Hair Stylist & Salon Insurance

Going to the hair salon is one appointment that we enjoy showing up to. Whether it’s for a monthly trim or a full-on hair makeover, it’s an experience to watch the transformation happen while sitting in front of the mirror. 

Your clients trust you to provide a safe and reliable service, and they want to walk away feeling great about their hair. While you can do everything to protect the well-being of your clients, there’s always a risk that an accident could happen beyond your control. That’s why it’s important to protect yourself, your clients, and your business with the right coverage.

We’ve helped more than 100,000 entrepreneurs protect their businesses with insurance policies designed to cover their specific needs. At Zensurance, we’ve made it our mission to make insurance as accessible as possible. Below you’ll find helpful information to get you started on the basics of hair stylist insurance.

Hair stylists come in many different forms – for example, you may own a hair salon, rent a chair in a salon, or you might be a freelance mobile hair stylist that provides services in many different locations,

Our hair stylist insurance policy packages are specially designed to protect hair stylists and salons against specific risks associated with providing hairdressing services, including equipment- and treatment-related accidents and injuries.

Business insurance for hair salons and hair stylists often combines several insurance coverages, most commonly including:

• Commercial General Liability Insurance (CGL): CGL protects you against everyday risks that could be encountered while running your business, such as third-party bodily injury (e.g., slip-and-fall) or property damage. CGL could cover the medical fees and legal expenses, regardless of the lawsuit’s outcome.

• Commercial Property Insurance: Whether you own or rent your hair salon, Commercial Property Insurance protects your business location and the property inside from an insured event, such as a fire or theft. Commercial Property Insurance policies often include Business Interruption Insurance, which provides reimbursement for net income lost following an insured event.
  • Please note, business interruption coverage will not cover income lost due to a pandemic, infectious disease, or government-mandated closure.

• Professional Liability Insurance: Also known as Errors & Omissions Insurance (E&O), Professional Liability Insurance provides coverage for misconduct, negligence, or failure to deliver a service as advertised. In hairdressing, if a client feels your professional advice didn’t have the expected results, they could sue you. Professional Liability Insurance could cover the costs for lawsuits.

• Product Liability Insurance: Product liability coverage protects against claims alleging that a product used during treatment or sold to a client caused bodily injury (e.g., chemical burns) or property damage (e.g., stains on fabric). Damages ordinarily covered by product liability are usually the result of a design, manufacturing, or marketing defect, such as an incorrect label or a lack of safety warnings.

Any professional or business providing hair styling services should protect their business from common risks with a hair stylist insurance policy package. 

We’ve insured more than 1,000 hair stylists. Some of our clients include:

• Hair Salon Owners
• Independent Hair Stylists 
• Mobile Hair Dressers

 Whether you own an in-store hair salon, you work for yourself, or you offer mobile hairdressing services, here’s some advice to help you choose the right insurance coverage: 

Many factors go into the total cost of your hair stylist insurance policy. A low-risk small business can expect to spend approximately $450/year on a Commercial General Liability policy with a limit of $2M.

When you complete our online application for a free quote, we will ask questions about your business that will help us to determine what coverage you should have. Here are some of the main factors we take into consideration:

• Services offered
• Years of experience
• Claims history
• Training and education

Insurance for Hair Salon Owners

Whether you rent or own the physical location of a salon, you are usually required to have Commerical General Liability Insurance and Commercial Property Insurance. It’s important to note that your policy limit typically applies to all employees under your policy rather than individual employees.  If you don’t own a hair salon and you’re a self-employed hair stylist, there’s a high probability that the salon owner’s insurance does not cover you.  Therefore, if you rent a chair, sub-contract, or do any freelance on the side in the salon, you will likely need your own insurance policy. 

As hair stylists often provide professional hair advice, Professional Liability Insurance could protect your business from claims alleging negligence or misconduct. Suppose your client wanted bleach blonde hair, but their hair started to break after you used hydrogen peroxide. The client could sue if you provided no warning of the potential outcome. In this case, Professional Liability Insurance could cover legal fees and damages, including monetary judgments. 

If any of the products you use or sell are defective, Product Liability Insurance may cover injuries or property damage caused by the product. Suppose you dye a client’s hair and they have an unexpected allergic reaction to it; they could sue for bodily injury. Product Liability Insurance could cover the medical costs and costs of a lawsuit. 

Lastly, if you use a booking system to store clients’ data (e.g., financial, medical), it’s your legal obligation to protect this information. Cyber Insurance covers costs like legal fees associated with electronic incidents (e.g., a cyber hack) involving your technology systems and data.

Suggested Coverage:

• Commercial General Liability Insurance
• Commercial Property Insurance
• Business Interruption Insurance
• Product Liability Insurance
• Professional Liability Insurance
• Cyber Liability Insurance

Mobile Hair Stylists

Working as a mobile hair stylist allows you to offer treatments at locations where your clients are (generally at their homes). While this is convenient for your clients, the variety of locations can pose a unique risk. 

Wherever you treat your clients, Commercial General Liability Insurance could cover third-party injuries that occur during treatment (e.g., a client trips over a hair dryer cord left on the floor). It can also provide coverage for potential property damage at a client’s location (e.g., you accidentally drop hair dye on a client’s vinyl flooring, staining it). 

While you don’t work from one location, you have tools that are important to do your job. Commercial Property Insurance could offer coverage if your contents are lost or damaged due to an insured peril (e.g. a fire or theft). Suppose you’re in a car accident while driving to a client’s home causing your beauty equipment to be destroyed. Commercial Property Insurance could provide the cost to replace lost contents. 

Whether you distribute, use, or sell products it’s important to have Product Liability Insurance. Product Liability Insurance could provide coverage if a client claims your hair products caused property damage or bodily injury (e.g., an allergic reaction to the shampoo you used). 

If you provide professional service or advice that results in an injury, Professional Liability Insurance may provide coverage for any negligence claims filed against you. Suppose your client wants a haircut that involves you using a new shaver for the first time. You end up cutting their neck due to misuse, and they sue for negligence and bodily injury; Professional Liability Insurance could provide coverage for any medical fees and lawsuits. 

If you use a booking system to store your clients’ data (e.g., financial, medical), it’s your legal obligation to protect this information. Cyber Insurance covers costs like legal fees associated with electronic incidents (e.g., a cyber hack) involving your technology systems and data.

Suggested Coverage:

• Commercial General Liability Insurance
• Commercial Property Insurance
• Business Interruption Insurance
• Product Liability Insurance
• Professional Liability Insurance
• Cyber Liability Insurance

Other beauty professionals we insure: