By Danielle Graves. Last updated 12th October 2023. Welcome to our hair damage claims guide. Our hair is often one of the first things people notice about us, and if yours has been damaged due to the negligent or dangerous behaviour of someone else, whether due to a negligent hairdresser or hairstylist at a salon or an accident at your place of work, then you might be able to launch a claim for compensation to cover the cost of fixing the problem, and for the pain and suffering the injury has caused you, both physically and mentally.
hair damage claims
Our hair damage claims guide takes you through all you need to know about hair damage and the compensation you could receive.
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 figures listed in the 16th edition of the JCG. Please only use it as guidance.
| Compensation type | Typical Amount of Compensation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Severe psychiatric damage | £54,830 to £115,730 | 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 | £5,860 to £54,830 | Psychiatric problems but with a more optimistic prognosis and possibly marked improvements already.. |
| Less severe psychiatric damage | £1,440 to £5,500 | The level of compensation can depend on how long problems have lasted and what effect they have had. |
| Significant Facial Scarring | £9,110 to £30,090 | 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 Scarring | £3,950 to £13,740 | 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 caused by dye/tint/wax (a) | £6,890 to £10,340 | 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 caused by dye/tint/wax (b) | £3,710 to £6,890 | 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
If you believe you might have cause to make hair damage claims for yourself, it is important that you carefully preserve any evidence of both the event that occurred to cause the hair damage and any out of pocket expense you have suffered as a result. Initially, you should seek medical advice for your hair damage. Not only could this mean a quicker recovery from the damage that can be caused, but it could also help ward off further infection if you have suffered chemical burns. This initial visit to a medical professional may also serve as evidence should you pursue a compensation claim later down the line.
You should also try to ensure that if there are any witnesses (staff or clients in the salon) that you carefully note down their contact details. It may be possible for these people to provide witness statements that could help the strength of your hair damage compensation case.
Another important task would be to write down your version of events as soon as you can after the damage has occurred. This will help you recall all the important details you may forget as time passes. Make sure to take photographs of the damage that has occurred as soon as possible, and then as the days pass, as this will serve as evidence should you wish to file a claim.
Finally, make sure that you keep any and all details of costs incurred due to the hair damage you have suffered. This may be loss of earnings if you have been unable to attend work (either due to your appearance or the emotional effect it has had on you, or because you have had to have time off for medical appointments or recovery from any pain you have suffered). It could also include any further treatment costs you have had to fund to treat the hair damage that has been caused. Finally, if you have had to attend appointments due to your hair damage, you may be able to claim travel costs back. If your appearance is central to your job, i.e. modelling, future loss of earnings may also be taken into account when making your 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 claim 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.
- Hair damage from hair dye (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 to hair dye can vary in severity and can cause anything from scalp problems to loss of hair.
- Hair damage from hair dye (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 hour hair and scalp. Should a hairdresser fail to take the product off your help in a timely manner, according to the product instructions, it could cause extensive damage to your hair or scalp.
- Hair damage due to 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
We know that legal bills may seem like a high cost to pay, especially if you are not sure that a hair damages compensation claim will be successful. However, it is entirely possible for you to start a claim without putting any money up before your case is settled. This is what is known as No Win No Fee. The premise behind this type of service is that the legal fees will be deducted from a compensation payout, meaning that if your case were not to be settled with a payout, you would not need to pay legal fees so you would not be any worse off financially for taking action, whether against the hairdresser that did not patch test you for a treatment, or the person that damaged your hair in another way.
No win no fee hairdressing claims are commonly considered a good motivator for hair lawyers, as they will be working to secure you the maximum amount of compensation award, rather than simply suing a hairstylist, working on an hourly basis whether the case is won or lost, which may not boost their motivation to try for the maximum compensation award for your hair claims.
If you’re wondering how to sue a hairdresser that 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 0161 696 9685.
Helpful Links
Hair dye reactions – NHS advice
This links directs you to some useful information and advice produced by the NHS for those that want to know more about hair dye reactions. It covers the reasons people may be sensitive to hair dyes, as well as advice on how to avoid suffering an allergic reaction and how to spot the signs of a reaction to hair dye.
Poor Service – What to do – Citizens Advice
The Citizens Advice Bureau have produced a guide as to what to do if you are unhappy with the service that someone has given you, whether a hairdresser or other service professional. It shows you how to go about making a complaint and covers what to do if the issue is not resolved to your satisfaction.
Here at Legal Helpline, we have put together a complete guide to making no win no fee personal injury claims of any sort. It covers how to go about making a claim, and how no win no fee claims work.