Hairdressing Insurance
Specialist business insurance for freelance and mobile hairdressers or salon owners.
- Public liability for hairdressers
- Hairdressing insurance from £3.76 a month.*
- Flexible monthly payment plans at 0% APR
- Join over 150,000 customers**
From only £3.76* per month
Save 10% Onlineˆ
Get a quote for Hairdressing Insurance
We offer two types of insurance: one for hairdressers who only need public liability cover, and another for salon owners who also need cover for buildings, contents, or stock.
Public Liability for Hairdressing
Public Liability & Property Cover for Salon Owners
What does hairdresser insurance cover?
Our insurance for hairdressers includes the necessary cover to secure your business from incidents beyond your control. You’ll find public liability for hairdressing included as standard, with cover options up to £5 million. This protects you against claims for injury or property damage, whether caused during a treatment or as a result of using products.
Whether you’re self-employed working in a salon, a mobile hairdresser, a barber, or working at home, our hairdressing insurance provides financial protection should an incident occur that results in a claim against you. Cover can be extended to suit your needs, with optional extras such as personal accident, legal expenses and employers’ liability if you take on staff.
For those operating a physical premises, our salon insurance offers added protection, covering your contents, stock, equipment, glass, and any improvements made to a rented space. You can also include business interruption cover, helping protect your income if you’re unable to trade due to damage or other disruptions.
All cover can be adapted to match the scale of your business, ensuring you only pay for what you need.
Make sure you have the correct insurance for your activities and be sure to check if any exclusions are relevant to what you have planned in policy documentation.
Public Liability
Equipment & Stock
Employers' Liability
Professional Treatment
Public Liability for Professional Treatment
- From £2 million to £10 million of cover.
- Protection from claims by a third-party who gets injured during an appointment or has their property damaged.
- Cover for the professional treatments you provide including protection if a treatment you perform causes injury or damage, such as harm to a client’s hair or an adverse reaction to a product.
Equipment & Stock
- Up to £250 of cover included, with a £75 excess.
- Add up to £12,000 worth of cover at additional rates.
- Cover is provided on a new for old basis for items under three years old, meaning that regardless of whether you have had the item for three months or three years, we will replace it with a brand-new equivalent if the damage is irreparable.
Equipment Hire
- Cover for the cost of temporarily hiring equipment, if you make a valid claim under the Equipment and Stock section of your policy.
- This will occur whilst your items are being repaired or until your claim is settled, whichever happens first.
Third Party Property Damage
- Cover for any non-negligent loss or damage to others’ property that you may cause while providing your barber services.
Employers’ Liability
- Up to £10 million of cover.
- Protection from claims against employee incidents if someone suffers a work-related injury and brings a claim against you.
Personal Accident
- Protection from workplace accidents.
- A selection of incidents can be claimed for under this benefit including accidental death, permanent total disablement and temporary total disablement.
Legal Expenses
- Access to a legal helpline and a counselling service in addition to legal defence costs.
- The cover can be upgraded further to include employment disputes, property disputes, health and safety disputes and more.
Cyber Assistance
- A personalised online cyber resilience plan and a 2-hour technician consultation.
- Round-the-clock support:
24/7 Cyber emergency helpline (6 hours a year)
24/7 Access to a legal helpline and document library
24/7 Emotional support via a cyber counselling line
- AI tech assistance for non-emergency help and proactive cyber improvement advice.
- Treatments you are not qualified to do.
- If a customer dislikes their cut or treatment.
- Damage to electrical equipment, mobile phones and computer equipment used to support your business.
- Any liability cover for a premise used for the provision of the business.
- Injury to customers resulting from the use of substances, unless a sensitivity patch test has been done on those customers, at least 24 hours before you use it.
- Treatments and activities performed overseas.
For further information on exclusions in your cover please refer to policy documentation.
Public & product liability
- Up to £5 million of cover.
- Covers injury to third parties or damage to their property during business activities.
