How to Offer Professional Makeup and Hair Styling Services at Home in Colombia

Quick answer: The ad that gets better messages doesn't just say "makeup and hairstyling." It says what service you offer (bride, graduation, corporate event), in what area, since when it can be booked, what it includes, and it shows photos of your own work. All of that, without presenting yourself as a cosmetologist if you aren't one and without offering procedures the regulation doesn't allow you to perform.

I have seen many beauty ads fail for the same reason: a photo taken from the internet, "message me" and nothing else. A client for a graduation or a wedding wants to know three things before writing: whether you go to her home, how much it costs, and whether what she sees was done by you. Let's go step by step.

What you can offer and how to name it

Your field is non-invasive decorative makeup and event hairstyling: social, bridal, graduation or corporate makeup, and updos or waves for those occasions. In the DANE economic classification (CIIU Rev. 4 A.C.), hairstyling, haircutting, hair coloring, straightening and non-invasive facial or body makeup fall under class 9602. If the service is ongoing, that is the activity that corresponds in the RUT, not 0090 or 9609.

Now, watch out for titles. According to Law 711 of 2001, anyone who advertises as a cosmetologist or opens a beauty, cosmetology or aesthetics center to the public needs a completed secondary education and a theoretical-practical cosmetology program of at least 500 hours. Those who work in ornamental aesthetics (hair and nails) must prove competence with a certificate from an institution of education for work and human development or of higher education, with a program registered with the Secretaría de Educación.

What you must not offer: invasive procedures, acts reserved for health professionals, prescribing medication, or permanent makeup. Permanent makeup or tattoo pigments are not cosmetics under Andean Decision 833 of 2018 because they penetrate the epidermis with needles or microneedles; Invima treats them as a different risk, and permanent makeup is classified under 9609, not 9602. My advice: if you can't show the paper, don't use the title.

If you work with minors (quinceañera makeup is common), Law 711 prohibits treating minors without written and notarized authorization from the parents or guardians. Ask for it.

Products: what goes in your kit and what doesn't

In the practice of cosmetology, only products authorized or approved by Invima may be used, and in aesthetics centers cosmetics must have a sanitary registration or a mandatory sanitary notification (NSO). Check the labeling of each base, lipstick or setting spray before putting it in your kit, especially if it is imported.

A very common confusion: the NSO is processed by the product holder, that is, whoever manufactures, imports or sells it. If you only apply a finished cosmetic that is already notified, you do not become the holder. But if you want to launch your own lipstick line or import to resell, then you do need the NSO.

Hygiene the client can see

This is your best advertising and almost nobody uses it. Resolution 2827 of 2006 (biosafety manual) requires cleaning before disinfection or sterilization. Combs, scissors, brushes and makeup brushes fall under the cleaning and disinfection group. Instruments that come into contact with blood can transmit hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, which is why blades and shaving material are single-use.

• A clean kit separated per appointment, with brushes stored apart from used ones.
• Do not reuse blades.
• Do not perform procedures on hands with wounds or skin lesions.
• Linens renewed with each client.
• Before bleaching, perming, straightening or dyeing, Resolution 2117 of 2010 recommends a sensitivity test, even if the person has already used the product.

Official sources do not set a soaking time or an alcohol percentage for brushes, so don't make them up in your ad: say that you clean and disinfect, and show it with a photo.

In addition, Resolution 2263 of 2004 requires that the client be informed in advance about the care, precautions, risks and costs of the service. Do it in the chat, in writing.

Booking in writing: what must be in the chat

More weddings and graduations fall through over this than anything else. Before confirming, write down:

1. Date, time and address of the appointment.
2. What the service includes (makeup, hairstyling, trial run).
3. What is quoted separately: travel, trial, companions.
4. Deadline to confirm.
5. What happens if they cancel and how the deposit works.

About the deposit: don't write it as "non-refundable" across the board. Law 1480 of 2011 provides a withdrawal right of five business days, with refund within a maximum of thirty calendar days, for services contracted with financing from the provider, timeshares, non-traditional or distance methods, when by their nature they should not begin before five days. It does not apply if the service has already started with the client's agreement. A booking the client requested by WhatsApp is not, for that reason alone, inside or outside the withdrawal right. The sound approach is to explain the deposit, what it covers and the cancellation conditions, without promising that it is always irrevocable. And advertising that does not match reality or is insufficient can be misleading, so what you promise in the ad must be delivered.

I don't give amounts or percentages because there is no official rate: you set your prices. If you have doubts about a specific case, consult a lawyer.

