Burnt Scalp Claims | Can You Claim Against A Hairdresser?

By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 16th February 2024. Welcome to this guide relating to a hairdresser burnt scalp claim and other hair damage claims. If you’re suffering from a burning head /scalp or have scars from a burnt scalp/hair, you might be asking ‘My hairdresser burnt my hair – can I claim?”

This guide explains what you might need to know about getting the compensation you deserve for burns on the scalp from bleach by suing your hairdresser. We answer questions on suing hairdresser such as ‘how much compensation can I claim for a burnt scalp?’

Hair being treated by a hairdresser

We also look at the psychological harm that could be caused by a burnt scalp from bleach. Plus, we answer the overarching question of ‘Can you sue a hairdresser or sue a beauty salon if they were negligent in causing me burning scalp pain?’

In the event you have experienced a scalp burn due to the negligence of a hairdresser, then you might be wondering ‘’can I sue my hairdresser for burning my scalp?’’ In this guide, we examine what evidence you will need to prove that your burnt scalp from hair dye or bleach was due to hairdresser negligence. Additionally, we explore how compensation will be calculated if your hairdresser burnt your hair or scalp. Our advisors can answer your questions about negligent hairdresser claims 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To get in touch:

Select A Section

  1. Burnt Scalp Claims – When Am I Eligible To Claim?
  2. How Could A Hairdresser Burn You?
  3. Evidence For Burnt Scalp Claims
  4. How Much Could I Receive in Compensation For A Burnt Scalp?
  5. Make A Burnt Scalp Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

Scalp Burns From Bleach – When Am I Eligible To Claim?

If you are seeking compensation for an injury to your scalp from bleach burns, you must be able to meet the personal injury claim eligibility requirements. As such, you must be able to prove that:

  • You were owed a duty of care.
  • This duty was breached.
  • This breach led to a physical injury, such as chemical burns on your scalp, or psychological harm, or both.

While you are in a public place, such as a hair salon, the occupier of that space owes you a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. As part of this duty the salon occupier, is expected to ensure your reasonable safety. In the case of hair dyes and bleaches, this may mean giving you a patch test prior to the treatment. If you suffer scalp burns from bleach because the hairdresser failed to adhere to this duty, you could be eligible for compensation.

If you have any questions about when it might be possible to claim compensation for an injury suffered in a hair or beauty salon, please get in touch with one of the advisors from our team.

How Could A Hairdresser Burn You?

There are many ways that a hairdresser can burn you. For example:

  • If a hairdresser uses too much bleach, or leaves the bleach on your hair for too long, this could cause chemical burns to your scalp. 
  • If your hairdresser fails to perform a patch test, this could lead to an allergic reaction, resulting in burns and welts on your scalp. 
  • A hairdresser using heat tools, such as hair straighteners or curlers, should ensure that they are used safely. Using tools at a dangerous temperature could result in burns. 
  • Misusing straightening or perming solutions, leaving them in for too long, or using expired products could all result in burns to the scalp, ears, or neck. 

These are just a few examples of how a hair salon injury could occur. To find out if you could be eligible to claim compensation for a scalp burn, chemical burn, or another kind of injury caused at a hair salon, contact our team today.

Evidence For Burnt Scalp Claims

If you suffer due to a burnt scalp, even from a minor bleach burn on your scalp, you will need to submit evidence to claim hairdresser injury compensation.

Examples of evidence you may need when suing a hairdresser could include the following:

  • Contact details of any witnesses – If there are any other customers in the salon, for example, you could ask for their details. A statement could be taken from them at a later date.
  • Medical evidence – As part of the hair damage claims process, you may be required to attend an appointment with an independent medical professional. The findings from this assessment can be used to support your claim.
  • Photographs of the injury – If you can, take some photographs of the injured part of your scalp. Burnt scalp photographs could help support your claim when you sue a hairdresser.
  • Proof of any costs or losses sustained due to the injury – If you have had to pay for remedial treatment, or you’ve needed to take time off work to recover, you may have incurred costs and losses. If you could prove that these arose as a direct consequence of your burnt scalp injury, you could include these within your claim.

