When Your Hair Do Goes Wrong

Originally written by Sarah Clark, updated by the editorial team on 26th June 2026

What the law says about salon services

When you pay for a haircut, colour or treatment, you enter into a contract with the salon. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, any service you pay for must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. The service should also match any information the salon gave you about what to expect.

This does not mean you can demand a refund simply because you changed your mind about a style. But if the hairdresser made a clear mistake, failed to follow your instructions, or caused damage to your hair, you have grounds to complain and seek a remedy.

The salon may offer to fix the problem at no extra cost. If that is not possible or you no longer trust them to put it right, you can ask for a partial or full refund depending on how far the result fell short of what was agreed. What counts as reasonable will depend on the specific circumstances.

Be aware that there are time limits for bringing claims. For breach of contract, you generally have six years from the date of the service, though raising concerns promptly will always strengthen your position.

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Patch tests and allergic reactions

Chemical treatments such as hair dye can cause allergic reactions in some people. These reactions range from mild irritation to severe swelling. In very rare cases, anaphylaxis can occur, though this is uncommon with hair dye. This is why reputable salons will ask you to have a patch test before applying colour, especially if you are a new client or trying a different product.

A patch test involves applying a small amount of the dye to your skin, usually behind the ear or on the inner elbow, and waiting 48 hours to see if a reaction develops. It may feel like an inconvenience, but it exists to protect you.

If a salon skips the patch test and you suffer an allergic reaction, you may be able to claim compensation. To succeed, you would typically need to show that the salon was negligent or breached its duty of care, for example by failing to inform you about the need for a test or not obtaining your consent. The strength of any claim will also depend on the severity of the reaction. A minor rash is different from a reaction that requires hospital treatment.

Keep records if something goes wrong. Take photographs of any visible damage or reaction, keep receipts, and write down what was discussed with the stylist. Note the dates and details of any phone calls or conversations. This evidence will be useful if you need to take the matter further.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

How to complain effectively

If you are unhappy with the result, raise it with the salon as soon as you can. Many problems are easier to resolve when addressed quickly, and waiting weeks before complaining can weaken your position.

Start by speaking to the stylist or salon manager. Explain calmly what has gone wrong and what resolution you are seeking. Some salons will offer to correct the issue or provide a discount, though others may be less willing to cooperate. Give them a reasonable chance to put things right before escalating.

If speaking in person does not resolve things, put your complaint in writing. A letter or email creates a record and makes it clear you are treating the matter seriously. Include the date of your appointment, what service you asked for and what you received, any evidence such as photographs or receipts, and what outcome you are seeking.

Give the salon a reasonable deadline to respond, typically 14 days. If they refuse to engage or you cannot agree on a solution, you have further options.

Taking the matter further

If the salon will not resolve your complaint, you can contact Citizens Advice for guidance on your next steps. They can help you understand whether your case is strong enough to pursue and what options are available.

It is worth asking whether the salon has professional indemnity insurance. Many salons carry this cover, and valid claims can sometimes be resolved through their insurer without needing court involvement.

For lower value disputes, the small claims court is often the most practical route. In England and Wales, you can make a claim online through the Money Claims Online service. The process is designed to be accessible without needing a solicitor, though you will need to pay a fee to start a claim. Fee amounts typically depend on how much you are claiming, and current rates are listed on GOV.UK.

If the salon is a member of a trade body such as the National Hair and Beauty Federation, you may also be able to use their complaints procedure. Trade bodies sometimes offer mediation services that can help both sides reach an agreement without going to court.

For more serious injuries caused by negligence, such as chemical burns or a severe allergic reaction, it may be worth seeking legal advice about a personal injury claim. Many solicitors offer a free initial consultation to assess whether you have a case.

While an unsatisfactory service can be frustrating, being informed about your rights allows you to seek appropriate redress.

The Next Step

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Showing 20 of 209 questions

Ask Consumer Rights Expert a Question

ConsumerRightsExpert Editor 24/05/2026 at 9:17 am

@Kay That sounds awful and you've a strong case under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, as the service wasn't carried out with reasonable care and skill. Put it all in writing to her (email or text), state you want a full refund plus the cost of putting it right elsewhere, and give her 14 days. Skipping the skin test alone is a serious breach of insurer and industry guidelines. If she ignores you, do a chargeback with your bank if you paid by card, or start a small claims action via Money Claim Online.

Kay 02/07/2023 at 7:40 am

I had a mobile hairdresser come out to colour my hair and fit nano extensions. However, she didn’t colour match me for the Extentions prior to application neither did skin test me. After 8 hours in the chair (although she said would only be 4) I was in such a hurry to get home I barely noticed anything wrong as she’d curled it. When I got home I platted it like she advised for bed. The next day I woke up brushed it with a tangle tweezer brush as advised. The hair looked, smelt and felt like dolls hair. I tried to tie it up to keep it hidden as I had to go out. I couldn’t as the nanos were so high and close to my face could see them all. I contacted her and told her, and also complained about the colour of the hair was too yellow and didn’t match my own colour. She had bleached my hair and done my roots as a block and not highlights which, I didn’t want. My hair is too yellowy/ blonde. She said she would take the yellow ones out and replace with blonde ones. However, I had to travel to her. This being over an hour journey and over the dartford toll I refused, to do this. I’ve messaged her photos since of the poor quality hair and explained everything I’m not happy with she took £445 from me and I’m left with awful awful hair. She admitted she’d used 250 degree heat on them yet advised me to only used 180. So if they can only take 180 why did she use 250? I’m getting no response. Help ? What do I do? I cannot go out? I cannot do anything with this mess of a awful hair style.

Lindyloulou 01/07/2023 at 5:14 pm

I had a perm yesterday.i asked and showed the stylist what I wanted. a quite tight spiral perm.its far from a spiral perm and the roots and ends are straight. She cut quite a lot off my hair too .ive spoke to the stylist and she says she won't redo my hair but only curl the bits that are straight.really don't know what to do

Daisy 03/03/2023 at 3:32 pm

Last June I had my hairdresser to put a straightening treatment on my hair which she advised me to have when she did a last straightening treatment last March. To my horror the chemical treatment has burnt my hair to the extent that I’ve had to have about 14 inches cut off . My hair looked like a scouring pad, it has devastated me and made me poorly . I’ve been in touch with my solicitor and she’s denying what she has done , yet I’ve got all the photographic evidence and the text messages which shows her admitting it. I can’t let her get away with what she’s done so where do I go from here .

Shells3280 29/04/2022 at 11:44 am

Just had my full head coloured purple but the purple hasn't taken properly the peroxide blonde is showing all over in different patches and the hairdresser actually sent me the tube of colour to reapply myself at home what is the right 5hong to do

Maria 25/03/2022 at 11:06 am

Hi Kim, did your friend have a hair mesh/interlace system?

CassyG 05/04/2021 at 11:57 am

I have coloured my own hair very successfully over the years. When it is due to be coloured, the last few times I have noticed that it is coming through a white silver colour, so I decided to die my blonde hair silver to match the new colour coming through, ultimately hoping not to have to colour it anymore. I used an Olia silver hair colour, did the patch test 48 hrs before and checked the colour on a small piece of my hair cut from the back. The colour looked fine. I went ahead and coloured it, closely following instructions. When I washed it off, to my horror my fresh growth of hair at the roots was purple. The lengths were a sludgy grey I washed it several times but it was still purple. I phoned Olia and they were less than helpful, telling me to buy some clarifying shampoo. I visited 9 chemists before managing to find some. I tried this several times and it has barely made any difference. Olia have offered to reimburse me £6.99 for the cost of the product which I think is insufficient. I believe they should add a warning note to their packaging to advise that this could happen to silver hair.
I was wondering what my rights are under these circumstances and who else I could complain to.

