My Hairdresser Burned My Scalp – Can I Claim Compensation?
If your scalp has been burned, blistered or badly irritated during a hairdressing treatment, you may be entitled to compensation.
Chemical burns are one of the more serious injuries that can result from hairdressing treatments. Bleach, peroxide, hair dye and other chemical products can cause significant injury when they are unsuitable, incorrectly applied or left on for too long.
A scalp burn can also cause hair breakage or hair loss, leaving you dealing with much more than a few days of soreness.
But an unpleasant reaction does not automatically mean that a hairdresser has been negligent. The important question is whether the treatment was carried out with reasonable care and skill and whether this caused your injury.
At Hairdressing Claims, we specialise in compensation claims involving hair damage and scalp injuries caused by hairdressing treatments.
What does a scalp burn from a hairdresser look like?
A chemical burn may cause:
- intense burning or pain;
- redness and inflammation;
- blistering;
- sores or weeping skin;
- scabbing;
- tenderness and sensitivity;
- hair breaking close to the scalp; or
- patches of hair loss.
The injury may become apparent during the treatment or develop over the hours or days afterwards.
A serious scalp injury can be extremely distressing. Your hair and appearance are highly personal, and discovering that your hair has been badly damaged at the same time as suffering a painful scalp injury can have a significant psychological impact.
If you have suffered severe pain, blistering, open wounds or other significant symptoms, you should seek appropriate medical attention.
How can a hairdresser cause a scalp burn?
Scalp burns can happen during a number of different treatments.
Bleaching is a common cause of chemical damage. Bleach and peroxide can cause burns if the products are unsuitable, used incorrectly or if the scalp is exposed to them for too long.
Hair dye can also cause burns or severe reactions. This can be particularly serious where appropriate testing has not been carried out or where a product is unsuitable for the client.
Other chemical treatments, including straightening and relaxing treatments, can also cause scalp injuries.
There is also the possibility of a thermal burn from heated equipment such as straighteners, curling irons or hairdryers.
The fact that an injury occurred during a hair treatment does not, by itself, establish negligence. What matters is how the treatment was carried out.
My scalp started burning during the treatment. Should the hairdresser have stopped?
This can be an important question in a compensation claim.
If you tell your hairdresser that your scalp is burning or that you are experiencing significant pain, the way they respond may be highly relevant.
A client should not simply be expected to tolerate a significant burning sensation because it occurs during a chemical treatment.
The circumstances will need to be considered carefully. For example:
- When did the burning begin?
- What did you tell the hairdresser?
- How did they respond?
- Was the product removed immediately?
- How long had the product been on your scalp?
- What product was being used?
- Were appropriate tests carried out beforehand?
If the treatment continued despite clear signs that something was wrong, that may be relevant evidence.
Should my hairdresser have carried out a patch test?
For some treatments, patch testing is an important safety precaution. Strand testing may also be appropriate where there is a risk that a chemical treatment could cause significant damage to the hair.
A patch test is designed to identify whether a client may react adversely to a particular product. A strand test can help establish how the hair is likely to respond.
However, a patch test is not a guarantee that nothing will go wrong.
If you had a patch test and subsequently suffered an injury, you may still have a claim depending on what happened during the treatment.
Equally, the absence of a patch test does not automatically prove that a hairdresser was negligent.
A compensation claim involves looking at the treatment as a whole and asking whether the hairdresser took reasonable care.
What if the hairdresser says the burning was normal?
This is something we are often asked.
Some treatments may produce sensations which are uncomfortable without causing an injury. But there is an obvious difference between a temporary sensation and a scalp which has actually been burned.
If you have been left with blistering, sores, significant pain, hair loss or other evidence of injury, you should not assume that you simply have to accept what happened because the hairdresser says it was normal.
The evidence will be important.
Photographs, medical records, details of the treatment and correspondence with the salon can all help establish what happened.
What should I do after suffering a scalp burn?
Take photographs.