Portfolio and the client's home: where it's fine and where to be careful

Your own photos, in daylight and with the consent of the person photographed. No images of other artists. A photo of your clean workstation is worth more than a collage of brands.

About working at the client's home: health resolutions regulate establishments; they do not create a national license for "home makeup," nor do they say it is prohibited across the country. Hairstyling and ornamental aesthetics are regulated for commercial establishments with a favorable sanitary opinion. If you set up a workspace in your home, Resolution 2117 requires physical separation and independent access, and Resolution 2263 requires that an aesthetics center be independent from the residential area. If you go to the client's home, maintain hygiene and use permitted products, and confirm with the health secretariat of your locality whether your mobile service requires a sanitary opinion. Non-compliance with Law 711 can lead to a warning, successive fines of up to one hundred legal monthly minimum wages, or suspension or closure of the center.

For haircuts and beard grooming at home we have another guide: Home barbershop service in Colombia. Here we stick to brushes, event hairstyling and booking.

If you plan to open a shop: opening an ornamental aesthetics establishment requires a favorable sanitary opinion from the health authority of your jurisdiction, and an aesthetics center also submits documents to the territorial authority, such as the Chamber of Commerce certificate and the list of staff with cosmetology certificates. That applies to a physical location, not to someone who only travels. For registration, see how to register your commercial registration.

How to write the ad with an honest radius

A service at the client's home is physical coverage: you choose the base location and the radius, and you can add up to five additional areas if you truly serve them. Remote mode is for online services, not for in-person makeup. An inflated radius only brings you messages from people you don't reach. More detail in how services work.

What to include: base location, real radius, "from" price or "quoted on request," days you take bookings, what is included, your own photos and your WhatsApp, which you show and control yourself. Don't ask for the client's ID in the public ad. For the general list of menu, area and starting price, see how to publish beauty services.

An honest note on the landscape: on Facebook and WhatsApp groups an ad sinks within hours and does not leave a permanent listing with price, map and area. The Colombia Move Beauty and Barbershop category is for services and, as of October 9, 2026, has few active ads, so there is room to stand out.

A dated note: Monday, October 12, 2026

According to Law 2347 of 2024, October 12 is the Day of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity of the Colombian Nation and a national holiday. In 2026 it falls on a Monday, so if you are booked that weekend, put the time, address and terms of the appointment in writing. Don't assume surcharges or special rules: agree on what you charge directly with the client.

Frequently asked questions

❓ Can I advertise as a cosmetologist if I learned makeup on my own?

No, if you plan to use that title or open a center: Law 711 requires a completed secondary education and a program of at least 500 hours. Hairstyling in a salon requires a certificate from a program registered with the Secretaría de Educación. You can advertise as a makeup artist or hairstylist without using the title (verify with the official source).

❓ Do the lipsticks and bases I use on clients need an NSO?

The cosmetics you use must be authorized by Invima, and the product being sold must have an NSO or registration. Applying an already notified product does not make you the holder; manufacturing, importing or selling your own line does require the NSO. Always check the labeling (verify with the official source).

❓ Can I do makeup and hairstyling at the client's home?

Health resolutions regulate establishments and do not issue a national home-service license. Maintain hygiene and use permitted products, and if you set up a workspace, keep it separate from your home. Confirm with the health secretariat of your locality whether your mobile service requires a sanitary opinion (verify with the official source).

❓ Can a wedding deposit be non-refundable?

Don't write it as an absolute rule. Law 1480 provides a five-business-day withdrawal right only in certain cases, such as non-traditional or distance methods, and it does not apply if the service has already started with the client's agreement. Explain the deposit and cancellation in writing (verify with the official source).

❓ How much does it cost to publish my service on Colombia Move?

Publishing is free and the platform charges no commission. You set the price of your makeup, and you choose which contact to show. An in-person service is published with an area and coverage radius (verify with the official source).

❓ How do I offer my service safely and avoid scams?

Use your own photos, your real area and conditions written in the chat, and show only the WhatsApp number you control. Don't publish clients' personal data. Confirm date, address and deposit in writing before traveling, and be wary of anyone who asks you to leave the chat without explaining why.

❓ Where do I publish my home makeup and hairstyling service?

You can publish it in the Beauty and Barbershop category of Colombia Move, which is for services, by choosing an area and radius. Social networks and WhatsApp groups also work, but there the ad gets lost quickly and there is no permanent listing with area and starting price (verify with the official source).