There are over 42,000 hair salons across the United Kingdom that employ over a quarter of a million people. Britons head over to the hairdresser’s every 5 to 7 weeks on average, according to official statistics. Those visits are most often positive: We go to get our hair done to primp up, to experiment with a new look, and to boost our confidence and self-esteem.
Experiences, however, vary. In particular, hairdresser damaged hair is not an uncommon occurrence. Improperly conducted procedures, poorly handled chemical agents, untrained staff, unsanitary conditions, or general negligence – these are just a few of the ways, in which your trip to the hairdresser’s may turn awry. If and when a hair salon mishap befalls you, you will likely be too distressed and upset to consider taking legal action.
Nevertheless, given the extent and significance of the damage, you are in your full right to press charges against a service provider who betrayed your trust. Hairdresser damaged hair is a serious and often complicated legal case, and you need the support of a seasoned and empathetic solicitor in order to get justice. I am prepared to fight for you with professionalism, expertise, and compassion. Let us explore a typical scenario.
Abrasive Chemicals Burn Hair and Irritate the Scalp: A Scenario
Consider a somewhat typical scenario. You make an appointment at a hair salon for hair colouring. When you arrive, an apprentice hairdresser greets you and starts working on your new hairstyle. She applies the dye liberally over your hair and scalp and tells you that you need to wait ten minutes before she rinses it off. Her confidence and sunny disposition put you at ease, and you trust her to keep time. When she pulls out her smartphone and starts texting, you make little of it; she is merely passing the time while the dye is working its magic.
Before you know it, 18 minutes have gone by, and your hairdresser is still on her phone, giggling. Suddenly, your scalp feels hot, and itchy pangs start running across your head. You call out to your hair stylist who drops her phone, startled, and makes haste of washing the dye out of your hair. You notice small tufts of hair falling into the white sink, and the burning sensation on your scalp shows no signs of subsiding. The happy thoughts of a new style are all but gone; instead, panic, irritation, and pain set in.
You leave the hair salon fuming, and by the time you reach home, you notice the first dry locks of hair breaking and falling off. Over the next days, you lose over half of your hair volume to the chemical burn that the hairdresser caused you with her negligence. In addition, your scalp is still irritated and makes every waking minute unpleasant. Your sleep is not restful; the once-soft pillow seems to chafe at your head with every turn. During this horrible ordeal, there are two questions that run through your mind constantly: “How could this even happen?” and “What can I do about it?” We answer both of them below.
Understanding the Industry and Why Accidents Are Common
The above scenario is surprisingly common, and there are strong systemic reasons for it. The hair and beauty industry today relies on more and stronger chemical agents than ever before. As a testament to hair chemicals’ abrasive nature, hairdressers are among the groups most strongly afflicted by work-related skin ailments.
Allergic reactions, including sudden onset ones, are on the rise among the general population. The majority of hair and beauty salon personnel is young (between 16 and 34 years of age), which has education, experience, and work ethic implications. Last but not least, revenue and salaries in the hairdressing industry are not the best, which may create a disincentive for salon staff to improve and excel.
Taken together, these factors make hairdresser accidents quite likely and common, especially given the frequency of appointments and the extent of procedures that are routinely performed. Even at your favourite hair salon and with your long-time stylist, you cannot escape the statistics forever. If and when the moment of disappointment comes, you will do well to be informed and ready to act in order to defend your legitimate rights and interests.
What Are Legitimate Cases Involving Hairdresser Damaged Hair?
Think back to the scenario we have described: A hairdresser was negligent and caused physical damage to your hair and scalp. To that, we should add the emotional anguish and the discomfort that clearly interfered with your day to day life. You placed your trust in a professional service provider who unfortunately betrayed it and caused you personal injury. There are legal norms in the jurisdiction of England and Wales that entitle you to recourse and compensation in this case.
Legitimate hairdresser damage claims include but are not limited to treatments that ruin the integrity and quality of your hair or scalp. While you may not bring a hair salon to court for giving you a bad style, you definitely have a case if you are experiencing brittling and weak hair, hair loss, or persistent irritation on your scalp. Any physical damage caused by scissors, combs, hot curling irons, or razors can also be grounds for a lawsuit.
Most hair damage that makes it court is the result of hairdresser negligence. As in any other formal profession, hair styling and its various treatments require proper procedure. Products should be applied as prescribed by their manufacturer but also in accordance with your hair and scalp’s unique characteristics. Even if you believe you are not allergic to any of the chemicals involved, a professional salon must do patch testing of all chemical compounds prior to starting the full hair treatment. Aggressive hair products should be applied during separate appointments and not squeezed into one long beauty session that exposes you to harmful side effects.
As you can see, there are many opportunities for a trip to the hair salon to go wrong when negligence and unprofessionalism are involved. If you have suffered hair damage or other injury after a trip to the hairdresser’s, you deserve compensation, and I can help you get it. Here is how you can make my job easier.
How Do You Prepare for Your Claim?
First and foremost, if you feel you have suffered at the hands of a negligent hairdresser, see your doctor as soon as possible in order to minimise the harm done. Let a medical professional examine your hair and head thoroughly and document the extent of the damage. This step is important for your health, and it is also an important element of our legal claim.
We can help you with your case, so that we can begin formal preparations for your case. You can find my contact details here. Aside from your regular doctor, we can enlist the services of a trichologist, or a head, hair, and scalp specialist. He or she can offer expert opinions on the exact nature of the damage you have suffered and on the mistakes the hairdresser made that caused your suffering.
Along with official doctor’s notices, you can document your hair and scalp damage yourself by taking pictures and keeping a journal of your ailments and your sensations. Remember that physical and emotional pain related to the hair salon mishap are two sides of the same coin here, and both count we argue your case.
To stay as close to the events as possible, keep a record of your hair salon appointment, whether you made it by telephone, online, or by physically dropping by the salon. Note down the time you spent at the hairdresser’s and detail the timeline of events as best you can before important elements fade away from your memory.Include the name of the employee who carried out the fateful procedure as well the names of any potential witnesses of your visit.
All these actions will help us build a stronger and clearer case in your favour. It may be challenging to recall and document a traumatic experience like this, but keep in mind that this is the best way to let justice be served. I will be there to support you through each step of the way and ensure we do not overlook any important details on your way to retribution.
What Can You Expect from Your Claim?
Once we start the legal procedure, we will be expected to first try and settle with the hair salon out of court. The salon ought to have insurance in place so we look to establish the insurers and submit your claim to the insurers. I will outline the nature and extent of the damages you have suffered in the best possible light and fight for the highest settlement attainable.
Hairdresser damages typically range between £3,000 and £9,000, but individual circumstances may push the number down – or significantly up.
The guidelines are as follows:
Damage to Hair
(a)
Damage to hair in consequence of defective permanent waving, tinting or the like, where the effects are dermatitis or tingling or ‘burning’ of the scalp causing dry, brittle hair, which breaks off and/or falls out, leading to distress, depression, embarrassment and loss of confidence, and inhibiting social life. In the more serious cases thinning continues and the prospects of regrowth are poor or there has been total loss of areas of hair and regrowth is slow.
£6,130 to £9,210
(b)
There may be a larger award in cases of significant psychological disability or if surgical intervention (eg skin grafting) is required.
Less serious versions of the above where symptoms are fewer or only of a minor character; also, cases where hair has been pulled out leaving bald patches. The level of the award will depend on the length of time taken before regrowth occurs.
£3,300 to £6,130
Therefore, it pays to team up with a sophisticated and dedicated solicitor who will defend you with poise and expertise.
Next Steps
Get in touch today to see if we can help you claim on a no win, no fee basis.