This is one of the most useful things you can do. Photograph your scalp and hair as soon as possible and continue taking photographs if the condition changes.
If you have photographs showing the condition of your hair or scalp before the appointment, keep those too. They can be particularly valuable when there is an argument about whether the damage was already present.
Keep your salon records.
Save your appointment confirmation, receipt and any messages or emails with the salon. Make a note of the treatment you had, the products used if you know them, and the name of the stylist.
Seek medical attention where appropriate.
A doctor or other healthcare professional can assess the injury and provide a medical record of what has happened. This can be important evidence in a compensation claim.
Be careful about further chemical treatments.
If your hair has been badly damaged, you may understandably want another salon to repair it as quickly as possible. However, further chemical treatment can potentially make the damage worse and may make it more difficult to establish what happened originally.
Before undergoing significant remedial treatment, consider getting advice about preserving evidence.
Can a scalp burn cause hair loss?
It can.
The extent of any hair loss will depend upon the severity and nature of the injury. A chemical treatment may damage both the scalp and the hair itself.
Hair may break off close to the scalp, leaving obvious areas of uneven or reduced hair. In more serious cases, damage to the scalp may affect hair growth.
The prognosis is not always immediately obvious. This is why specialist evidence can be important where hair damage is significant.
At Hairdressing Claims, we can arrange for appropriate expert evidence, including assessment by a specialist trichologist where required.
An expert can consider the condition of your hair and scalp and provide an opinion on the extent of the damage, likely recovery and whether any longer-term problems are expected.
What if my hair was already damaged?
This is a common issue in hairdressing compensation claims.
A salon may argue that your hair was already damaged before the treatment and that the condition you are complaining about was not caused by them. That does not necessarily end the matter. A hairdresser should take the condition of a client’s hair and scalp into account before carrying out a chemical treatment. If the hair was already weakened, that may make appropriate assessment and care even more important.
The key question is whether the treatment caused or contributed to the damage and whether it was carried out with reasonable care and skill.
Photographs taken before the appointment can therefore be extremely useful.
How much compensation can I claim for a scalp burn?
There is no standard amount of compensation for a scalp burn.
The value of a claim depends on the injury and its consequences.
Factors can include:
- the severity and duration of the burn;
- pain and suffering;
- scarring or permanent damage;
- hair breakage or hair loss;
- the time required for the hair to recover;
- psychological effects;
- the cost of treatment;
- travel and other expenses; and
- loss of earnings.
A relatively minor injury which resolves quickly will be very different from a serious chemical burn accompanied by extensive hair damage, prolonged hair loss or psychological injury.
We have acted for clients whose scalp burns were accompanied by substantial hair damage.
Is it worth making a claim?
It costs nothing to contact us and to ask us to assess whether we think you have a valid claim. If we do, you will be offered a ‘no win, no fee’ deal which means we take the financial risk of funding your case. If you win you pay 25% inclusive of VAT from your compensation to cover our fees. Compensation awards can vary, typically from around £3,000 to £15,000 depending on the severity of the injury. Plus you can claim for any financial losses you have suffered because of the burn or hair damage (for example specialist treatments, prescription charges, wigs, etc). You can read more about some of our results here:
- Judge Awards £21,000 Compensation For Client Whose Hair Was Damaged By Bleach At Salon
- £12,500 Compensation Awarded for Hair Damage and Scalp Burns: A Hairdressing Mishap in Central London
- £6,300.00 compensation for hair damage and burns caused by negligent hairdresser
- £13,000 for client left with scalp burns and hair breakage caused by negligent hairdresser
Talk to us about making a claim:
If you have suffered damage to your hair or scalp during a visit to the hairdressers and you require advice and support, please contact us for a free no obligation discussion about making a compensation claim. Contact our team today. You can reach us on 0800 141 3682 (freephone) or 0333 202 6560 (from mobiles). Alternatively, send a message to enquiries@hairdressingclaims.co.uk or use our contact us form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. We’re here to help!
