A woman, even the smallest one, always wants to look good. That's why girls try their mother's lipsticks, eye shadows and mascara. When it comes to well-groomed feathers, the question arises: how old can children grow their nails? Sometimes mothers themselves are interested in how to wean their baby from biting nails. Nail extensions are known to prevent the development of this abnormal habit. But if it's really good for a grown girl, wouldn't it hurt a teenager? Or, especially, a child?
This article will tell you about all the possible consequences of visiting a salon for a young woman. After manicure, gel polish, gel or acrylic nail extensions, you need to follow some rules. The article will also talk about the difficulties that arise in this case. Modern technologies allow you to achieve good results without nail extensions. Read below which ones are suitable for children.
The need for nail care in childhood
Babies usually have thin, soft nails. A faster metabolism than adults results in rapid nail growth. If you don't trim the free edge often enough, your nails will break, tearing them off. And this, in turn, is dangerous due to the appearance of smudges. The latter is also caused by the growth of pterygium on the nail from the side of the proximal ridge. With sudden movements of the hands forward (when putting on clothes, wiping hands with a towel), thin skin is torn, often to the point of bleeding. The infection can come together and everything will end sadly.
Many children bite their nails. If this is due to the fact that the nails are not properly cared for, and the resulting strokes bother and irritate the child, then regular manicure will eliminate the cause of the bad habit. But it happens that the cause of its appearance was neurosis. Then you can no longer just take care of your hands. You will need to consult your doctor and choose one of the treatments he or she suggests.
At what age can you get your nails done?
Extending nail plates with various suitable materials is not just an attempt to achieve a virtually perfect manicure, even when the nature of the nails is far from ideal. This procedure is also very fashionable, and young girls, for whom this fact is almost decisive, want to have nail extensions done; At what age can you resort to it? In this case, they are not too concerned.
However, sometimes this is not the choice of the girls themselves: they often become victims of the ambitions of their own parents, who, for some of their own reasons, are in a hurry to transform the appearance of their daughters into a “model” look, and at the same time they are also not particularly concerned about the question of at what age can you grow your nails . However, reasonable people should ask this question first of all, since by taking rash actions in the name of illusory “ideal” beauty, people risk significantly damaging the nail plates of the girl with whom such procedures are performed.
Meanwhile, any qualified beauty salon specialist who deals with manicure issues will be able to accurately tell interested girls and their loved ones at what age they can get their nails done. Although recommendations on this matter vary slightly, the lower age limit for the optimal age for such procedures has been determined - 14-16 years - and you should not cross this limit. A real master who values his own professional reputation, and is not guided solely by the desire to obtain momentary material gain, and will not perform extensions on very young girls. Of course, he can carry out such a procedure if the client’s parents strongly insist on it (her voice, as a minor, is not decisive in this case), but he will certainly dissuade them first, describing the possible risks.
The latter, by the way, are by no means illusory, but quite real, because the question of at what age nails are extended is, by and large, related to the peculiarities of the structure of the latter in adolescence. Teenagers, despite the fact that they strenuously strive to appear as adults, in many respects - including in the biological aspect - have not yet managed to emerge from childhood, and children's nail plates are very fragile. In addition, they are much thinner than those of older ladies (even those whose nail plates are not strong) and much more flexible, and this creates poor conditions for the stability of the extended material. Both acrylic and gel in such a situation may demonstrate an inability to stay on the nails for a long time and will begin to peel off at the first opportunity - and significant “help” in this will be provided by the very active lifestyle that most children and adolescents lead. If we add to the above factors the hormonal instability that occurs in a girl’s body during puberty, then the conclusion arises: she will need nail correction much more often than older women.
In addition, when thinking about at what age to grow nails, a girl will also have to honestly admit: she hardly has sufficient skills—and even the desire—to carry out proper regular care for such nail plates. In addition, many girls in puberty have not yet had time to get rid of the unpleasant habit of biting their nails, and in fact, if they have extended material on them, this often leads to its detachment, along with part of the keratin layers. As a result, the already weak “native” nail plate becomes even thinner, and unpleasant consequences for it are possible - especially if the nail matrix is affected.
Thus, girls still should not resort to extensions before they have passed the 16-year mark, because in younger years such a procedure can be traumatic for the nail plates, and in fact the desired effect will not be observed from it.
When do experts recommend nail extensions?
When classic methods of combating nail biting do not help, manicurists can offer nail extensions. Experts do not make a clear distinction between how old a girl can grow her nails. It all depends on the quality of materials and the qualifications of the craftsman. But in general, it is recommended to limit the use of building materials to those under twelve years of age.
