Can I Sue My Hairdresser for Damaging My Hair?

Can you sue your hairdresser for damaging your hair? In most cases, yes, where the damage was caused by the way the treatment was done. If bleach, lightener, colour, a relaxer or a straightening treatment was too strong, left on too long, or used on hair that could not take it, and your hair then broke off, snapped, turned to a gummy texture or fell out, that is an injury caused by the salon’s lack of care.

A hairdresser has to carry out the treatment with reasonable care and skill. That duty comes from the general law of negligence and, because you paid for a service, from the Consumer Rights Act 2015 too. When a salon falls short and your hair is damaged as a result, the claim is against the salon, and in practice it is its insurer that deals with the claim and pays.

This is the kind of claim Carter and Carter Solicitors deal with. We have acted on hair damage claims for many years and recovered substantial compensation for our clients, many of whom had to have their hair cut very short and wait a year or more for it to grow back.

Not sure your situation fits? Call us on 0800 652 0586. We will tell you honestly whether you have a claim, and if you do not, we will say so.

Can you sue a hairdresser for a bad haircut? A cut that is too short, uneven, or simply not what you asked for is disappointing, but on its own it is not an injury, and a compensation claim is not the right route. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask the salon to put it right, or for some or all of your money back.

Compensation is different. It is for damage: hair that has been broken, burnt, weakened or lost because the treatment was done carelessly. Hair cut short by a stylist is not damaged hair, but hair that has to be cut short because a treatment destroyed it is. That is the line we look for.

What counts as hair damage for a claim? In our experience, most hair damage claims come from over-processing: a chemical treatment that weakens the hair so badly that it breaks. The usual causes are:

And the usual results: hair that snaps or breaks off part way down, a stretchy or gummy feel when wet, hair coming out in handfuls when brushed, thinning or bald patches, and sometimes a sore or burnt scalp. Very often the only fix is to cut the damaged hair off, which can mean going from long hair to very short hair in one sitting.

Each of these can support a claim. How serious the damage is, and how long your hair takes to grow back, decide how much it is worth.

Which hair claims can Carter and Carter Solicitors not help with? We would rather tell you now than after you have spent time telling us your story. We do not take on:

If your hair was damaged by bleach, colour, a relaxer or a straightening treatment, you are in the right place. Call us on 0800 652 0586.

Hairdresser ruined your hair: what are your rights? In England and Wales, a salon providing a paid service must do it with reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49). If it did not, you can ask it to put things right, or for a price reduction. That covers a disappointing result.

If your hair or scalp was actually damaged, you also have the right to claim compensation for the injury: for the damage itself, the upset and embarrassment, the time it takes to grow back, and your costs, such as corrective treatment or time off work. A salon cannot take away that right with a sign on the wall or a form you signed (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 65).

The time limit for a compensation claim is three years from the date of the treatment (Limitation Act 1980). The evidence is easiest to collect in the first few weeks, so it is worth getting advice early.

What should a hairdresser do before bleaching or colouring your hair? A careful stylist starts with questions: what colour, bleach, relaxer or other chemical treatments your hair has had, and when. Then they check the condition of the hair itself, how porous and stretchy it is, and whether it can take what you are asking for.

Where there is any doubt, they test a strand first and wait for the result before treating the whole head. During the treatment they follow the product maker’s instructions on strength and timing, keep an eye on the hair, avoid overlapping lightener onto hair that is already lightened, and rinse and stop if it starts to break. Sometimes the right answer is to tell you no, or to spread the work over several appointments.

When a salon gets it wrong, it is usually at one of these points: the history was not asked about, the strand test was skipped, the product was left on too long, or the salon pushed on when the hair was telling it to stop.

What if the salon says your hair was already damaged? It is the most common answer salons give, and it is not the end of a claim. A hairdresser has to work with your hair as it finds it. If it was already coloured, lightened or fragile, that is exactly when a careful stylist would ask more questions, test a strand, or decline the treatment. Carrying on regardless is the salon’s choice.

Evidence decides these arguments. Photos of your hair before the appointment, on social media or your phone, are often the best evidence there is. So are photos taken straight afterwards, the hair that broke off, messages with the salon, and what the stylist said at the time. Where it is needed, we gather further evidence about the condition of your hair.

We will be honest with you about this. Bleached hair can also be damaged by heat, sun and styling, and claims are lost where the evidence shows only minor breakage. That is why we look carefully at the photos before advising you, and why we will tell you plainly if we do not think the evidence is strong enough.

Does signing a consultation or disclaimer form stop you from claiming? No. Many salons ask you to sign a form before a colour or chemical treatment. It records what you told them and that you agreed to the treatment. It does not mean you agreed to the treatment being done badly.

The law is clear on this. A business cannot use a contract term or a notice to exclude or limit its liability for personal injury caused by its negligence (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 65). The form can still matter as evidence, for example of what you said about your hair’s history, so keep a copy or ask the salon for one.

Should you accept a refund or a free treatment from the salon? Getting your money back for the appointment is fair and usually sensible. But read anything you are asked to sign. If it says the payment is in full and final settlement, it could end your right to claim compensation for the damage, which is usually worth far more than the price of the appointment.