- Includes cover for incidents arising from professional treatments (e.g., allergic reaction, dye spillage).
- Also includes Products Liability for products sold or supplied.
- Includes liability under the Defective Premises Act 1972 (up to £1 million).
Professional treatment
- Cover specifically for injuries or damage resulting from treatments carried out by the business.
- Examples include reactions to products or treatment mishaps.
Employers Liability
- Up to £10 million of cover.
- Covers claims for injury or death due to employer negligence.
- Requires details of all employees, including roles (qualified, trainee, clerical).
- Required by law if employing staff (paid or voluntary).
- Does not include cover for teaching or giving professional advice (no Professional Indemnity cover).
Property Damage
Cover for physical loss or damage to business property, under these specific categories
Equipment away from premises
- Covers business equipment used away from the premises for damage or theft within territorial limits
Glass
- Covers fixed glass, including designs, lettering, and protective fittings.
Stock in trade
- Covers business stock used or sold in connection with your services.
Business Content
- Includes furniture, fittings, tools, computer hardware, and employees’ personal items (limited to £500 per person).
- Excludes jewellery, furs, motor vehicles, and money.
Tenant improvements
- Covers improvements made to a rented or leased property that the insured is legally responsible for.
Money, Assault, Employee dishonesty
Money
- Cover for loss or theft of business money under specific limits (e.g., £2,500 for transit, safes, etc.).
- Includes cover at premises, in transit, at employees’ residences, and vending machines.
Assault
- Covers injury due to robbery or attempted robbery.
- Capital sum: £10,000.
- Weekly benefit for temporary total disablement: £100.
Employee Dishonesty
- Cover up to £5,000 for losses caused by dishonest acts of employees involving money or property.
Business interruption
- Covers loss of income due to disruption from a covered Property Damage claim.
- £500,000 for Loss of Income (up to 24 months).
- £10,000 for Increased Cost of Working to maintain operations.
- £2,000 for unrecoverable Book Debts.
- Triggers include property damage, utility or internet failure, denial of access, public authority action, supplier failure, or loss of attraction.
- Not available online if annual turnover exceeds £250,000 (requires underwriter review).
- Teaching or professional instruction (no Professional Indemnity cover).
- Damage to third parties not related to business activities.
- Any property damage if building and business conditions (e.g. security, fire safety) are not met.
- Vacant premises over 7 consecutive days.
- Storage of highly flammable substances
Certain exclusions may apply under each cover section as defined in the policy wording, please refer to policy documentation.
Why do hairdressers need insurance?
Clients come to you for a range of hairstyling services, relying on your skills and expertise, and no doubt, you provide an excellent experience. While the chances of something going wrong may be low, accidents can and do happen, often in ways you don’t expect.
Specialist hairdresser insurance allows you to continue working with confidence, knowing you’re protected if the unexpected occurs. For mobile hairdressers, barbers, freelancers, or those working from home, this might mean handling a client reacting to a treatment, accidentally damaging their property during an appointment, or losing essential tools while travelling.
For salon owners, the risks can be broader. A slip or trip on your premises, damage to expensive equipment, or disruption due to unforeseen events like a fire or break-in can all impact your ability to trade. If you employ staff, you also take on responsibility for their wellbeing while they’re at work.
Whatever the situation, having the right insurance in place helps safeguard your business, allowing you to focus on your clients, knowing you’re prepared if something doesn’t go to plan.
Injury to a client or member of the public.
While the risk is low, a client may trip over a chair or slip on a wet floor and hold you responsible. Whether you’re working from a salon or visiting someone’s home, you could be liable if someone gets hurt in connection with your work.
Public liability insurance for hairdressers will protect should someone get hurt whilst in your place of work and holds you accountable.
Damage to a clients’ property.
Accidents can happen during appointments—such as spilling hair dye on a client’s carpet during a home visit or damaging a handbag in a salon. If you’re held responsible, you could face costly claims. Insurance offers financial protection if you’re found liable for the damage.