Sometimes the nails become injured, causing pain to the baby. In this case, you can restore the nail plate, but not increase the length. This will not be a decorative coating operation. Rather, it is a nail prosthesis. The condition of such marigolds needs to be monitored: maintain the length over time, remove the thickness of the coating as they grow. In a month, most likely, the nail will heal completely and there will be no need to use artificial material.
Advice from experienced manicurists
Of course, not every beauty salon has the opportunity to provide services for young clients, because a professional may simply not specialize in teenagers. However, if the manicurist really has extensive experience in this field, he will not only be able to give the girl a flawless manicure, but will also give her some very useful tips on how to apply it, preserve it for a long time and take the most effective nail care, in particular:
Not every beauty salon has the opportunity to provide services for young clients
- First of all, if a young client wants to see a child’s manicure with gel polish on her nails, and she is not yet 16 years old, the master will most likely convince her of this procedure by offering an acrylic coating.
- Before taking a child for a manicure, responsible parents should show him or her to an allergist or dermatologist, since the girl may have an individual intolerance to certain components of the varnish, as well as an allergic reaction, which will be confirmed by tests.
- In addition, this procedure should not be repeated periodically for the child, since constant exposure to the nails will clearly worsen their condition.
- You should choose exactly the master who has dealt with children, because the same specialist who does a manicure for a mother is unlikely to be suitable for a child. So, even if he takes on delicate children’s nails, he is unlikely to be able to choose a design according to age and, most likely, will offer the teenager too mature options that are not suitable for her.
- Moreover, this procedure should not be done at home if the mother does not have the proper qualifications, since the risk of injury to the fingers increases many times over. The maximum that relatives should do when arranging a manicure for a teenager at home is to apply light shades to the nails for one evening, without any mechanical influences.
- When applying a manicure for girls, you should differentiate the shades by season, choosing light colors in spring and summer, or darker ones in autumn and winter.
Important! Of course, the main advice that a specialist who cares primarily about the girl’s health can give is to wait until she is at least 16 years old, since by this age, as a rule, the strengthening of the nail plate has completely taken place, and gel polish can already hide everything defects of the natural nail. If a girl begins to think about the beauty of her nails from an early age, her parents, first of all, must understand that polymer coatings will never allow the nail to develop with the required intensity, which the girl will greatly regret in the future.
To summarize, it should be said that children’s manicure, as a rule, is done for some significant events in the lives of teenagers, and for these purposes you can turn to the services of a master 1… 2 times a year. For everyday life, no matter how much a girl wants to stand out among her peers, parents should insist on other ways of emphasizing individuality. It should also be mentioned that children at school are not always neat, they attend physical education lessons, which will almost certainly lead to the fact that all the painstaking work will quickly lose its aesthetic appearance, and the money parents spent on manicures for 12-year-old girls will not be justified.
When do experts recommend gel polish coating?
If a girl appreciates a beautiful manicure, you can try giving her decorative gel polish. This will correct the shape of the nails, and besides, the girl will feel sorry for biting her beautiful nails. This is a more delicate covering than a build-up. Therefore, to answer your mother’s question: “At what age can you get nail extensions?”, you can give advice on replacing extensions with gel polish.
This procedure takes from fifteen minutes to half an hour, depending on the equipment of the beauty salon. UV materials take longer to cure than ice inks. You cannot increase the length, but you can make a durable and beautiful gel polish. There are children's nail designs with cute drawings and stickers. If a girl likes to take care of her nails, then soon she will be able to do a manicure.
Manicure for school at 12 years old
A school manicure should be calm and discreet. No matter how much you would like to paint your nails with bright polish, you don’t need to do this. You will have to listen to a lot of comments from teachers. And as a result, the beautiful coating will still be erased by the next day!
Why spoil the mood for yourself, your mother, the teacher and the director? There are great manicure options you can do for school. Everyone will like them. The photo shows exactly this design.
Hygienic manicure. A wise mother will be able to convey to the girl the fact that it is not at all necessary to use nail polish every day. The best manicure for a girl is clean, neat nails. You can also coat them with clear varnish, especially if you buy it at the pharmacy. This product contains strengthening components that have a beneficial effect on nails.
Manicure in nude style. Calm, neutral shades are a great choice for a girl. Moreover, it is very fashionable this year. Delicate beige, peach, nude polish is suitable for a manicure for school.
Pearlescent design. A 12-year-old girl can afford a little sparkle! You just need to choose the smallest mother-of-pearl in discreet shades.
Under no circumstances should a 12 year old girl have extensions done. You'll have to wait until your nails get stronger. Until the age of 18, not a single professional master will agree to grow plates, since there is a risk of injuring the flexible and soft nails of a little client.