Be careful about free corrective treatment too. More chemicals on hair that is already broken can make it worse, and it can make it harder to show later what the first treatment did. Take photos and get advice first.

If you have been made an offer and are not sure whether to take it, call us on 0800 652 0586 and we will tell you what we think it is worth. Our guide to accepting a first offer explains why early offers are often low.

What should you do straight after a hairdresser damages your hair? These six steps protect your health and your claim:

Then call us on 0800 652 0586. We can usually tell you in one conversation whether you have a claim.

Should you get your hair cut or fixed somewhere else? It is completely understandable to want the damage gone as quickly as possible. But once the broken hair is cut off or treated again, the evidence of what happened goes with it, and the first salon may blame the second.

So photograph it thoroughly first, keep the hair that is cut off, and ideally speak to us before anything else is done. If you need a cut to make it manageable, that is fine: just make sure the before and after are both recorded, and keep the receipt, because the cost can be claimed back.

Should you take a hairdresser to the small claims court? If all you want is the price of the appointment back, the small claims process can work. But in England and Wales a personal injury claim is only a small claim if the injury itself is worth £1,500 or less, and hair damage claims are usually worth more than that.

A larger claim follows a different process, with evidence of your injury and rules about legal costs, and the salon will usually have its insurer and solicitors involved. With a no win no fee solicitor you do not pay anything up front, and if the claim succeeds, much of the cost is paid by the other side. With us, our fee is 10% of your compensation if the claim settles before court proceedings are issued. See our fee.

How long do you have to sue a hairdresser? In England and Wales you have three years from the date of the treatment to start court proceedings for a personal injury claim (Limitation Act 1980). Most claims settle long before that, but the clock is real.

The practical deadline is sooner. Photos, the broken hair, the salon’s records and your memory of what was said are all best in the weeks straight after the damage. If your treatment was a while ago and you are unsure whether it is too late, call us on 0800 652 0586 and we will check the date with you.

How much compensation can you get for hair damage? The Judicial College Guidelines, which judges and insurers use to value injuries, have a section specifically for damage to hair caused by bleaching, tinting, perming and similar treatments. The figures below are not taken from the guidelines. They are what, in our experience, hair damage claims are usually worth: roughly £2,500 to £10,000 before our fee, depending on how serious the damage is.

Two things move a claim up or down that range: how badly the hair was damaged and how much had to be cut off, and how long it takes to grow back. Long hair that had to be cut to a few inches can take two or three years to return to its old length, and a claim reflects that whole time. The upset, embarrassment and loss of confidence count too: courts recognise that losing your hair affects how you feel and how you live.

Carter and Carter Solicitors have acted on hair damage claims for many years and recovered substantial compensation for our clients. Every claim is different, and we can only value yours properly once we have seen photos and know how your hair is recovering. Call us on 0800 652 0586 and we will give you our honest view.

What can you claim for besides the hair damage itself? Compensation comes in two parts. General damages are for the injury: the damage, the distress and the time it takes to recover. Special damages are your financial losses, paid back pound for pound.

Keep every receipt, and a simple list of what you have spent and when. It is much easier to claim a cost you can prove.

How long does a hair damage claim take? Most of ours settle within about 6 to 9 months. Once we send the claim to the salon, its insurer has up to three months under the court rules to investigate and say whether it accepts it was at fault. After that, we put together the evidence of what the damage has meant for you and negotiate the compensation.

Some claims take longer, especially where the salon denies it was at fault, or where your hair is still growing back and it makes sense to wait until the full effect is clear. We keep you updated at every stage, so you always know where your claim has got to.

Will a hair damage claim go to court? Very unlikely. About eight in ten of our claims settle before court proceedings are issued, by letter, phone and email with the salon’s insurer. Around 1 in 100 needs a final hearing.

If a salon denies a claim we believe in, we can issue court proceedings, and that usually brings the insurer back to the table. If a final hearing were ever needed, a barrister we instruct would present your case, and Chris or David would prepare you for it fully.

How much does a hair damage claim cost with us? Nothing up front, and nothing if your claim fails. If it succeeds, we take just 10% of your compensation, VAT included, when it settles before court proceedings are issued, as about eight in ten of ours do. If proceedings have to be issued, our fee is 25%.

Apart from the rare situations set out in your agreement, nothing else is deducted from your compensation. We do not add VAT on top, and we do not put an insurance premium on your claim as standard: that is your choice, and for most claims we do not recommend it, because the rules already protect you from paying the other side’s costs if you lose, with a few exceptions. The few situations where you could have to pay, for example if a court found a claim was dishonest, are set out in plain words in your agreement before you sign.

Why 10%? Most of our claims settle without going to court, so there is less work to pay for. And with just two of us running the firm, our costs are low. So we do not need to take 25%. In our experience almost every no win no fee firm takes 25%. See what no win no fee solicitors take.

Chris Carter

Managing Solicitor · qualified 1993

David Healey

Senior Solicitor · qualified 2005

Carter and Carter Solicitors is deliberately small. There are two of us: Chris Carter, who qualified in 1993, and David Healey, who qualified in 2005, and both of us have only ever done personal injury work. One of us runs your claim from the first call to the day you are paid, by phone, email and post, wherever you live in England and Wales. There is no call centre and no junior case handler, and you have your solicitor’s direct line and email.

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