HOW TO HIRE · BEAUTY & GROOMING

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

Hair treatment specialists need no licence anywhere in the UK. Here is what to ask about the product, the price and what to do if it goes wrong.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a hair treatment specialist in five steps

  1. Ask which productThe brand and type of treatment, and what it does — repair, gloss, smoothing.
  2. Tell them your historyRecent colour, relaxer or keratin changes what is safe to add.
  3. Ask how long it lastsA mask lasts a wash or two; smoothing can last months.
  4. Get the price for your lengthLong, thick hair takes more product and time.
  5. Follow the aftercareSome smoothing treatments need days before washing.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

You will not find hair treatment specialists on any official register in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, because none exists. That leaves the hair treatment specialist's training, insurance and photos of real work as your checks.

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

Insurance that covers the hair treatment

The insurance norm for hair treatment specialists is cover written for each treatment, so a hair treatment specialist whose schedule leaves out the hair treatment is not insured for it.

Ask to see the policy schedule, and look for the hair treatment on it.

Trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

Buying a hair treatment from a hair treatment specialist who trades brings the Consumer Rights Act 2015 with it: the work has to meet the standard of reasonable care and skill, with a redo or partial refund if it misses.

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

VAT

Hair and scalp treatments are standard-rated at 20%. A salon over the £90,000 threshold must charge VAT on each treatment in a course and show it as a separate line from the treatment price.

Ask for the salon's VAT number and for VAT shown on the course price as well as on single treatments. gov.uk →

“Which hair treatment do you recommend for my hair, and why?”

A good answer: A recommendation based on damage and porosity the specialist has checked.

“What is in the smoothing product, and can I see its safety information?”

A good answer: A named product, its instructions and a willingness to show you.

“Is the room ventilated during heat-activated treatments?”

A good answer: Yes, with an extractor or open window — a hair treatment specialist who has thought about fumes.

“How long will the hair treatment last?”

A good answer: An honest interval, not "forever".

“Can I colour before or after?”

A good answer: Clear timings, so colour and the hair treatment do not undo each other.

“What aftercare does it need?”

A good answer: Shampoo type, washing timings and heat use, in writing.

“What if my scalp reacts?”

A good answer: Rinse and stop at once, and advice on what to do next.

Getting the quote right

  • The treatment by name, for your length and thickness
  • Whether a blow dry or finish is included
  • Aftercare products — needed, included or extra
  • How many sessions, for scalp or repair courses
  • Who actually attends: the hair treatment specialist you booked, or a junior stylist, and whether that stylist is employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number on the receipt, with VAT on the treatment and the aftercare products apart

Walk away if

  • They will not name the product
  • Heat-activated smoothing in a closed room with no ventilation
  • No questions about colour or relaxer history
  • A course sold before your hair has been looked at
LOW
£15
TYPICAL
£55
HIGH
£150

What a hair treatment specialist costs: £15–£150 per treatment

Hair treatment specialists price per treatment, set by the product and your hair length, with courses priced per session. Hair Treatments 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 treatment specialists 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. AssessmentDamage, porosity and scalp checked, and the treatment chosen.
  2. CleanseA clarifying or gentle wash to prepare the hair.
  3. Apply and processThe product applied to instructions and timed.
  4. Heat or sealHeat-activated treatments sealed in with ventilation on.
  5. Finish and aftercareRinsed or dried, styled, and the hair treatment specialist explains aftercare.

Bond builder
A treatment that repairs internal bonds broken by colour or heat.
Keratin smoothing
A heat-sealed treatment that reduces frizz for weeks or months.
Gloss
A quick shine and tone treatment.
Porosity
How easily hair takes in and loses moisture.
Clarifying wash
A wash that strips build-up before a treatment.
Hair botox
A conditioning treatment — not botulinum toxin, despite the name.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the product nameWrite down the treatment used; the next stylist will ask.
Follow the washing rulesSome treatments need days before the first wash.
Watch for a reactionItching or burning after a hair treatment: rinse and get advice.
Leave the reviewLocufy only takes reviews from people who booked. If the hair treatment is not right, use the make-it-right step first so the hair treatment specialist can put it right before the review goes up.

STEP 1Tell the hair treatment specialist, in writingGive the hair treatment specialist the chance to fix it: a dated message, photos and the remedy you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 standard is reasonable care and skill.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyGive the hair treatment under four stars and we ask whether to send it to the hair treatment specialist first; we follow it through with them, and then you review.
STEP 3No regulator — Trading StandardsNo body licenses a hair treatment specialist, so a hair treatment 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 treatment specialist will not refund or redo the hair treatment, 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 treatment specialist: questions people ask

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

Reasonable care and skill — the Consumer Rights Act 2015 standard — applies to every hair treatment bought from a trader. Write to them, ask for it to be put right, and if it cannot be, ask for money back.

£15–£150 per treatment, typically around £55. A gloss costs least; keratin smoothing and long, thick hair cost most. Our hair treatments price guide breaks the figure down; to see what hair treatment specialists near you charge, search your town above.

No. It is a conditioning treatment for hair and contains no botulinum toxin, which is a prescription-only medicine.

Ask the hair treatment specialist: a mask can be every visit, while smoothing or repair courses have set intervals.

Tell the specialist in writing. Damage from a treatment not done with reasonable care and skill can be put right or the price reduced.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in beauty & grooming

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

Hair treatment specialists near you

Hair treatment specialists in LondonHair treatment specialists in ManchesterHair treatment specialists in BirminghamHair treatment specialists in GlasgowHair treatment specialists in BelfastAll hair treatment specialists 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