100 Instagram Prompts for Hair and Beauty Entrepreneurs

It’s no secret that Instagram is one of the most visual platforms out there, with 1.35 billion active monthly users regularly viewing and sharing content on the app.
Because Instagram is so visual, it can be tempting to put all your effort into snapping the perfect photo and just hitting post without giving your caption a second thought.

Doing this, however, is a big mistake.

While images and videos can grab eyeballs, your captions are ultimately what gets people to stay and connect with you.

As Stephanie Cartin, co-CEO at Socialfly told the BBC, “On Instagram, strong imagery is what stops users in their feed. However, captions are what drive engagement.”
Industry data supports this. A study by Hootsuite found that posts with captions — specifically long captions — generated more Instagram engagement in the comments.

And since higher engagement signals the Instagram algorithm to increase your visibility on the platform, it pays to spend more effort in crafting the perfect caption with your Instagram posts.
To help you do this, we’ve put together a massive list of the best Instagram caption prompts for hair and beauty pros that you can use in your posts allowing you to experiment more with your Instagram feed!
 

So ready to knock out “what should I caption on an Instagram post?” out of the park?

Let’s get started!

Best Instagram caption prompts and templates

Go through the list below and bookmark this page to ensure that you have a handy reference whenever you’re planning your Instagram content and grid and need some caption prompts inspo.

Share info about your business and yourself
 

Clients book salon appointments with providers that they know, like, and trust. Give them the opportunity to do all that by telling them more about yourself and what you do.

1. Share a recent win in your business.
2. Share a personal update. (e.g., you got married, had a baby, bought a house, etc.)
3. Post about a recent hire.
4. Talk about new products in your salon/online store
5. Talk about your most popular services.
6. Talk about great services that people don’t often book. 
7. Share a misconception people often have about you or your salon.
8. Share a little-known fact or trivia about yourself or your business.

Ask your Instagram followers a question

You’ve let people get to know you, now it’s time to get to know them. The following questions should do the trick!

1. What’s your go-to…? (e.g., hair/skin treatment, product, etc.)
2. When was the last time you…? (e.g., got a haircut/facial)
3. What’s your biggest mistake…? (e.g., when it comes to haircare and skincare)
4. Where are you from?
5. Who’s your favorite hair/beauty influencer?
6. What are your hair/skin goals?
7. How are you practicing self-care today?
8. This or that? (e.g., compare products, hairstyles, etc.)
9. What [product/treatment] works best for you?
10. Who else wants a…?
11. “Who’s your favorite…?” Here’s a great example from @maneaddicts.
     

Start with beauty or hair quotes

You can’t go wrong with a hair and beauty quote. If you’re stuck trying to write an Instagram caption, start with a meaningful, popular, or relatable quote then go from there. Consider the following.

1. Quotes about being beautiful inside and out. (Your outer beauty will capture the eyes, your inner beauty will capture the heart.” — Steven Aitchison)
2. Hair-centric quotes. (“That’s why her hair’s so big, it’s full of secrets.” — Mean Girls)
3. Skin-centric quotes. (“Be good to your skin. You’ll wear it every day for the rest of your life.” — Renee Rouleau)
4. Self-care quotes. (Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. — Lucille Ball)
5. General inspirational quotes. (“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” — William James) 
    

Discuss your rituals and routines

Humans are creatures of habit and people are constantly on the lookout for ways to improve their routines and daily lives. As such, talking about the rituals and routines that you have in your life can give people ideas on how to improve theirs.

1. Share your morning routine. What are the first few things you do after you get out of bed?
2. Share your evening routine. How do you wind down after a busy day?
3. Do you have a wellness ritual or practice? (e.g., meditation, yoga, prayer, etc.)
4. What’s your client's shampoo routine?
5. What’s your routine for the perfect blowout? 
6. Do you have a modified routine for busy days? In this example, Kris who runs (@_glamdiary) shares her “lazy routine for a busy busy day.”
    

Write seasonal captions

Many hair and beauty trends evolve throughout the year, depending on the season. Make sure you capitalize on this in your captions.

1. Talk about your favorite products for the current or upcoming season (e.g., top-rated SPF cosmetics for summer).
2. Talk about your favorite styles for the current or upcoming season. (e.g., best winter looks).
3. Share gift recommendations for upcoming holidays and events (e.g., Mother’s Day, Christmas, Valentine’s Day).
4. Talk about any changes you or your business is going through, in line with changing seasons.
5. Share your salon’s most memorable events of the season.
6. Share information about a specific astrological sign, like what Sephora does below. 

Tap into current events or pop culture trends

Every so often comes along a show, person, or event that people can’t stop talking about. You can take this as an opportunity to be part of the relevant conversations happening on social media.

1. Share a tip or tidbit and relate it to a popular movie or TV show.
2. Celebrate heritage months.
3. Show your support for a certain cause.
4. Voice your opinion on current events and issues.
5. Is there a current “It Girl” making waves? Talk about her hair or beauty products and practices. Have a look at this example from InStyle Magazine’s Instagram account.
    

Share a contrarian view

Do you have an opinion that isn’t shared by a lot of people? It may be worth sharing your side. Here are a few Instagram caption prompts to get you started.

1. Traditional advice that you believe is outdated
2. Popular hair/skin practices that you don’t agree with.
3. Popular products you don’t like. 
4. A hair or beauty trend that you can’t hop on board with. 
5. Share why you disagree with a prominent influencer in the hair and beauty industry. 
6. Discuss why you’re changing your views on a specific topic. 
7. Share something you do that makes people think you’re nuts. 

Write Instagram captions that show vulnerability and authenticity

People value authenticity and many appreciate it when the people they’re following share their struggles and vulnerabilities.

1. Publish a “no makeup” or “no filter” photo and write about it. 
2. Discuss your mental health. 
3. Talk about the challenges you face in your business. 
4. Post about parts of yourself or business that aren’t perfect. 
5. Post about a hair or beauty struggle that you’re dealing with. In the example below, Katresse (@skinandkisses) talks about her skin struggles and emphasizes the fact that they’re normal. “There’s no such thing as perfect skin,” she writes.

Dish out tips and tricks

Sharing valuable advice with your audience positions you as a thought leader. Check out the following Instagram caption prompts for inspo on how to do that.

1. Write quick and easy hair/beauty tips for busy people. 
2. Little-known hair and beauty hacks.
3. Things that hair and beauty pros don’t always share with clients. 
4. How to make treatments last longer. 
5. How to recreate certain “looks” at home. 
6. What to look for in a hair or beauty service provider. 
7. DIY hair and skin care. 
8. Top mistakes you see your clients make and how to fix them. Olivia Smalley (@omgartistry) does exactly that in the post below.

Share some words of wisdom and inspiration

Inspire and motivate your clients using the Instagram caption prompts for beauty and hair pros below.

1. Share a piece of advice that changed your life. 
2. Talk about recent life or business lessons that you’ve learned. 
3. Tell a story of a hardship that you’ve had to overcome and how you did it. 
4. Share an underdog story. 
5. Discuss lessons that your clients/mentors/partners taught you. 
6. Share your favorite affirmations. 
7. Talk about the people who’ve inspired you. 
8. Talk about a goal you’ve achieved and how you got to where you are.

Post product recommendations

As a hair and beauty professional, you have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the best products. Why not talk about them in your captions?

1. Share the most effective product for [specific hair/beauty issue].
2. List your clients’ favorite products.
3. Roundup product recommendations for people on a budget. 
4. Post an honest caption about a product you’ve recently tried. 
5. Talk about an award-winning product you love. Here’s an example from MAKEUP BY MARIO:
    

Put your clients in the spotlight

Show your clients some love — and get some social proof in the process — by talking about them in your captions.

1. Before and after stories. 
2. Talk about your newest client.
3. Talk about the client you’ve had the longest.
4. Post about a notable makeover. 
5. Talk about a client celebrating a big day. 
6. Share a trendy look that you’ve done with a client. 
7. Share how you helped fix a client’s hair or beauty problems. 
8. Share some feedback/review you’ve received from clients. 
9. Talk about exactly how you styled someone. In the example below, Emma Chen writes a step-by-step process of how she added texture to her client’s hair.

Talk about your business besties

Another Instagram content idea? Put the spotlight on your best entrepreneur friends and colleagues.

1. Talk about your business partners or team members. 
2. Mention your fellow hairstylists and beauty professionals. 
3. Talk about entrepreneurs who’ve inspired you.
4. Talk about other business owners in your neighborhood.
5. Cross-post a photo or video from your entrepreneurial friends. 
6. Post about other beauty or hair professionals who are opening a new salon.

Make people laugh

Keep your Instagram fun and vibrant by sharing humorous posts and captions. Have a look at the following prompts.

1. Tell a funny story that happened in your salon. 
2. Post a good-natured hair and beauty joke. 
3. Post a funny hair or beauty TV/movie clip and add your take. 
4. Do a goofy dance.

Ride popular memes and challenges

There’s almost always a popular meme or challenge making rounds on social media. Keep an eye out for them and see if you can create similar content. Here are some of the most recent ones.

1. How it started and how it’s going.
2. Tell me you’re ______ without telling me you’re _______.
3. Viral social media challenges such as the Dolly Parton, “flip the switch,” and “wipe it down” challenge. 
4. “BINGO” card posts
    

Use those good ‘ol Instagram hashtags

There are plenty of evergreen and relevant hashtags that never get old. Make sure to have these staples as part of your caption strategy.

1. Post a photo of yourself from back in the day and tag it with #throwbackthursday. 
2. Post an old photo of your salon and tag with it #flashbackfriday.
3. Post a photo of a woman you admire and tag it with #wcw or #womancrushwednesday.
4. Post your outfit and talk about the styling products you used and add the tag #ootd.

Encourage people to tag others

A great way to increase your reach and visibility on Instagram is to get people to tag you. Here’s how:

1. Invite users to tag a friend who needs some inspiration. 
2. Ask users to tag the person they’ll bring to their next salon visit. 
3. Invite people to tag a friend who needs a haircut or facial. 
4. Ask users to tag a friend who has the same haircut as the person in your post. 
5. Tell users to tag a supportive or inspirational person, just like what Cynthia Baker (@saga.haus) does below.

Prod people to complete a call to action

Want people to take a certain step or do a specific action? Spell it out for them in your caption.

1. Get more clients and appointments by inviting people to “book now.”
2. Encourage users to check out your bio. 
3. Get people to visit your ecommerce site.
4. “Comment on this post to…”
5. “Like this post if…”
6. “Share this photo to…”
7. “Save this post to…”
8. “Double-tap this post if…”
9. “Comment with emojis if…”

Ready to rock your Instagram captions?

Whew! We just shared a massive list of Insta caption prompts and ideas, and we hope this was helpful for your Instagram marketing strategy.

Remember, growing your Instagram account isn’t just about pretty pictures. The words attached to your posts also matter a great deal.