Hair dye disasters are on the increase in the UK.

More and more of us are reaching for the bottle in our efforts to look younger and visits to the hairdresser can often lead to unexpected results. Hairdressers are not regulated and many accidents occur in our salons for which compensation may be an inevitable result.

On any visit to a hairdresser, you are entitled to receive treatment carried out with reasonable care and skill. Hairdressers owe you a duty of care to perform as a reasonably competent individual in that profession. So if you receive an injury, you may receive compensation.

Regrettably hairdressing accidents are more common than you might think, but, given the amount of chemicals used, it is hardly surprising. Those for colouring, perming and even straightening hair are very strong and in the wrong hands can cause serious injury to the hair or scalp. Chemicals left on too long can cause reddening, blistering and burning. Hair can break off at some point in its length or even fall out altogether.

Hairdressers are supposed to carry out patch tests, ensure that they use the right chemicals and leave them on for the prescribed time only. Failure in any one of these areas leading to damage can lead to a claim for compensation.

What are the common hair injuries?

• Allergic reactions
• Dermatitis
• Burns to the scalp
• Blistering
• Baldness
• Scalp Damage
• Broken Hair
• Temporary or even permanent hair loss.
• Laser hair removal can cause injury because of faulty equipment or inexperience of the operator. Burns and potentially permanent scarring can result.
• Depression and psychological injury can often be a consequence of hair damage.

It isn’t just hairdressing accidents that can cause damage. Accidents can arise at work as a result of hair being pulled into moving machinery, often as a result of poor training on the part of the employer.

What sort of compensation can you expect?

• Damage to hair as a result of defective perming, tinting colouring and so on, where that results in dermatitis, or where there has been burning to the scalp causing hair to break or fall out, leading to embarrassment and possibly depression as a result. Serious cases include those where there is permanent thinning and the likelihood of hair returning is poor £4650 -£7000 for the injury although this can be increased if there has been a loss of earnings, medication and the like.
• In the less serious cases, including where the hair has been pulled out, or where there are fewer symptoms or more minor, then the compensation will depend on the length of time, it takes for the hair to regrow, but generally compensation will be around £2500-£4650

These awards are only estimates as symptoms and individual circumstances can vary.

In a recent case, a young woman received £2000 compensation after her visit to the hairdressers left her with damaged hair, blistering to her face and an inability to open her eyes for five days. She had not been patch tested. Fortunately her symptoms whilst frightening were short lived.

If you have received injury at work or in the hairdressers then you should seek medical advice as soon as possible. In order to explore your right to compensation, you should contact a specialist lawyer who can help you with your claim.

If you have suffered hair damage and it was someone else's fault, then you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation. Our solicitors can help you make a no win no fee claim for compensation. You will receive 100% of your compensation with no deductions. So you won't pay a penny, win or lose!