HOW TO HIRE · BEAUTY & GROOMING · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a hairdresser in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
Hairdressers need no licence anywhere in the UK. Here is what to check instead, what to ask, and what to do if the cut 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 hairdresser in five steps
- Look at their own cutsPhotos of hair like yours — length, texture, curl — cut by the hairdresser you will see, not the salon's best shots.
- Say what you want, with picturesOne photo of a cut you like and one you do not. It saves a long consultation and a short surprise.
- Get the price for your hairAsk the price for your length and the stylist's level, and whether the wash and blow dry are in it.
- Ask who cutsA junior and a director cost different amounts. Book the person, not just the slot.
- Pay after, and speak up earlyIf the cut is not right, say so before you leave; a good hairdresser fixes it there and then.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
Anyone in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland can offer a haircut — no law licenses hairdressers or keeps a register of them. A hairdresser's portfolio and insurance do the job a register would.
Look at their recent work on hair like yours and ask about their training.
Insurance that covers the haircut
The insurance norm for hairdressers is cover written for each treatment, so a hairdresser whose schedule leaves out the haircut is not insured for it.
A photo of the schedule is enough: it should list the haircut by name.
Trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015
Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply when hairdressers trade as a business: the haircut must be done with reasonable care and skill, and if it is not, you can ask for a repeat or a lower price.
The trader badge shows on the hairdresser's Locufy profile; save the booking message as your record. legislation.gov.uk →
VAT
A cut, colour or blow dry from a hairdresser is standard-rated at 20%. Once a salon's taxable turnover passes £90,000 it must register, charge VAT and show it on the receipt, but many hairdressers rent a chair and bill you themselves, below that figure and with no VAT.
Ask whether you are paying the salon or a self-employed hairdresser, and whose VAT number, if any, goes on the receipt. gov.uk →
A good answer: A clear answer and photos on similar hair. A hairdresser who only shows long, straight hair may not be the one for a curly bob.
A good answer: Junior, stylist, senior or director, with the price for each. The hairdresser should tell you which one you are booked with.
A good answer: A straight answer before you book. A cut-and-finish price and a dry-cut price are different services.
A good answer: Advice that fits your hair and how much time you spend on it each morning — a good hairdresser will talk you out of a cut that will not sit right.
A good answer: A time for the appointment and a rough interval for upkeep, so you know the real cost over a year.
A good answer: "Tell me before you leave, or within a few days, and I will put it right." A hairdresser with no answer has not thought about it.
A good answer: Yes, with the insurer's name. A hairdresser working from home or travelling to you should have cover for that too.
Getting the quote right
- The price for your hair length and the stylist's level, not the lowest figure on the menu
- What it includes: consultation, wash, cut, blow dry or rough dry, styling product
- Anything extra named up front — a fringe trim, a deep condition, a restyle consultation
- The cancellation and late-arrival terms, in the booking message
- Who actually attends: the hairdresser you asked for, or a junior or chair-renter, and whether they are employed by the salon or subcontracted
- The VAT number of whoever takes your money, salon or hairdresser, with VAT shown as its own line
Walk away if
- The hairdresser will not show photos of their own work, only stock images
- The price changes once you are in the chair, with no reason given
- No consultation: scissors out before they have asked what you want
- Dirty tools, a gown or towel used on the last client, or combs left out of the disinfectant
- They promise a look your hair type cannot hold without telling you what it needs
What a hairdresser costs: £30–£107 per visit
Hairdressers price by the visit, set by your hair length and the stylist's level; colour, treatments and extensions each have their own price. Hairdresser 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
Hairdressers 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.
- ConsultationThe hairdresser looks at your hair dry, asks about your routine and agrees the cut and the length before anything is cut.
- WashA wash and condition at the basin, unless a dry cut was agreed; water temperature checked with you.
- The cutSectioned and cut to the plan, with the length checked against what you agreed as it goes.
- Dry and refineBlow dried or rough dried, then the shape refined dry — the moment a careful cut is checked again.
- Show and adviseThe back shown in a mirror, the product named, and how to style it at home explained.
- Dry cut
- Cut without a wash, usually cheaper; the hair must arrive clean.
- Restyle
- A real change of shape or length, priced above a trim for the extra consultation and cutting time.
- Layers
- Hair cut to different lengths so it falls with movement rather than one blunt line.
- Blunt cut
- One even line at the ends, without layering.
- Rough dry
- Dried with a hairdryer but not styled with a brush — quicker than a blow dry.
- Stylist level
- The rank on the price list — junior, stylist, senior, director — that sets what you pay.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a hairdresser: questions people ask
No. Nothing in UK law licenses or registers hairdressers, which is why training, insurance and their own work are what you check before a haircut.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a haircut that was not done with reasonable care and skill can be redone free or partly refunded. Raise it quickly and in writing.
£30–£107 per visit, typically around £40. Long hair, a senior stylist and a city-centre salon push it towards the top figure. The hairdresser price guide explains each factor, and a search above lists hairdressers working in your area.
It is a personal choice and never part of the price. The price you agreed in writing is what the hairdresser can charge.
Yes. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you 14 days to cancel a service booked at a distance; if you asked for the haircut inside those 14 days and it has been done, the right is gone. For anything else, the hairdresser's cancellation terms in the booking apply.
Tell them in writing straight away. You agreed a length; a cut that ignores it was not done with reasonable care and skill, and you can ask for a price reduction.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in beauty & grooming
Hairdressers near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- gov.uk — tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales), with London's Special Treatments Licence
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — your rights when a service falls short
- gov.uk — VAT rates
- nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register