HOW TO HIRE · BEAUTY & GROOMING

How to hire a blow dry stylist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

There is no UK register to look blow dry stylists up on. Here is what to check, what to ask, and what to do if the style does not hold.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a blow dry stylist in five steps

  1. Show the look you wantA photo of the finish — sleek, bouncy, curls or an up-do — and one of your own hair.
  2. Say what it is forA wedding or a party needs more hold and more time than a weekday blow dry.
  3. Check the price for your lengthLong, thick hair costs more; get the figure for yours.
  4. Ask about productsMention any sensitivity, and whether heat protectant is used.
  5. Mobile? Have a socket readyA stylist who comes to you needs power, a chair and good light.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

The law in all four UK nations is silent on blow dry stylists — no licence, no register, no required qualification. A blow dry stylist's portfolio and insurance do the job a register would.

Ask how many years they have done this kind of blow dry, and look through photos of their own clients.

Insurance that covers the blow dry

Without public liability insurance, a blow dry stylist who injures you has to pay out of their own pocket, so ask whether the blow dry appears on the schedule of their insurance.

Ask the blow dry stylist for the insurer's name and the schedule line that covers the blow dry.

Trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers a blow dry bought from a blow dry stylist in business. Reasonable care and skill is the standard; below it, you can require the work again or a reduction.

The trader badge shows on the blow dry stylist's Locufy profile; save the booking message as your record. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A blow dry or an up-do from a registered blow dry stylist is charged VAT at 20%. The £90,000 turnover threshold decides who must register; a blow dry bar above it charges VAT and shows it separately, while a freelance stylist below it usually charges none.

Ask whether a VAT number goes on the receipt, and if VAT is shown, check it is 20% of the styling price. gov.uk →

“Can I see blow dries you have done on hair like mine?”

A good answer: Photos of the finish on similar length and texture, done by the blow dry stylist you book.

“How long will it take for my length?”

A good answer: A real time, so an occasion blow dry is not rushed.

“Is the wash included?”

A good answer: A yes or no; some prices assume you arrive with clean hair.

“Do you use heat protectant?”

A good answer: Yes, every time — and the blow dry stylist can name the products.

“Will it hold all day, or all night?”

A good answer: Honest advice about what your hair will hold, and what product or pins help.

“Is an up-do priced differently?”

A good answer: A separate price for up-dos and occasion styling, quoted before the day.

“If you come to me, what do you need?”

A good answer: A socket, a chair at the right height and light — and any travel charge named.

Getting the quote right

  • The finish asked for, for your length and thickness
  • Wash and products — included or extra
  • Up-do or occasion styling as its own line
  • A travel charge if the blow dry stylist comes to you
  • Who actually attends: the blow dry stylist you booked, or whoever is free on the day, and whether they are employed or subcontracted by the bar or salon
  • A VAT number on the receipt if the business is registered, with VAT apart from the finish and any up-do

Walk away if

  • No photos of their own finished work
  • No heat protectant, or straighteners on wet hair
  • The price changes once they see your hair, with no reason
  • A mobile stylist who will not say what they charge to travel
LOW
£20
TYPICAL
£35
HIGH
£65

What a blow dry stylist costs: £20–£65 per visit

Blow dry stylists price by the visit, set by hair length and the finish, with up-dos and home visits priced above a salon blow dry. Blow Dry & Styling price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Blow dry stylists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. ConsultationThe look and the occasion agreed, with photos, and your hair checked.
  2. Wash and prepWashed, conditioned and heat protectant on.
  3. Rough dryWater taken out before the brush work, so the style lasts.
  4. Brush and heat stylingSections dried with the brush; curls or waves set with tongs or straighteners if asked for.
  5. FinishProduct for hold and shine, the back shown in a mirror and the blow dry stylist's tips for keeping it.

Round brush
The barrel brush used to give volume and a smooth finish.
Rough dry
Drying most of the water out before styling starts.
Heat protectant
A product put on before heat to limit damage.
Up-do
Hair pinned up — priced above a blow dry.
Bouncy blow dry
A volume finish with soft curl at the ends.
Sectioning
Dividing the hair so each part is dried evenly.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the bookingThe style, the time and the price agreed, in one message.
Check the backAsk for a hand mirror before you leave; a good blow dry stylist offers one.
Ask how to keep itWhat to sleep in, and what to do if it drops.
Leave the reviewOnly a blow dry booked through Locufy can be reviewed there. If the blow dry is not right, use the make-it-right step first so the blow dry stylist can put it right before the review goes up.

STEP 1Tell the blow dry stylist, in writingRaise it within days, by message, not just in the chair. If the blow dry was below the reasonable care and skill the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires, ask for a repeat or a reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyGive the blow dry under four stars and we ask whether to send it to the blow dry stylist first; we follow it through with them, and then you review.
STEP 3No regulator — Trading StandardsNo body licenses a blow dry stylist, so a blow dry dispute you cannot settle goes to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline in Northern Ireland (0300 123 6262).
STEP 4Small claims, if it comes to moneyIf the blow dry stylist will not refund or redo the blow dry, you can claim without a solicitor: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a blow dry stylist: questions people ask

No. Nothing in UK law licenses or registers blow dry stylists, which is why training, insurance and their own work are what you check before a blow dry.

The blow dry stylist has to put a poor blow dry right at their own cost, within a reasonable time, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; where they cannot, part or all of the price comes back.

£20–£65 per visit, typically around £35. Long hair, an up-do and a stylist travelling to you take it towards the top figure. Our blow dry & styling price guide breaks the figure down; to see what blow dry stylists near you charge, search your town above.

As soon as you have the date and time — weekend mornings go first. Confirm the time and the finish in writing.

Fourteen days, counted from the day after booking (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). If the blow dry stylist came early at your request, the part already done is yours to pay for.

Tell the stylist that day. A finish that falls flat straight away may not have been done with reasonable care and skill; ask for a redo.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in beauty & grooming

How to hire: Mobile HairdresserHow to hire: Hair ColouringHow to hire: Balayage SpecialistHow to hire: Hair TreatmentsHow to hire: Hair ExtensionsHow to hire: Men's BarberHow to hire: Children's HaircutsHow to hire: Afro & Textured HairAll 701 hiring guides →

Blow dry stylists near you

Blow dry stylists in LondonBlow dry stylists in ManchesterBlow dry stylists in BirminghamBlow dry stylists in GlasgowBlow dry stylists in BelfastAll blow dry stylists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales), with London's Special Treatments Licence
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — your rights when a service falls short
  4. gov.uk — VAT rates
  5. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  6. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register