C 23/09/2020 at 4:06 pm

Hi

I've been wearing the same colour beauty works extensions for 5 years (bronde balayage). They have recently been discontinued.

My hairdresser recommended a similar colour (brondm'bre) and said she would only have to make my roots slightly darker

I ordered the hair myself brought them to the hairdressers, she died it and took the extensions out the packaging and cut them (width ways to fit my head, she didn't take anything off the length). When she held up the extensions to my head, they didn't look anything like the same colour.

When we compared the colour to the sample ring she had matched them to, the extensions were a lot lighter. My hair is warm and they had lots of ashy blonde running through it.

When I rang beauty works, they are saying that they're non returnable as they've been taken out the packaging and using the excuse that their sample ring has been updated and my hairdresser has an old one.

Who's fault is this and how do i get my money back? I ordered the hair myself so I can't exactly ask the hairdresser for a refund?

Thanks

Kim 06/08/2020 at 10:08 am

My friends just had a weave done to cover her alopecia. The weave looks like a wig rather than natural hair (expected natural looking hair). This cost her £1800.00. Is there anything she can do to get the money out? She wants the weave removing ASAP.

She also said that she wants to be able to scrape her hair back into a ponytail. She can't do this as you can see the netting.

Thanks for you help.

blue 30/07/2020 at 7:50 am

Hi
Just had my har done by ROSMIN based in southall Broadway.
who claims she is best at her work, there is no price list she charges in a range of £450 -£600 for a balyage ombre hair
You come out of her salon with the colour you didn't want
Ask for a fix up... she's not willing to do it unless you pay her mir...

Makayla 23/05/2020 at 7:59 pm

So I just got my hair done at a salon after my sister tried to do a balayage. My sister colored maybe, if not less than 3 inches of my long hair. So I go into the salon, I ask for subtle, DARK highlights that go about 3/4 of the way up, to tone down the straight across light brown my sister previously did. I showed the lady what I wanted, she even referenced where she would stop the so called “highlights”. I come out, with full blown BLONDE highlights, all the way up to the root. The mirror I looked in was in a poorly lit room, so I could barely see how light it was. I went outside, I don’t have mirrors in my truck, so I’m looking through my phone camera, still, can barely see it. So I go eat, and go home, finally see my hair in an actual mirror, I don’t like it, so I call and tell the lady what’s going on. She claims she didn’t reference where she was going to stop the highlights, that highlights go up to the root. when she said to my face where she was going to stop. I know this is miscommunication on both parts, but I’d really just like at least half my money back. I paid $170 for this, and it’s really upsetting.

Dockertt 01/02/2020 at 11:51 am

I went to a salon in Chingford that sounds like ‘misha n pearls’ ! after never having been to a hair dressers. I paid a fortune for permanent hair colour and highlights. The hair colour has not held and no one can see any highlights. It’s been weeks and the dye still comes out in the shower, on the towels, on my clothes. It’s terrible... I don’t know if this is normal but either way I was not expecting that and I wasn’t told.

jayne123 13/12/2019 at 10:10 am

Hi,

I've had a hair extension fitting last night, i paid for 22" extra thickness extensions, when fitting them I had 50g bundles in my hand and I was passing the person doing my hair a strand at a time, she only fitted 2 bundles which makes me believe she only fitted 100g in my hair, when "extra thickness" should be 150g-175g. She didn't offer to style my hair, so when I got home and styled it myself I realized straight away the difference in this set compared to my last set. (My last set of extensions, by a different person were a lot longer and thicker baring in mind I had asked and paid for exactly the same length and thickness) After styling it, i measured the strands and they're only 20". I've messaged the person who fitted them for me to check the packaging for the length, and the amount shes put in and also sent her the comparison photos I've got. Obviously, I just want what I've paid for, so don't want to go down this route unless I have to, but do I have any leg to stand on when it comes to the legal route?

