Most people visit their preferred hairdressing salon with the expectation of feeling and looking rejuvenated after the experience. But it is not always the case, as the following example proves.
After years of waiting, a woman has finally been compensated for physical, psychological and moral damage, as a result of a hair straightening treatment which was badly done.
The hairdresser compensation awarded also provides for the victim in her capacity as a consumer, as she paid a very high price as a result of her search for perfectly straight hair, and the unexpected consequences of this.
Here is what happened:
The 27-year-old woman attended a hair salon, to undergo a hair straightening treatment. The young woman chose the particular hairdressing salon based on the promise of “brilliant smooth, straight hair”, as announced in a magazine advertisement.
The woman went to the hairdresser and paid for the services of the stylist, who assured her that the straightening process would be perfect, and that she used well-known branded products.
Witnesses in the case stated that before the treatment the young woman had “abundant hair, healthy, shiny and full of life.” But this changed radically after the straightening treatment. Upon reaching her home, the young woman noticed that her hair began to fall out, as if disintegrating, so she consulted different professionals who informed her that she had suffered an alteration of the hair cuticle.
It was then that the young woman decided to initiate a lawsuit against the salon for damages claiming that the hairdresser had not complied with the obligation assumed in the agreement she had entered into with the victim – the promise of a perfect straightening treatment – and that this caused her painful damage.
The stylist initially denied the facts, as presented.
Hazardous products for hair
Another of the outstanding points of the case is the fact that the product used for the straightening treatment in question was not approved by the relevant authorities.
The straightening treatment was carried out with an imported branded product, which had been discontinued, and whose brochure stated that “the product reacts quickly and does not give time to rinse if you work with many hair strands simultaneously, resulting in a risk of dissolving the hair.”
The product used had not been authorised for use in the country in question.
According to a “specialist” consulted in the case, “90% of such smoothing products have caustic soda, which is mixed with a cream and forms a smoothing paste, a strong product, which is why it must be used at a distance of one centimetre from the scalp, so as not to hurt the scalp. If the professional is not an expert, the client’s scalp can remain peeled forever, the cream kills the hair protein.”
Professional negligence
None of the characteristics of the product or the potential damage that the smoothing process could cause were informed to the plaintiff at the time of accessing the treatment.
The final judgement of the case was in favour of the young woman who was awarded a substantial amount of compensation for the pain, suffering, and emotional trauma endured as a result of the stylist’s actions and negligence.
Cases such as this one are not as uncommon as most people might think. In the UK, the hairdressing and hair system and beauty industry is largely unregulated, and as such, many practitioners can be found working in salons, and freelance, with little or no formal training or experience.
If you have suffered personal injury as a result of a hairdressing disaster, traffic accident or workplace accident, you might be entitled to compensation. If you would like to find out if you can make a hairdresser compensation claim, a traffic accident injury claim or a work injury claim Gloucester legal experts can assist you with expert legal advice to ascertain if you have a valid claim for compensation, and how you should proceed.
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