Woman wins compensation claim after hair dye reaction

Posted 02/12/2009

A woman has called for greater responsibility in the hairdressing industry after winning her £2,000 compensation claim against a salon.

Charlotte Gilchrist took legal action against her hairdresser after she suffered a severe allergic reaction to a hair dye, leaving her temporarily blind and afflicted by swelling and blisters.

Ms Gilchrist has since been diagnosed with reactive eczema, but argues that this should have been established by the salon before she underwent the treatment.

She has therefore advised others to learn from her experience, as well as calling for hairdressers to properly screen clients before chemicals are used.

The 21-year-old said: “It could happen to anyone – they don’t know how sensitive people are so a skin test is a must.”

Currently, standards and safety in the industry are monitored by the Hairdressing Council, but the body’s jurisdiction is limited by a lack of mandatory professional registration.

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has described this as “absolutely shocking” and called for changes to be made for the safety of customers.