Damage to the salon premises
Events like fire, flooding, or vandalism can damage your salon and disrupt your ability to trade. Insurance can help you recover the cost of repairs and support loss of income during the downtime, helping you get back up and running as quickly as possible.
Loss, theft, or damage to equipment.
Whether you’re a mobile hairdresser carrying your tools with you, or running a salon with professional equipment on site, the cost of repair or replacement can be high. From accidental damage to theft or loss, having insurance can help you avoid unexpected out-of-pocket expenses.
Claims resulting from a treatment gone wrong
Even with training and care, things can go wrong—such as a client having an allergic reaction to a product or suffering skin damage during a treatment. Professional treatment cover helps protect you if a client makes a claim for injury or damage resulting from the service you provided.
Our experts explain why...
“We’ve developed our offering for hairdressers and barbers to adapt to the specific needs of their work and business—whether you’re a mobile or freelance professional, or a salon or barber shop owner.
Our hairdressing and barbers’ policy is designed to help protect you financially if you accidentally cause injury or damage to a client’s property—or the property of someone else. Many of our customers work as freelancers or contractors, often renting a chair in a salon or barber shop, or providing services through home visits. We’ve tailored our cover to suit these working styles.
Over the years, we’ve shaped our policy to offer more than just liability protection. We can now support salon and barber shop owners to inlcude cover for hairdressing and barber services as well as property damage, employers’ liability and business interruption.”
Chris Trotman, Protectivity Underwriting Manager
How much does hairdressing insurance cost?
At Protectivity hairdressing policies start at just £3.76 per month *.
Salon Insurance starts from £11.02 a month.*
The cost of insurance for hairdressers and barbers will vary depending on the type of policy you choose—whether it’s individual cover for a mobile or freelance professional, or a policy for a salon or barber shop.
Several factors can affect the price, including the size and nature of your business. For example, if you employ staff, operate from a physical premises, or need to cover valuable equipment or stock, this may increase the cost. The level of public liability cover you choose, as well as any optional extras like business interruption or personal accident, can also influence the final premium.
Each policy is tailored to suit your specific setup, so you only pay for the cover that’s relevant to your business.
Prices from
£3.76* a month
Explainer quote
Policy cost
£3.76* a month
Policy type
Hairdressing
Turnover
Up to £35,000
Public Liability
£2,000,000
Product Liability
£2,000,000
Equipment & Stock
£250
Equipment Hire
£750
Third Party Property Damage
£750
This example is based on a real quote from our website on 2/06/2025. If your circumstances and cover needs differ, your quote may be more or less expensive than the above example. The quote you receive will reflect the information you share about your event. The quoted price may vary from those displayed here.
What treatments are covered with hairdressing insurance?
Our policy covers a wide range of hairdressing and beauty treatments. To check the full extent of our cover, please request a quote and be sure to check policy documentation.
Treatments covered.
- Washing, cutting, styling, and drying of hair
- Use of clippers/trimmers and cut-throat razors
- Use of electrical equipment such as curlers, straighteners, hairdryers, and tongs
- Application of bleaches, dyes, perms, and tints
- Hair extensions (if qualified for the method used)
- Application of false eyelashes and semi-permanent eyelash extensions
- Eyebrow plucking, threading, waxing, shaping, dyeing, tinting, and perming (including semi-permanent mascara)
Have a question?
For further information on your policy, renewals, making a claim and contacting us, you’ll find an extensive list of FAQs on our Help & Support page.
Why choose Protectivity for your hairdressing insurance policy?
Let the reviews of over 3,500 customers explain why you should choose us.¹
Trusted by over 150,000 customers.
Experienced insurance providers for over 30 years.
Over 3,500 highly rated reviews.
Proof of our excellent customer service.
Experienced Claims Handling
A smooth and efficient claims process.
UK Based Customer Support
Our UK sales team are here to help.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Does my policy cover my employees?
