Is It Ever Okay To Refuse To Pay For Your Haircut?

Everyone has had at least one terrible hair appointment. It’s a stomach-dropping feeling staring at your reflection in the mirror in front of you (plus the one to show you the back to really rub salt into the wound), and seeing that it’s nowhere near what you asked for. 

My own terrible hair appointment happened a few years ago, when I visited a new salon for the first time, hoping for balayage to break up my block-colour brunette. Instead of beautifully blended ribbons, I ended up with a two-tone dip-dye effect, with the top half of my hair brown and the bottom half blonde. Being a chronic people pleaser, I smiled through gritted teeth and watery eyes — and I still tipped. It took my usual hairdresser two appointments, which I paid full price for, to get the natural-looking balayage I hoped for at the start. It seems I'm not the only one. People are taking to TikTok in droves to share stories about bad dye jobs and haircuts — even Emily Ratajkowski, whose recent video has amassed 10.7 million views and climbing.

In this scenario, when the finished result is not the cut or colour you envisioned, are you justified in asking for a discount or refusing to pay altogether? The stakes are higher than skipping the service charge when a waiter is rude or your chips are cold in a restaurant; the results of a bad hair appointment stick around for much longer. In most cases, colour mishaps are easier to rectify (unless they involve bleach), but a too-short fringe or unwanted choppy layers can take weeks, months or even years to grow out. 

According to professional hairdresser Katie Hale, bad salon experiences are usually caused by a breakdown in communication between the hairstylist and client: “A lack of consultation, or an unsuccessful consultation, is usually why a haircut isn’t what the client hoped for,” she explains. Everyone needs to be in complete alignment; the client has to be clear about what they want, and the hairdresser has to fully understand the brief and be confident that they can deliver on it. It sounds simple, but it’s a delicate balance with a degree of responsibility on both sides. In the case of my bad hair appointment, I can see with hindsight that I wasn’t clear enough about what I wanted. 

When Hale was a junior stylist, she had a new client who wasn’t clear on what they were looking for: “She asked for bangs, and I thoroughly explained the maintenance this style would require and the length the bangs would sit at. She was happy to go ahead, but after I cut her hair, she wasn’t happy and told my manager that she didn’t ask for a fringe.” Luckily for Hale, the stylist working beside her corroborated her side of the story, but it still made for an upset client and an awkward encounter for everyone involved. 

On the other side of the salon chair, beauty editor Matilda, 37, booked in for a bright copper colour refresh as a treat when she returned from maternity leave, only to leave the salon with a dark mahogany. She was shocked, as she thought the consultation had gone well: “I spoke with the stylist for 10 minutes about my colour goals at the start of the appointment,” she explains. “I took photos of how my hair had looked a few years before and the shade I hoped to return to. I also brought two pictures of Stacey Dooley’s gorgeous ginger hair for reference. The stylist was gushing over the photos, and I felt confident he knew what he was doing.”

But as soon as her hair was dry, Matilda could see the finished result was shades away from Dooley’s: “I was calm and polite and asked what had happened, as it clearly wasn’t the colour we had discussed. He half acknowledged his mistake, but at the same time tried to convince me that the reddish-brown colour I now had was actually ginger. I said I’d pay for the cut but not the colour. The receptionist took it quite well and arranged for me to come back the next day to get it fixed.” 

When Matilda returned, things were very uncomfortable: “My original stylist came out about 30 minutes after I had arrived and said, ‘I’m really sorry you weren’t happy and I hope it works out today,’ but it was all very awkward. Another colourist was going to do my hair, but kept telling me that it was almost impossible to return to my previously bright ginger again.” 

Disheartened and disappointed, Matilda burst into tears. Thankfully, the manager came and took over. “She had to strip all the colour off and recolour it. It all worked out, and I was happy with the final shade, but it was such a stressful couple of days and a real waste of time. They charged me half price for the colour in the end, and they did a bonus hydrating treatment, so I didn’t mind too much. I’m definitely scarred by the experience, though, and have stuck to at-home dye since.” 

In either instance, which side would Martin Lewis be on? Hairdressing is considered a service under the 2015 Consumer Rights Act, which states that appointments “must be provided with reasonable care and skill”. If the service is “not performed with reasonable care and skill, not performed within a reasonable time, or not performed in line with information given about the service,” consumers are entitled to request a “repeat performance” — essentially a complimentary second appointment to rectify the first — or a price reduction. 

When disputes arise, most hairdressers will offer a free appointment to put things right before resorting to a partial or total price reduction. If the mishap has happened in a salon rather than with an independent hairdresser, you're likely to get a different stylist for the follow-up fix appointment. This makes the situation less uncomfortable for both parties; no one wants to be awkwardly nibbling on a Lotus biscuit, avoiding eye contact with the person they complained about the day before. 

