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By Danielle Graves. Last updated 17th October 2025. Hair plays a significant role in personal identity, cultural expression, and self-esteem; it’s also the first thing that people notice about us. So, we all place a lot of trust in the people working at the hair salons we visit to provide professional and high-quality service. When a hairdresser’s negligent actions break this trust, the fallout can last well beyond the hair damage, burns, and psychological harm. If you have experienced something similar, you may be giving some thought to the hair damage compensation claims process but aren’t sure how to get started. Fortunately, our friendly advisors are here to help.
Our helpful advisory team works around the clock to provide a personalised service to people just like you. If your case is strong, you could be connected with one of the expert solicitors from our panel to start your personal injury compensation claim. Operating on a No Win No Fee basis, they work tirelessly for their clients, helping them gather evidence, providing regular claim updates, and handling legal documents.
Your Need To Know Questions Answered
- How much compensation for hair damage could I receive? The amount of compensation you will receive will depend on the severity of the injuries, your recovery period, the impact on quality of life, and any financial losses this harm caused.
- What are some common indicators of damaged hair? Signs of damaged hair include excessive dryness, breakage, tangling, a rough texture, and intense itching or burning.
- What should I do if a hairdresser damages my hair? You may want to complain to the salon and gather evidence, such as photographs and samples of the damaged hair.
- What are the 5 types of hair damage? The 5 types of hair damage are chemical, colour, thermal, mechanical, and environmental.
- Can I claim compensation for emotional distress after suffering hair damage? Yes, you can, so long as you have evidence that the negligent actions of your hairdresser caused the distress.
Jump to a Section
- How Much Compensation Could I Receive If A Hairdresser Damaged My Hair?
- What Is Hair Damage And When Could I Claim?
- What To Do If A Hair Dresser Damaged Your Hair
- Common Hair Damage Claims
- No Win No Fee Hair Damage Claims
- Helpful Links
How Much Compensation Could I Receive If A Hairdresser Damaged My Hair?
If you are thinking of suing a hair salon, you may like to know how much you could be awarded. If your claim is successful, you could be awarded general damages and special damages.
General damages compensate you for the physical pain and mental suffering caused by the injuries. To help value personal injury claims, legal professionals refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document lists compensation guidelines for various injuries.
In our table, we have included a number of brackets from the JCG and a figure, along with a figure in the top row that isn’t from the text. As all personal injury claims are different from each other, please only use it as guidance.
| Injury type | Compensation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe injuries and special damages | Up to £500,000+ | Settlements may include compensation for more than one very serious injury and expenses such as cosmetic surgery, wigs and lost earnings. |
| Severe psychiatric damage | £66,920 to £141,240 | For the severest cases depending on ability to cope with life, effect on relationships, what treatment may be required and how successful it might be. |
| Moderate to moderately severe psychiatric damage | £23,270 to £66,920 | Psychiatric problems but with a more optimistic prognosis and possibly marked improvements already.. |
| Less severe psychiatric damage | £7,150 to £23,270 | The level of compensation can depend on how long problems have lasted and what effect they have had. |
| Significant facial scarring | £11,120 to £36,720 | In these cases, the worst effects have been or is expected to be reduced by plastic surgery, along with a psychological reaction that was either not great to begin or with or has diminished to relatively minor proportions. |
| Less significant facial scarring | £4,820 to £16,770 | In this bracket, the claimant has a marred but not markedly impacted appearance from a number of very small scars or one scar. The psychological reaction is not more than that of an ordinarily sensitive person. |
| Damage to hair (a) | £8,960 to £13,450 | Where dermatitis occurs to the scalp, or brittle hair is caused, which leads to loss of hair, resulting in emotional effects such as despair, depression and loss of confidence. Higher awards will be for where prognosis for regrowth is poor, or slow. If skin grafting is needed, then it is likely that the award may exceeded the maximum amount stated here. |
| Damage to hair (b) | £4,820 to £8,960 | Usually symptoms will be less severe and regrowth will occur. The amount awarded will often be calculated based on how long it takes for hair to grow back. |
Special Damages
As part of your claim for hairdresser negligence, you might also be awarded special damages. This compensates for the financial losses incurred as a result of your injuries.
Examples of losses you could claim under special damages include:
- Wigs if you are left with a bald patch.
- Therapy and other medical expenses.
- Loss of earnings, past and future.
- Travel costs, such as taxi fares to medical appointments.
Contact our advisors for information on the process of suing a hairdresser. They may connect you with one of the No Win No Fee lawyers from our panel.
What Is Hair Damage And When Could I Claim?
Hair damage can describe any sort of harm to your hair or scalp, such as an allergic reaction leading to brittle hair, balding, scalp burns from hair dye chemicals and facial scarring. If your hairdresser damaged your hair, and this caused you physical or emotional harm, you might be able to make a public liability claim.
While you are in a public space, such as a hair salon, the controller of that space owes you a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This means that they must ensure your reasonable safety while you are in that space. However, if you would like to make a personal injury claim, then you must meet the eligibility criteria. When suing a hairdresser, you will need to prove that:
- You were owed a duty of care.
- This duty was breached.
- You suffered injuries because of this breach.
If you are wondering, ‘a hairdresser ruined my hair and caused me physical or emotional harm, what can I do?’, get in touch with one of the advisors from our team. They can assess whether you have good grounds to claim compensation.
What To Do If A Hairdresser Damaged Your Hair
You may like to make a personal injury claim following a hairdressing injury. If you are eligible to seek compensation for injuries related to your damaged hair, the steps you take following the incident could help support your case. You will need to collect evidence that proves you suffered an injury as well as liability.
Examples of evidence that could be useful when making a hair damage claim include:
- Samples of your hair if you suffered breakage.
- Photographic proof. For example, if you suffered burn injuries, you can take a picture of them.
- Medical records if you sought medical attention following the incident. These will contain information about the nature of the injuries and the treatment you required.
- Witness contact details. These can be employees at the salon, other customers or anyone else who saw what happened. They can be contacted further into the claims process for a statement.
Additionally, you may wish to seek legal advice following the hairdressing accident. One of the advisors from our team could offer you free advice about what evidence you could collect. You could also be connected with one of the No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel if you have a valid hair damage compensation claim.
Common Hair Damage Claims
When you look at the number of hairdressing injuries that could occur, hair damage can happen in many different ways. However, there are some types of hair damage claims that are more common, so we list these here. However, if you cannot see your specific hair damage in the list below, that does not exclude you from making a claim. It would be a good idea to call our team of experts to explain what has happened to you; they will be able to assess your story and the damage you have suffered and should be able to then determine whether you are likely to have a valid claim.
- Allergic reaction – This commonly occurs where a patch test has not initially been completed, and the client suffers an allergic reaction to the dye. Allergic reactions can vary in severity, causing anything from scalp problems to loss of hair.
- Product left on for too long – There is a very good reason that many chemical dyes have specific formulas for how long you are expected to have them on your hair and scalp. Should a hairdresser fail to take the product off your hair in a timely manner, according to the product instructions, it could cause extensive damage to your hair or scalp.
- Assault – Also common are attacks which cause hair to be pulled from the scalp. This not only causes intense pain, but can also lead to permanent hair loss.
Whether you have suffered one of the types of damage above or your hair damage was caused by a different event, if someone else has caused your hair damage, you may be able to claim hair damage compensation. Simply contact us to find out if you can make a claim, or for expert advice on any aspect of the claim process.
No Win No Fee Hair Damage Claims
You can start a claim without putting any money up before your case is settled by starting the No Win No Fee hair damage claims process. The premise behind this type of service is that solicitor service fees aren’t charged before you get claiming, nor at any time during the process. In fact, you won’t pay these fees at all if the claim is lost. Instead, you’d only expect to pay a success fee to your solicitor if you win. This is taken as a percentage of the compensation and is capped by The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013.
If you’re wondering how to sue a hairdresser who has ruined your crowning glory due to hair salon negligence, or you’re looking to ask more questions about whether your hairdressing injury could lead to a claim for compensation, we are ready to listen. Simply pick up the phone and call us on 0333 000 0729.
Helpful Links
Some more helpful links to give you the information you need before claiming.