Thanks in advance

Gp67 02/12/2019 at 2:14 pm

I've had my hair coloured numerous times but last week was with a new product, no patch test done. My hair should have looked pale platinum but ended up a very brassy colour. My stylist asked me to come back the following day to redo it, still some brassiness there. I was charged £70, really not happy and contacted her and she has offered to put a lighter colour all over and charge me £25 should I be paying and should I have paid in the first place

Jules 29/10/2019 at 1:13 pm

This was my 3rd visit to the same hair salon with the same stylist for a colour, cut and blow dry. I know my colour and told the hairdresser my colour was Wella Professionals dark brown with ash as this is very close to my natural hair colour. I was happy with the cut and blow dry yet next day noticed in the daylight my hair is medium brown and looks very red. It looks as though she has coloured it medium brown and its not as dark as I expected. I don't know what to do as do not want to offend my hairdresser as mistakes can happen but if I have been very specific with my brand and colour where do I stand as this is definitely not dark brown and know it will only get lighter as and when I wash it. Opinion appreciated.

R 26/10/2019 at 2:06 pm

I had my hair cut and coloured last week, I was charged full price. When I looked at her facebook page she was offering 20% discount From October ( I had it done in October) till December which she didnt apply at the time. When I asked her about it she said she had forgotten about the discount and will knock it off my next service. I asked if she would pay me £13 she forgot to knock off the full price ( how do you forget when you run a business!!! ) as I wont be having another service, she said she cant do this and wont pay me. Is this right, I cant see the problem with it!

brit 24/10/2019 at 9:38 pm

Hi I had extensions put in 4 weeks ago - I wasn’t given a choice of colour or length - she matched and ordered with 5 minutes. I had to pay my £240 straight away.
When applying she layered 3 lengths of extensions in One row and making too heavy. The application was lose I had to go back a week later and ask to move them.
They were applied tighter but too tight in places and caused test in and ripped my hair out in places and cause red raw lumps and obviously hair loss.
She blamed it on me not being used to the method or not washing shampoo out properly?! When I said the second time it wasn’t ok.

I’ve had to reach out to a more expert hair extensionsist and have them taken out and re fitted (3 rows of one layer and leaving two out!!) and in correct manner.
The colour match isn’t correct and I’m left with sore scalp and bald spots and £250 down the drain plus £60 to re fit? Can I claim my money back?

Mammy1 08/07/2019 at 9:30 am

I also had hair extensions put in off a lady who has been doing my hair on and off for 8 years. I wanted high light look they was yellow she said they was real hair but would melt every time I tried to straighten them also really dry I had to pay another salon to take them out the hair was fake had bits of red cotton in it etc I messaged my original hair dresser and all she said was nobody else has complained I paid £280 and she didn't offer me a penny back I had to pay a salon £95 to take out and colour my hair as it was all patchy also not sure what I should do about it I paid cash as she is mobile

Iefka 26/06/2019 at 12:24 pm

Hello there,i feel really disappointed and stressed out,I had my colour done with a student on a model day and she totally messed up my hair.My dark roots are showing really badly and the highlights she did were so tiny they are invisible.I complained to the salon and they just having a laugh after I sent them the pictures if I was looking for a certain look and sorry it didn’t come as I wanted to.They refuse to give back my £40 or correct the colour they offered 25%off with a senior stylist.Its all a big joke,I just want a refund as I have to go and have it redone!Please advise me what do I need to do and how to speak to salons owner to get a refund?Thank you so much.

Susieq 09/06/2019 at 11:14 pm

I am still suffering problems due to a couple of cuts in local salons a year ago, and a lack of trust in Hairdressers, finding a genuine caring and real good Hairdresser in south West London is virtually impossible, I told the Salon owner in question I went to her Salon for help because the last cut I had locally was bad, but her staff members work was worse actually, and got threatened she would tell the police because I was putting her business at risk, so telling the truth about her salon in the online review will be erased, I paid £75 for each of those haircuts from hell, no negative only positive is acceptable, my situation and felling some did not matter, I am not a celeb, she is only interested if you are, that is the truth.

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