuit says the hair product line is negligent for "fail(ing) to adequately warn consumers that use of the Products could cause injuries such as hair loss, balding and/or scalp irritation."The complaint filed in Florida and California says this controversy exceeds $5 million in damages.Mero believes massive online support and devoted followers are the best tools to push for DevaCurl to change their products or issue a recall.“The products needed to fry my hair, my own hair, for me to realize what was going on,” Mero said.