Teenager who suffered third-degree burns on her face and body and lost 7 fingers after lice shampoo caught fire on her head at the age of 12 says she is GLAD the accident happened because it's made her a 'better person'

• Aleema Ali, 16, from Bradford, was just 12 when head lice shampoo caught fire
• Was left with third-degree burns on face and body and lost seven of her fingers 
• Despite her burns, Aleema says her 'confidence and self-love' are at all-time high

A teenager who suffered third-degree burns on her face and body after her lice shampoo caught fire on her head has said she is glad the accident happened because it's made her a 'better person'.

Student Aleema Ali, 16, from Bradford, was just 12-years-old when the medicated shampoo she'd applied to her hair caught fire and engulfed her entire head in flames.   

She was left with burns on over half of her body, lost seven of her fingers and over the years has had to undergo hundreds of procedures to help her adapt. 

But despite her horrifying injuries, Aleema says her 'confidence and self-love' are at an all-time high - and she has since amassed a loyal fan base online where she shares make-up tutorials. 

'In a way,' says Aleema, 'I am now glad this happened. It's made me into a better person. My self-love and confidence have risen rapidly.'  

In December 2016, Aleema returned home from boarding school to discover she had caught head lice, and applied Full Marks Solution, a medicated shampoo to kill the lice in her hair. 

'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 recalled.

Aleema admitted she 'thought she would die' when her entire head went up in flames.  

'I panicked and went to a state of shock, said Aleema. 'The only thing I could think was, "I'm going to die".'

Aleema was rushed to hospital and arrived around 10 minutes after the incident, where she was immediately taken to intensive care.  

'I was in a coma for two months so there was no immediate reaction,' she explained. 'They slowly built up the amount of time I was awake.'

Aleema suffered third-degree burns on 55 per cent of her body including her face, head, arms, chest, thighs, stomach, back and hands. She lost seven fingers and is currently unable to move two of her remaining fingers. 

The teen endured a long and painful recovery process over the years, with skin graft surgeries, specialised garments and medication to help her adapt to normal day-to-day living after her accident.

She said: 'My recovery was extremely difficult and it is still ongoing. 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. 

'Every single member of the NHS has been so supportive from the hospitals I've been to including Birmingham Children's Hospital, Sheffield Children's Hospital and Pinderfields.

'Internally, I am completely fine. 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 to be alive and said the accident has made her love herself from within and she's now a more confident person. 

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

Aleema has since started her own TikTok page @aleemaxali where she posts make-up tutorials to a thriving fan base of over 216.4K followers.

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

Aleema has since launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for skin graft surgery on her nose and lips.

FEMAIL has contacted Reckitt Benckiser, the manufacturers of Full Marks Solution, for comment.