Hairdressing insurance
Join nearly a million customers (including 14,000 beauty salons & hairdressers like you) – we offer public liability cover from £4.95*
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- UK-based expert support, online and on the phone
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- Compare tailored hairdressing insurance from trusted brands
10% of customers pay the equivalent of £4.95 a month*
Compare quotes from leading brands
Rated 4.6/5
Based on 39.9K reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
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.
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Public liability insurance
In case you or your employee accidentally injure someone or damage their property
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Employers’ liability insurance
In case your employee is involved in an accident or mistake while they’re working for you.
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Tools insurance
In case your hairdressing and beauty equipment is lost, stolen or damaged.
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Stock insurance
In case the products or materials you’re responsible for are lost, damaged or stolen.
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Business and office equipment insurance
In case your office equipment is lost, stolen, or damaged.
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Legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs from running your business.
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Personal accident insurance
In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident.
This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of business insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions
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 £4.95 per month
Get tailored quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get tailored quotes in 7 minutes
The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £59.34 or less annually between 1st Feb – 30th April 2025. Equivalent to £4.95 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 82% of customers have a £1 million limit and 18% £2 million. If you complete a quote, more types of cover will be available. These all have additional costs.
Example insurance for hairdressers quotes, real prices
£12.66 /month
£126.59 /year
A self-employed hairdresser who rents a chair in a salon
- 1-2 years’ experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Bolton
Public liability insurance
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability insurance
Not included
Stock
Not included
£86.63 /month
£866.30 /year
A small hairdressing business who rent chairs in a salon
- 5+ years’ experience
- Limited company
- 2 employees
- Based in Cardiff
Public liability insurance
£2,000,000
Employers’ liability insurance
£10,000,000
Stock
£5,000
How we work out example quotes: These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 01/10/2024). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
How it works
Pick what goes into your policy
Only pay for what you need
Get prices from a range of insurers
Choose the best fit for you
Buy online in minutes
Get your documents the same day
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Compare policies from a range of trusted insurers
Buy online or over the phone in minutes
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.
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Can I just cover my most expensive tools?
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Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
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Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?
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Does hairdressers insurance cover my work correctly?
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Do I need cover for other types of work?
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Which hairdressing public liability insurance cover limit should I choose?
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
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.
£68 million in claims paid out in 2024
76% of claims were settled in 2024.
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. “Settled” covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 26/02/2025.
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.
Insurance payout
£5,120
Covering the cost of a claim for exposure to harmful substances.
Insurance payout
Covering the cost of a claim for exposure to harmful substances.
Covering the cost of a claim for exposure to harmful substances.
Chosen by nearly one million small business and landlord customers
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then, with nearly a million customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.
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.
We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions
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