Mum’s fury at ‘racial discrimination’ after teen daughter charged extra at Sheffield beauty salon for having Afro-Caribbean hair

A furious mum has accused a Sheffield beauty salon of racial discrimination after they tried to charge her daughter extra because of her Afro-Caribbean hair.
Nicola Wright's daughter was upset after a salon tried to charge more because of the type of her hair.Nicola Wright's daughter was upset after a salon tried to charge more because of the type of her hair.
Nicola Wright's daughter was upset after a salon tried to charge more because of the type of her hair.

Nicola Wright bought a Groupon voucher for a facial and a wash and blow dry at the Lynda V. Price salon on Ecclesall Road which her 16-year-old daughter used.

However, halfway through the service, the teen was told she would have to pay an additional £10 as the voucher didn’t cover Afro-Caribbean hair types and textures.

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Nicola’s daughter – who did not want her name to be published – is mixed-race with both Jamaican and white British parents, and has ‘soft Afro-Caribbean hair’, her mum says.

Nicola's daughter's hair.Nicola's daughter's hair.
Nicola's daughter's hair.

But the Groupon offer didn’t say anything about it not applying to Afro-Caribbean hair, she says, arguing that treating people who don’t have European hair differently is ‘racial discrimination’.

She said: “She has been to the salon before and we haven’t had any issues. I have heard about places charging more for hair length but not texture.

“My daughter was crying when she rang me and said they had made her feel really uncomfortable.

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“When I got there she was stood outside the shop with wet hair. I said I am not paying the extra £10 and they refused to carry on.”

After Nicola said she was not leaving without a full refund, the salon called the police who said it was a civil matter between her, the salon and Groupon.

She has since complained to the voucher company, which said the terms and conditions of the offer do state that prices for different lengths and thicknesses of hair will be charged differently.

Nicola, however, says her daughter’s hair is not thicker than anyone else’s and that the salon have discriminated against her simply because she is mixed-race.

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“It is not fair,” she said. “She is being treated like this for not having European hair.”

Nicola – who works in sales – later took her daughter to a salon near her home in Crookes which said it would never charge clients more because of their race or ethnicity.

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said: “We received a call at around 1pm on June 15 with reports of a dispute between customers at the premises on Ecclesall Road. This is a civil matter and there is no further police action to be taken.”

Lynda V. Price’s owner said he was on holiday and was unwilling to comment until he had spoken to staff face-to-face.