HOW TO HIRE · BEAUTY & GROOMING

How to hire a hair colourist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Hair colourists are not licensed or registered anywhere in the UK. Here is the skin test, what to ask, and what to do if the colour goes wrong.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a hair colourist in five steps

  1. Book the skin test firstA patch test before any colour, with time to spare before the appointment.
  2. Tell them everythingBox dye, henna, previous lightener, recent relaxer — it changes what is safe.
  3. Bring two photosA shade you want and a shade you do not.
  4. Get the full priceRoots, full head or highlights, plus toner, bond builder and blow dry.
  5. Check it in daylightBefore you leave, by a window — and speak up then.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

You will not find hair colourists on any official register in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, because none exists. What you check in a hair colourist is training, insurance and how they work.

Ask for their training and three or four photos of their own work, not stock images.

Insurance that covers the hair colour

Ask the hair colourist about insurance before the hair colour, not after: policies list the treatments they cover, and anything left off the schedule is not insured.

A photo of the schedule is enough: it should list the hair colour by name.

Trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply when hair colourists trade as a business: the hair colour must be done with reasonable care and skill, and if it is not, you can ask for a repeat or a lower price.

Confirm the trader badge on Locufy and hold on to the written booking. legislation.gov.uk →

Skin test before colour

No register or law sets a skin test, but a patch test before colour is one of the checks that matters in place of a register, and the hair colourist should do it with time to spare before the hair colour.

Ask the hair colourist when the test is done and how long they wait before colouring.

VAT

Hair colour, from roots to full colour correction, is standard-rated at 20%. A salon with taxable turnover over £90,000 must register and add VAT to the colour, the toner and the blow dry, showing it as its own line; a hair colourist renting a chair below that may charge none.

Ask whose VAT number goes on the receipt, the salon's or the hair colourist's own, and check VAT is shown. gov.uk →

“When will you do the skin test, and how long before the hair colour?”

A good answer: A test booked ahead, with a clear wait. Colour on the day of a first test is a corner cut.

“What will my hair history change about the colour?”

A good answer: A strand test, a softer result or more sessions — not a shrug.

“Is toner, gloss and the blow dry in the hair colour price?”

A good answer: Each named as included or extra.

“How much upkeep will this colour need?”

A good answer: Weeks between root touch-ups, and the cost of each.

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

A good answer: Photos on a similar base and length, by the hair colourist you book.

“What happens if the shade is wrong?”

A good answer: A fix within an agreed window, free, if the colour is not what was agreed.

“What will you do if my scalp stings during processing?”

A good answer: Rinse it off straight away and stop — said without hesitation.

Getting the quote right

  • The colour service — roots, full head, highlights — for your length
  • Toner, gloss, bond builder and blow dry, each in or out
  • The skin test date
  • Colour correction priced separately if your hair needs it, before you start
  • Who actually attends: the hair colourist you booked for the colour, and whether an assistant applies toner or blow-dries; employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number of whoever bills you, with VAT apart from the colour and any correction

Walk away if

  • No skin test, or "we never bother"
  • No questions about box dye or henna
  • A promised result your hair history makes unlikely
  • A bill with toner and treatment added that were never quoted
LOW
£40
TYPICAL
£100
HIGH
£180

What a hair colourist costs: £40–£180 per service

Hair colourists price by the service — roots, full colour or highlights — set by length, with toner and correction often extra. Hair Colouring 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

Hair colourists 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. Consultation and skin testHair history taken and a skin test done ahead of the appointment; a strand test if needed.
  2. ApplicationColour or lightener applied to plan, kept off the skin where possible.
  3. ProcessingTimed and checked by the hair colourist, not left unattended.
  4. Rinse and toneRinsed, conditioned and toned if the plan calls for it.
  5. FinishBlow dried, shown in daylight and home care explained.

Skin test
A patch test of the colour on your skin before the appointment.
Root touch-up
Colour on the regrowth only.
Highlights
Sections of hair lightened, usually in foils.
Toner
A colour that adjusts the shade after lightening.
Colour correction
Fixing banding, patches or box dye — priced separately.
Strand test
A small section coloured first to see the result.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the colour formulaAsk the hair colourist to note what was used; a repeat or a fix needs it.
Watch your scalp for two daysItching, swelling or a rash after colour: stop using products and get medical advice.
Use the fix-up windowAsk how long a tone fix is free and get it in a message.
Leave the reviewRate the hair colour from your Locufy booking once it is finished. If the hair colour is not right, use the make-it-right step first so the hair colourist can put it right before the review goes up.

STEP 1Tell the hair colourist, in writingSay what is wrong with the hair colour and whether you want it redone or money back. A trader owes you reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, so a hair colour that falls short can be put right or partly refunded.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyGive the hair colour under four stars and we ask whether to send it to the hair colourist first; we follow it through with them, and then you review.
STEP 3No regulator — Trading StandardsNo body licenses a hair colourist, so a hair colour 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 hair colourist will not refund or redo the hair colour, 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 hair colourist: questions people ask

No — there is no licence and no register for hair colourists anywhere in the UK. Judge them on their work and their insurance instead.

A hair colour that falls below reasonable care and skill breaches the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Ask the hair colourist in writing for a free redo; if that is refused or fails, ask for a reduction.

£40–£180 per service, typically around £100. Root touch-ups cost least; full highlights, long hair and premium salons cost most. Our hair colouring price guide breaks the figure down; to see what hair colourists near you charge, search your town above.

Colour products can cause allergic reactions, and the test is done ahead of time so a reaction can show before the appointment. A careful hair colourist books it, every time for a new client.

Often, but it changes the plan. Tell the hair colourist; they may need a strand test or a colour correction first.

Tell them in writing quickly. A colour that is not what was agreed was not done with reasonable care and skill, and you can ask for a fix or a price reduction.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in beauty & grooming

How to hire: Mobile HairdresserHow to hire: Blow Dry & StylingHow 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 →

Hair colourists near you

Hair colourists in LondonHair colourists in ManchesterHair colourists in BirminghamHair colourists in GlasgowHair colourists in BelfastAll hair colourists 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