If you make a complaint, the hairdresser or salon manager will likely ask what you want the resolution to be: “Most people just want to feel heard, and things can usually be resolved with a calm, respectful conversation,” says hairdresser and salon owner Samantha Cusick. “As the hairdresser, it’s never about being defensive, it’s about being solution-focused.” Opting for a fix rather than refusing to pay is normally the most cost-effective solution for the client. If you go to another salon, you’ll have to pay full price for the mistakes of the previous one to be rectified. 

“When I was a salon manager, any complaints would usually have stemmed from the haircut not sitting right, which could be rectified by another, more senior stylist,” says Hale. But in the case of a real botched job, a fix might not be possible: “If the cut was too short or the hair had been what I would call ‘hacked beyond repair’, then I would always agree that the client would not have to pay,” continues Hale. “I would also offer complimentary haircuts until they were happy.” 

In extreme cases, if a hairdresser had caused you physical harm, maybe by cutting you with scissors, burning your skin with bleach or damaging your hair to the point that you have to shave it off, then you are also entitled to compensation as well as a refund on the initial service. Hopefully, this could be something that could be sorted between you and the business, but if not, you would need to go through the Small Claims Court to take further action. 

In the case of Hale’s client, who changed her mind after the fringe she had requested was cut in, the manager suspected this could be part of a pattern where clients attempt to avoid payment. It happens more often than you think; it’s the salon equivalent of planting a hair in your food before calling the waiter over to ask for a new plate. Except in this scenario, there’s more to lose. Unless it’s some kind of incredibly rare caviar, a plate of food can be returned and remade at a minor cost to the restaurant. In the salon, however, a stylist’s time has been wasted, and they won’t be able to recoup what, with a big colour appointment, can be hours of their time. Many hairdressers are self-employed or rent a chair in a salon, which means they don’t earn a salary and will have effectively worked for free if a client refuses to pay. 

For this reason, it is especially unfair to refuse to pay for a cut or colour simply because it didn’t work for you. Many factors are at play with hair styling, including your hair texture and face shape, that can impact the final result. Colour also involves a level of chemistry that means mistakes can happen. If it was a genuinely bad job — not ‘performed with reasonable care and skill’ (or ‘hacked beyond repair,’ as Hale mentioned) — then it is entirely reasonable to discuss the possibility of not paying or getting the service free of charge, but not simply because you don’t like it. Plus, even if you’re upset as you leave the salon, you might feel differently about the cut or colour once you’ve washed and styled it yourself. 

As a client, the best way to avoid disappointment is to have a vision and communicate it well. Hale allows 15 minutes for a consultation with new clients and encourages them to bring photos. “This gives me a clear idea of exactly what they like,” she explains. “I even sometimes ask clients to show me photos of hair they don’t like. I can then set realistic expectations about what can be achieved. I always like to under promise and over deliver.” 

The useful thing about photos is that they are less subjective and open to interpretation than words. One person might consider a long bob to sit on their collarbone, while someone else might think of it as shoulder-skimming. Photos are also helpful if you find hairdressing jargon confusing. You might not know how to articulate the intricacies of an Italian bob, but you can show your stylist a picture of Raye. 

Bringing a Pinterest board of inspiration isn’t essential for every visit, but is non-negotiable if you’re going for a significant change or visiting a new hairdresser for the first time. In this instance, Cusick, like Hale, ensures a pre-appointment consultation: “It gives time to align, set realistic expectations and plan properly without the pressure of diving in there and then. Clear communication sets the tone for trust and a successful result,” she explains. 

Trust is key. Hair is a significant part of our identity, so it’s paramount that you trust that your stylist understands you and your hair. This trust takes time to build, and that’s exactly why it’s not a good idea to have a notable restyle on your first appointment with a new hairdresser, as Matilda learnt the hard way. Have a trim or get your roots done, and chat about whether the idea you have in mind is achievable. It takes the pressure off the next appointment if you already have a relationship to build on. 

It’s worth noting that while learning how to cut, style and colour afro hair was made part of The National Occupational Standards for Hairdressing legislation in 2021, hairdressers who trained before this time could qualify without it. This means that, unless they have taken a separate course or been given additional training by the salon they work at, a staggering proportion of hairdressers are not qualified in afro hair. This puts Black women at a huge disadvantage, increasing the likelihood of unhappy results. Again, this is where consultation and building trust become even more important, so you can be confident that your hairstylist fully understands your hair texture and has plenty of relevant experience. Looking at their social media can be helpful here to see examples of their previous work. 

Ultimately, whether it’s ever okay not to pay for your hair will depend on the situation, and blame can fall on both sides. Clients put their trust in a hairdresser and expect them to deliver what they asked for, and hairdressers deserve to be paid for their talent and time. It all boils down to having a trusting relationship. If you don’t gel with your hairdresser, try another — it’ll mean no one is left out of pocket, and no one needs to wear a cap for the next month.