Claim Time Limits For A Bleach Burn

If you’ve sustained a bleach burn on your scalp due to your hairdresser’s negligence, then it’s important to know the time limits for making a claim. In line with the Limitation Act 1980, you generally need to begin the process of claiming within 3 years of the injury being sustained.

However, if you’ve suffered an injury from hair bleach, the burn could be claimed for outside of this timeframe in some circumstances. For example, the following exceptions can apply:

  • Those under 18 – Only adults can make their own claim. A child claimant has 3 years from the date they turn 18 to begin a claim. Before then, a litigation friend can be appointed to claim on their behalf and the time limit for claiming is suspended.
  • Those who lack the mental capacity to claim – The time limit is suspended indefinitely for those who aren’t mentally capable of claiming. It begins again in the event that they become capable. Otherwise, a litigation friend can claim on their behalf while the time limit is suspended.

If you’ve sustained a scalp burn from hair dye or bleach and want to know more about claim time limits, get in touch with our advisors today.

How Much Could I Receive in Compensation For A Burnt Scalp?

If you are eligible to make a personal injury claim after suffering a bleach burn on your scalp, your compensation settlement may consist of general and special damages.

General damages is the head of claim that would compensate you for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries. Those calculating such damages could refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for guidance. This document provides a list of different injuries and assigns them guideline compensation brackets. We have used some of these figures when creating the following table.

Please only refer to this as a guide. It should also be noted that the first entry of this table has not been taken from the JCG.

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Injury Notes Potential Compensation
Combinations of serious injuries with financial costs and losses. Serious combinations of injuries resulting in pain, suffering and financial losses, such as loss of income. Up to £150,000+
Very severe facial scarring (a) A disfiguring cosmetic impact along with a severe psychological reaction to facial scarring in a relatively young claimant. £29,780 to £97,330
Less severe facial scarring (b) Substantial facial disfigurement alongside a significant emotional reaction. £17,960 to £48,420
Significant facial scarring (c) Plastic surgery will reduce the worst impact, or already has. Additionally, the psychological reaction has reduced to be considered minor. £9,110 to £30,090
Less significant facial scarring (d) One scar or multiple smaller scars that don’t markedly affect the person’s appearance. £3,950 to £13,740
Hair damage (a) Tingling or burning scalp, dermatitis, or eczema causing brittle hair and hair loss along with distress, depression and embarrassment. £7,340 to £11,020
Hair damage (b) Tingling or burning scalp, dermatitis or eczema causing less serious brittle hair. Bald patches from being pulled out or stress-induced alopecia. £3,950 to £7,340
Moderate Psychiatric Damge (c) Some problems coping with life, but these have improvement and overall the prognosis is good. £5,860 to £19,070

The other head of claim, special damages,  would compensate you for the financial costs and losses the chemical burns on your scalp have caused you to experience. This could include, but is not limited to:

  • Medical expenses – Such as the cost of topical treatments or prescription medicines.
  • Loss of income – If you lost pay from taking time off work to recover from your injuries.
  • Travel expenses – For costs of travelling to medical appointments, or meetings with your solicitor.

You will need to provide evidence showing these costs and losses were incurred as a result of your injuries. For example, a payslip could help with proving a loss of earnings.

Please contact an advisor today to receive a free valuation of your claim. They can also help answer any questions that you may have about the personal injury claims process.

Make A Burnt Scalp Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

If your hairdresser burnt your hair or your scalp was burned from bleach treatment due to negligence, you may wish to claim compensation with the support of a No Win No Fee lawyer. They could offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

A No Win No Fee solicitor typically won’t charge you upfront for their services. If you are awarded hair dye scalp burn compensation, a legally capped success fee will be taken from your award. When a claim for burnt scalp compensation isn’t successful, you usually won’t be charged for your solicitor’s services.

Our advisors can assess the validity of your claim if a hairdresser burnt your hair or if you have suffered a burnt scalp from bleach applied by a hairdresser. If it seems eligible, you could be passed on to our solicitors. To speak to us: