Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2 October 2026
Virgin Hair Directory respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, when it may be shared, how long we keep it and the rights you have under UK data-protection law.
This policy applies when you visit VirginHairDirectory.com, create or use an account, submit a review or rating, contact us, make a complaint, interact with a vendor listing, sign up for communications or otherwise use our website or services.
1. Who we are
Virgin Hair Directory is operated by:
Mo Cameron, trading as Virgin Hair Directory
Location: Hackney, London, United Kingdom
Email: info@virginhairdirectory.com
Website: VirginHairDirectory.com
Mo Cameron, trading as Virgin Hair Directory, is the data controller responsible for deciding how and why personal information collected through Virgin Hair Directory is used.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we use your information, your data-protection rights or wish to make a data-protection complaint, contact us at:
2. The laws that apply
We process personal information in accordance with applicable UK privacy and data-protection law, including:
- the UK General Data Protection Regulation
- the Data Protection Act 2018
- the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, where applicable
- relevant amendments introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
These laws require personal information to be handled lawfully, fairly and transparently.
3. What personal information we may collect
The information we collect depends on how you use Virgin Hair Directory.
Account information
If you register for an account or use account features, we may collect:
- your email address
- username
- account ID
- password authentication information
- account preferences
- registration date
- login history
- account status
- information associated with your account activity
Passwords should be handled by the website’s authentication system and are not intended to be stored by us in readable plain text.
Reviews and ratings
If you submit a review, rating or other user-generated content, we may collect:
- your username or display name
- email address
- account information
- the vendor you are reviewing
- your written review
- individual ratings
- overall rating
- date of submission
- information voluntarily included in your review
- technical information associated with the submission
- information or evidence supplied to verify a review, where necessary
- correspondence relating to moderation or a review dispute
Approved reviews and ratings may be displayed publicly.
We do not intend to publish your private account information or email address as part of a public review.
Contact information
If you contact Virgin Hair Directory, we may collect:
- your name
- email address
- telephone number, if you choose to provide it
- your message
- attachments
- correspondence between you and Virgin Hair Directory
Complaints and reports
If you report a review, challenge information on a listing, make a complaint or raise a data-protection concern, we may collect:
- your name and contact information
- details of your complaint
- information about the vendor, reviewer or other person concerned
- correspondence
- supporting evidence
- documents or screenshots
- information needed to investigate and respond
Vendor and business information
Virgin Hair Directory creates and maintains information about hair vendors.
This may include:
- vendor or trading name
- business website
- business email address
- business telephone number
- country or general location
- social-media profiles
- products and services offered
- hair types and categories
- delivery information
- business policies
- publicly available business information
- information supplied directly by a vendor
Most information about incorporated companies or businesses will not itself be personal information.
However, information relating to a sole trader, named business owner, employee or other identifiable individual may constitute personal information.
Technical information
When you visit the website, we or our technical service providers may automatically process information such as:
- IP address
- browser type
- device type
- operating system
- approximate location derived from technical information
- date and time of access
- pages viewed
- referring website
- website interactions
- login activity
- error logs
- security logs
- cookie or similar identifiers where applicable
We may use this information to operate, secure, troubleshoot and improve the website.
4. Where we obtain information
We may obtain information:
- directly from you
- when you register or use an account
- when you submit a review or rating
- when you contact us
- when you make a complaint or report
- automatically through your use of the website
- from hair vendors
- from vendor websites
- from publicly accessible social-media profiles
- from publicly available business directories and registers
- from other publicly available online sources
- from users who report or suggest information
- from technical providers involved in running or protecting the website
Where we obtain personal information about an identifiable person from another source, we will provide the required privacy information where UK data-protection law requires us to do so.
The ICO states that, where personal information is obtained from another source, privacy information generally needs to be provided within a reasonable period and normally no later than one month, unless an applicable exemption applies. Information Commissioner’s Office
5. How and why we use your information
We only use personal information where we have a lawful basis for doing so.
Depending on the circumstances, our lawful bases may include contract, legitimate interests, legal obligation and consent.
Accounts and website services
We may use account information to:
- create and manage accounts
- authenticate users
- provide account features
- maintain account security
- communicate about an account
Our lawful basis may be performance of a contract or taking steps connected with providing the service requested by you.
We may also rely on our legitimate interests in operating and protecting the website.
Operating the vendor directory
We may use vendor and business information to:
- create directory listings
- maintain listings
- categorise vendors
- enable search and filtering
- correct inaccurate information
- provide users with information about vendors
Where personal information is involved, we generally rely on our legitimate interests in operating an independent hair-vendor directory and providing useful business information to users.
Reviews and ratings
We may process review information to:
- publish genuine reviews
- calculate or display ratings
- moderate submissions
- investigate suspected fake or misleading reviews
- prevent abuse
- resolve disputes
- enforce our Review Policy
- protect the integrity of Virgin Hair Directory
We generally rely on our legitimate interests in operating a trustworthy review and directory service.
Security and fraud prevention
We may process information to:
- protect accounts
- prevent spam
- identify suspicious activity
- prevent misuse
- detect attempted attacks
- investigate security incidents
- protect Virgin Hair Directory and its users
We rely on legitimate interests and, where applicable, legal obligations.
Responding to enquiries
We use information you provide to respond to questions, requests and correspondence.
Depending on the circumstances, our lawful basis may be legitimate interests or steps connected with providing a requested service.
Complaints and disputes
We may use information to:
- investigate complaints
- respond to disputes
- handle review challenges
- consider requests to correct or remove information
- establish, exercise or defend legal claims
- comply with legal obligations
Our lawful bases may include legitimate interests and legal obligation.
Marketing
Where we send electronic marketing that requires consent, we will rely on your consent.
You can withdraw that consent at any time.
Cookies and similar technologies
Where consent is legally required for cookies or similar technologies, we rely on consent.
Technologies that are strictly necessary for a service requested by you may not require consent.
ICO guidance states that users must be informed about cookies and that consent must be actively given for cookies that require consent. Non-essential cookies should not be set before the necessary consent is obtained. Information Commissioner’s Office
6. Our legitimate interests
Where we rely on legitimate interests, those interests may include:
- operating Virgin Hair Directory
- maintaining a useful vendor directory
- providing independent information about hair vendors
- publishing and managing reviews
- preventing fake, fraudulent or abusive reviews
- maintaining accurate directory information
- protecting users
- protecting vendors
- maintaining website security
- detecting fraud and misuse
- responding to complaints
- improving website functionality
- protecting our legal rights
- operating Virgin Hair Directory as a sustainable business
We consider whether the processing is necessary for the relevant purpose and whether your rights and interests outweigh our interests.
The ICO describes this as considering the purpose, necessity and balancing of the organisation’s interests against the individual’s rights and freedoms. Information Commissioner’s Office
7. Public reviews and other public content
Information submitted for public display may be available to anyone using the internet.
This may include:
- display name
- review
- rating
- review date
- other information you deliberately include in public content
Public content may also be indexed by search engines or copied, cached or stored by third parties outside our control.
You should therefore avoid including:
- your home address
- private telephone numbers
- private email addresses
- financial information
- passwords
- identity documents
- health information
- sensitive personal information
- private information about another person
Submitting content does not guarantee publication.
We may moderate, reject, redact, suspend or remove content where reasonably necessary to comply with law, enforce our policies, investigate suspected fake reviews, protect people or maintain the integrity of Virgin Hair Directory.
8. Special category and highly sensitive information
Virgin Hair Directory does not normally require special category personal information.
This includes information revealing or concerning:
- racial or ethnic origin
- political opinions
- religious or philosophical beliefs
- trade-union membership
- genetic information
- biometric information used for identification
- health
- sex life
- sexual orientation
Please do not include this information in reviews unless genuinely necessary.
We also discourage users from publishing private information about other people or allegations concerning criminal conduct.
Where sensitive information is submitted unexpectedly, we may redact, restrict or remove it and will only retain or otherwise process it where permitted by law.
9. Sharing personal information
We do not sell personal information.
We may share personal information where reasonably necessary with categories of organisations such as:
- website hosting providers
- website and database providers
- email service providers
- security and anti-spam services
- backup providers
- website developers or technical support providers
- analytics providers, where used
- cookie-consent services
- payment providers if paid services are introduced
- professional advisers, such as solicitors or accountants
- insurers
- regulators
- courts
- law-enforcement authorities
- government bodies where legally required
Where an organisation processes personal information on our behalf, we expect it to use the information only for authorised purposes and to provide appropriate security.
We may also disclose information where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or to comply with a legal obligation.
10. Complaints involving another person or business
Where a complaint concerns a reviewer, vendor or another person, we may sometimes need to share relevant parts of the complaint with that person or organisation so that the matter can be investigated fairly.
We will consider what information is necessary before making a disclosure and will not intentionally disclose unrelated personal information.
There may be circumstances where it is not possible to investigate a complaint properly without revealing some information about the complainant.
11. International transfers
The internet and the services used to operate websites can involve information being processed outside the United Kingdom.
Some of our service providers may store or process information in other countries.
Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will use an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism where required.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include:
- UK adequacy regulations
- approved contractual safeguards
- the UK International Data Transfer Agreement
- the UK Addendum to approved Standard Contractual Clauses
- another lawful transfer mechanism
We will also consider whether additional safeguards are required.
Content deliberately made public on Virgin Hair Directory may be accessed from anywhere in the world.
12. How long we keep information
We only retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including where necessary to satisfy legal, accounting, security, fraud-prevention or dispute-related requirements.
We consider factors including:
- the reason the information was collected
- whether an account remains active
- whether information remains relevant to the directory
- whether a review remains published
- whether there is an unresolved complaint
- whether information is needed to prevent fraud or repeated abuse
- legal limitation periods
- regulatory requirements
- security requirements
- whether information can instead be anonymised
In general:
Account information may be kept while an account is active and afterwards where reasonably necessary for security, complaints, fraud prevention or legal purposes.
Reviews and ratings may remain for as long as they remain relevant and lawfully published.
Review moderation records may be retained where necessary to prevent abuse, deal with disputes or demonstrate how a moderation decision was reached.
Enquiries may be retained for a reasonable period after they have been resolved.
Complaints and disputes may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to resolve the matter and protect legal rights.
Marketing information will be retained until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or it is no longer required. We may retain minimal suppression information to ensure that somebody who has opted out is not accidentally contacted again.
Security and technical logs are retained only for a period considered appropriate for security, troubleshooting and fraud prevention.
When information is no longer required, we will delete or anonymise it where reasonably practicable.
13. Cookies
Virgin Hair Directory may use cookies and similar technologies.
These can include technologies required for:
- account login
- authentication
- website security
- session management
- remembering preferences
- website functionality
Other technologies may be used, where implemented, for purposes such as:
- analytics
- performance measurement
- embedded third-party services
- advertising
- marketing
Where consent is required, non-essential technologies will only be activated after the necessary consent has been obtained.
Users should be provided with a means of controlling non-essential cookies. The ICO recommends identifying necessary and non-necessary technologies and maintaining appropriate records of cookie consent. Information Commissioner’s Office
More detailed information should be available in our separate Cookie Policy and cookie settings.
14. Marketing communications
If you choose to subscribe to marketing communications, we may send information relating to:
- Virgin Hair Directory
- hair-vendor information
- new website content
- hair guides
- offers
- promotions
- relevant updates
Where consent is required, we will not send this marketing unless you have actively agreed to receive it.
You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe facility provided in a marketing email or by contacting:
Withdrawing marketing consent will not prevent us from sending necessary non-marketing communications relating to an account, security issue, complaint or service request.
15. Social media and third-party websites
Virgin Hair Directory may contain links to external websites and social-media services, including vendor websites, Instagram and TikTok.
When you leave VirginHairDirectory.com and visit another website, that organisation is responsible for its own privacy practices.
You should read the relevant organisation’s privacy information before providing personal information.
An ordinary external link does not mean that Virgin Hair Directory controls that organisation’s processing of personal information.
If third-party content is embedded directly into Virgin Hair Directory in the future, we will consider whether the technology requires cookie or privacy consent before it loads.
16. Keeping your information secure
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:
- unauthorised access
- accidental loss
- unlawful disclosure
- alteration
- misuse
- destruction
- cyberattack
Measures may include:
- access restrictions
- secure authentication
- password protection
- software updates
- website security controls
- backups
- anti-spam protection
- logging and monitoring
- limiting access to people who reasonably require it
No internet service can guarantee absolute security.
If a personal-data breach occurs, we will assess the breach and make any notifications required by law.
17. Children
Virgin Hair Directory is not designed specifically for children.