If you have employees, you’re legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. This can be included in your policy and covers you if an employee is injured or becomes ill as a result of working for you.
How much public liability cover do hairdressers need?
We offer up to £5 million in public liability cover. The amount you need may depend on your specific business activities and any contractual requirements. Consider the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim.
Does my policy include product liability insurance?
Product liability is included in your policy. This covers you if a product you’ve sold or used causes injury or damage, subject to policy limits.
Am I covered for mobile hairdressing?
Yes, our policy covers mobile hairdressers. You’re protected while working at clients’ homes or other locations, and your equipment is covered during transit.
What activities can you cover me for?
We can cover the following activities as standard under our Hairdressing Insurance policy:
The use of:
– Clippers/trimmers and cut-throat razors
– Electrical equipment such as curlers, straighteners, hairdryers and tongs
The application of:
– Bleaches, dyes, perms and tints
– Hair extensions (subject to you being qualified for the extension method you are using)
– Nail polish (including the application of acrylic coatings, cutting and shaping of nails), false eyelashes and semi-permanent eyelash extensions
– Tooth jewellery
The activities of:
– Ear piercing using a gun and stud
– Eyebrow plucking (including threading and waxing), shaping, dyeing, tinting and perming including semi-permanent mascara
– Washing, cutting, styling and drying of hair
If your chosen treatment is not listed, just get in touch and speak to one of our friendly advisors to see if we can cover you.
Do you need to see my qualifications/certificates?
We do not need to see proof of your qualifications for you to be able to take out our insurance. We do, however, require you and any employees to hold the relevant qualifications or certificates for the services you are providing. Please note, that we do not accept qualifications that are obtained by a method of remote learning (e.g. internet-based training courses). If you need to make a claim on your Hairdressing Insurance policy then we may request to see these documents. Should we discover that you are not qualified to carry out the insured activities, we may reject your claim.
Am I covered if a customer doesn’t like their hair cut/treatment?
No, this is something that is not covered. Our policy is designed to cover Liability issues, such as injury to a third party, such as a customer, or damage to their property. For example, our policy would cover a mobile hairdresser if they were to burn a client’s scalp with curling tongs, or with an erroneously applied bleach.
Do I need to do a patch test on a client prior to using hair dye or other such products?
You would need to do a patch test at least 24 hours prior to using a product on a client for the first time and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. However, if the manufacturer states that patch testing should be done more regularly, or each time that a product is to be used, then you should adhere to those instructions.
Can you insure my hair products and stock?
Yes, our Equipment Cover benefit includes protection for things such as styling products, treatment items and other stock you may use or sell in your salon. Like your specific hairdressing equipment, it is covered against loss, theft and damage up to the value selected on your policy. We even provide £250 worth of cover free of charge with every policy taken out.
I have students working for me while they study to become a hairdresser, are they covered under this policy?
If you include Employers’ Liability on your policy, we can provide cover for students as long as they are supervised.
What happens if I have a claim under the Equipment Cover section of my policy?
If your equipment requires repair or is deemed to be broken and you have a valid claim, we will cover the costs of hiring new equipment to replace it while the original item is being replaced, or until your claim is settled, whichever is soonest.
Are my work phone and laptop covered under the equipment cover section?
No, we only provide cover for the items you use to provide your insured treatments, such as scissors, clippers, salon chair and razors.
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This page content has been created for general information and should not be taken as advice.
*Prices quoted refer to a quote raised from our website 01/10/2024. Prices will differ depending on requirements. Make sure you have the correct level of cover for what you need. For the most accurate pricing, please get a quote and for full details on what is covered refer to our policy documentation with your quote.
ˆ10% discount for selected policies bought online and applies only to the first-year of your policy premium. Protectivity reserves the right to amend or withdraw this offer at any time. Available to UK residents only.
** Based on Protectivity sales data from 2007 to Sep 2024
¹Based on live Feefo data