Hairdressing insurance

Get tailored quotes in 7 minutes

  • UK-based expert support, online and on the phone
  • Get covered and all your documents the same day
  • Compare tailored hairdressing insurance from trusted brands
A hairdresser is styling a woman's hair in a hairdressers salon.

Why do you need hairdressing insurance?

As a freelance or mobile hairdresser, you face many of the same risks larger businesses do. Mistakes and accidents, theft of your equipment, accidental damage – it can all catch you by surprise. But unlike a larger business, you might find yourself less able to absorb the costs you’re left with as a consequence. Hairdressing insurance covers you against the unexpected.

  • Protection against big claims due to accidental injury or property damage
  • Cover against loss, damage or theft of the equipment and materials you use to run your hairdressing business
  • Reassurance that your hairdressing tools are covered while you’re in transit


What does hairdressing insurance cover?

As a hairdresser, you know the risks associated with your job. Dealing with the public on a daily basis means you could see compensation claims against your business – whether it’s a dye job gone wrong or a burn from a pair of hair straighteners. Pick and choose from our range of covers and make sure you’ve got the insurance that’s right for you.


How much does hairdresser insurance cost?

Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices for hairdressers insurance from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.

Prices start from £4.74 per month

Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes

Example insurance for hairdressers quotes, real prices

Axa logo

How it works

Pick what goes into your policy

Get prices from a range of insurers

Buy online in minutes

Direct to
insurer

Highstreet
broker

Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No

How do I choose insurance?

Making sure you have the right type and level of business insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.


Talk to an expert

Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am – 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am – 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am – 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am – 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am – 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am – 02.00pm

Call our team

0333 043 8527

Online

Contact us on our website whenever suits you

Phone

Call our insurance experts during office hours (calls are charged at a local rate)

FAQs

Find answers to common insurance questions


How do claims work?

Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive.

£51 million in claims paid out in 2023

Example hairdressing insurance uk claim

Having hairdresser insurance through Simply Business has saved self-employed hairdressers thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.

Alec saved over £5,000

Alec (not his real name) is a freelance hairdresser who rents a chair at a salon. He carried out a treatment for a client who later complained that the experience resulted in burns to their hair and scalp. Fortunately, Alec had hairdressing insurance in place, so his costs were covered.


Chosen by nearly 1 million small businesses and landlords


Hairdresser insurance FAQ

Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about hairdressers insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.

All hairdressers who have employees, contractors, casual workers or temporary staff are required by law to put employers’ liability insurance in place. This covers claims from employees who’ve been injured or become seriously ill as a result of working for you.

You’ll probably also want to look into public liability insurance so you’re covered against accidental damage and injury – and if you rent a chair in a salon, this may be a condition of your rental agreement.

Together, those two core covers will provide the foundation of your hairdressing insurance.

Want to make sure you’re covering the equipment you’ve invested in too? It’s worth knowing the difference between tools insurance and business and office equipment.

Other covers for self-employed hairdressers to consider include:

When you’re working directly with members of the public, there’s always a risk that you could injure someone by accident or damage their property. That’s why public liability insurance is an important type of cover for many self-employed people – including hairdressers who work in salons.

There’s also a risk of theft, loss or damage of equipment when you’re carrying out your trade in a physical environment.

And remember, if you’ve got employees, you’re required by law to take out employers’ liability insurance.

If you need to cover the salon itself, it’s important to know that you’ll also need to buy buildings cover. To get this, make sure you choose ‘hairdressing salon’ when you get a quote from us.

Insurance isn’t a legal requirement for mobile hairdressers (unless you’re bringing an employee with you, in which case you need employers’ liability insurance).

But if something happens while you’re visiting a client at their property – say you injure your client or accidentally stain their kitchen floor by spilling hairdressing chemicals on the floorboards – you could be responsible for the consequences. Having hairdresser insurance in place could mean you don’t need to bear all of those costs yourself.

As a freelance or self-employed hairdresser, you’ll need to include covers like public liability and business equipment to your insurance policy. These will protect you against things like accidental damage or injury to a third party, or if the equipment you use to run your business is lost, stolen, or damaged. 

If you hire any employees, it’s also a legal requirement to have employers’ liability insurance. Optional extras such as stock or legal expenses insurance can protect your business if your stock is damaged or if you face a legal dispute.

The treatment covered by your policy will depend on your insurer. When buying hairdressing insurance through Simply Business, you can also declare specialist treatments you offer to see if they’ll be accepted by our insurers.

This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.

If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.

There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your public liability insurance wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.


Helpful articles for hairdressers