We do not knowingly seek personal information from children under the age of 13.
If we become aware that personal information has been collected from a child in circumstances where it should not have been collected or retained, we will take appropriate action.
Where our services are likely to be accessed by children, we will take account of the additional privacy protections applicable to children.
18. Your data-protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the following rights.
Right of access
You can ask whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of that information.
Right to rectification
You can ask us to correct inaccurate information or complete information that is incomplete.
Right to erasure
In certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete personal information.
This right is not absolute. There may be circumstances where we are entitled or required to retain information.
Right to restrict processing
In certain circumstances, you can ask us to restrict how personal information is used.
Right to object
Where we rely on legitimate interests, you may have the right to object to the processing.
We will consider your objection in accordance with applicable data-protection law.
Right to object to direct marketing
You have the right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time.
If you object to direct marketing, we will stop using your information for that purpose.
Right to data portability
Where the legal requirements apply, you may have the right to receive certain personal information you provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or ask for it to be transferred to another organisation.
Right to withdraw consent
Where processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.
Withdrawal will not make processing carried out before withdrawal unlawful.
Rights relating to automated decision-making
You may have rights where personal information is used to make certain significant decisions solely through automated processing.
You will not usually have to pay a fee to exercise your data-protection rights.
We may ask for information reasonably necessary to confirm your identity before disclosing or changing personal information.
Data-protection rights are not absolute and particular rights may not apply in every situation.
Organisations generally have one calendar month to respond to data-protection rights requests, subject to the rules that allow additional time in certain circumstances. Information Commissioner’s Office
19. Automated decision-making
Virgin Hair Directory does not currently use personal information to make decisions about individuals solely by automated means that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
The website may use automated functionality for ordinary purposes such as:
- search
- filtering
- security
- spam detection
- login protection
- technical website functionality
These functions are not intended to make legally or similarly significant decisions about individuals.
If this changes, this Privacy Policy will be updated and the information required by law will be provided.
20. How to exercise your rights
You may exercise your data-protection rights by emailing:
Please explain what you are requesting and provide enough information for us to identify the relevant information.
Where reasonably necessary, we may ask for evidence to confirm your identity or authority to act for another person.
You do not need to use legal language or quote a particular section of data-protection law.
21. Data-protection complaints
If you are unhappy with how Virgin Hair Directory has collected, stored, used, shared or otherwise handled your personal information, you can make a data-protection complaint directly to us.
Send your complaint to:
Please include enough information for us to understand:
- what has happened
- what information is concerned
- why you are unhappy
- what you would like us to consider
We will acknowledge receipt of a data-protection complaint within 30 days, investigate it appropriately and communicate the outcome without undue delay.
From June 2026, organisations handling personal data are required to provide a way for people to complain directly, acknowledge complaints within 30 days and investigate and respond appropriately. An email address is an acceptable way of receiving complaints, so you do not need to create a separate complaints form solely to satisfy this requirement. Information Commissioner’s Office
22. Complaining to the Information Commissioner’s Office
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data-protection regulator.
You can find information about raising a complaint at:
ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your concern first, but contacting us does not affect your right to approach the ICO.
The ICO confirms that organisations must tell people both that they can complain to the organisation and that they can complain to the ICO. Information Commissioner’s Office
23. Providing information to us
You are not generally legally required to provide personal information merely because you visit VirginHairDirectory.com.
However, certain information may be required if you choose to use particular services.
For example:
- an email address may be required to register an account
- authentication details are required to sign in
- information is required to submit a review
- contact information may be required if you want us to respond to an enquiry
- sufficient information may be required for us to investigate a complaint or rights request
If you do not provide information necessary for a particular service, we may be unable to provide that service.
24. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.
This may happen because:
- Virgin Hair Directory introduces new features
- our use of personal information changes
- website technology changes
- service providers change
- legislation changes
- regulatory guidance changes
The current version will display the date on which it was last updated.
Where a change materially affects how we use personal information already collected, we will take appropriate steps to bring the change to the attention of affected individuals where required.
25. Contact Virgin Hair Directory
For questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, your data-protection rights or a data-protection complaint, contact:
Mo Cameron
Trading as Virgin Hair Directory
Location: Hackney, London, United Kingdom
Email: info@virginhairdirectory.com
Website: VirginHairDirectory.com