It is also not recommended for a twelve-year-old girl to paint plates with gel polish. Although the coating is considered safe, excessive flexibility of the surface and increased activity of the child leads to chips and scratches on the surface of the nails. The girls try to scrape off the shellac themselves, but the product can only be removed using a special liquid.
A girl from an early age should take care of the beauty of her nails. At such a young age, her mother will help her, but over time she will perform all the necessary procedures on her own. You just need to learn a simple truth: real beauty begins with cleanliness, health and neatness!
Consequences of gel extensions
Gel is a potentially stronger allergen than acrylic. The so-called dispersion layer, formed on the surface of the material under the influence of ultraviolet rays, should under no circumstances come into contact with the skin. The technician carefully removes it with a napkin soaked in alcohol. This dispersion exists even in the most purified gel. When it comes into contact with the skin, it causes small blisters that itch unbearably. After scratching, wounds appear on the skin, and within a week the skin peels off.
When deciding how many years you can extend your nails with gel, you need to take into account the possibility of allergies and the necessary treatment.
Rules for teenage manicure
To teach a girl or boy to keep their nails clean, tidy and not bite them, you can hygienically treat the nail plate at home or in a salon. The rules here are simple.
- For young children and teenagers, an unedged manicure is recommended, which causes minimal damage to the nails.
- The cuticle is rarely processed. If it is damaged, carefully remove it with nail scissors.
- You can cover your nails with a special colorless or thin layer of the most harmless varnish. Painting nails with gel decorative derivatives is unacceptable.
The question at what age can you use gel polish without harm to health has a clear answer - after the end of the transitional period of maturation of the body, that is, after 16 years. Such manipulations with nails are prohibited for children.
Does your daughter ask you to give her a manicure and paint her nails? Read how to perform a children's manicure correctly and beautifully.
Today, children's manicure has become a popular service in beauty salons. A similar procedure can be carried out at home. Fortunately, master classes and ideas for children's nail design are a dime a dozen. All that remains is to figure out at what age and what age children can get manicures.
Alternative extension methods
Now there are gels that allow you to grow the natural length of your nails under a decorative coating. They are flexible enough to form thickness and hold up well. Usually the master performs the initial construction from materials of the previous generation. These are solid or acrylic gels. And only then, after two to three weeks, he makes a correction with the latest generation gels. These are gel polishes that allow you to have strong and beautiful nails.
Girls don't need to increase the length at all. The use of new technologies will allow you to apply gel polish, periodically adjusting it and removing the overgrown free edge. Since under such material the nails reach an impressive length, the question of how many years you can extend your nails in a salon will no longer exist. It all comes down to an allergy test. If it is not there, you can successfully replace the plaque with gel polish.
Nuances of the extension procedure
To understand why extensions cannot be carried out at an early age, you need to get acquainted with the features of its implementation. First, the nail artist does a classic manicure, pushing back and removing the cuticle, preparing the surface. These steps in themselves do not cause harm, and are even useful. However, to grow the nail, you will need to grind off the top layer. This stage is strictly prohibited at a young age.
If you cut down carelessly, you can remove too deep a layer. This will disrupt the entire structure of not only the plate, but also the nail bed. After this, it will be very difficult to restore the manicure to its original form. In addition, bacteria and fungi easily penetrate through the thinned surface. Fungal diseases can easily become chronic.
Extension cannot be done without special materials such as acrylic powder or gel. Until the age of 14-16 years, children undergo the phase of puberty and the rampage of hormones. When applying any of these remedies, a fragile body may produce the following complications as a reaction:
- atopic dermatitis;
- inflammation;
- burning;
- hives;
- edema;
- irritation;
- eczema.
This is why it is better to wait until after puberty for the first extension. In addition, a hormonal surge can have a bad effect when exposed to ultraviolet light in a lamp for drying nails. Therefore, before rushing to the nearest salon, carefully study all the possible risks.
The art of long nails
There are several rules that must be followed when wearing long nails. It involves careful opening of doors and wearing clothes, carefully carrying a bag, and avoiding clenching your palm into a fist. After all, long nails experience a lot of stress in the stress zone. They bend and break. They often pull away or break, leaving a bruise on the nail bed.
If the modeling material reaches length, with the wrong movement it peels off along with part of the keratin of the nail. This lesion cannot be treated; you will have to wait four months before the nail grows completely. Of course, you can use biogel to isolate from the external environment. But the length cannot be preserved.
If we take into account all of the above, then parents themselves will understand how many years it will take them to build up their child’s nails. The girl is quite neat, can she follow the rules of wearing long nails? After weighing all the pros and cons, you can find the optimal solution.
Thematic children's nail art: safe coatings and decorative elements.
A children's manicure with varnish, gel polish/shellac, designed in accordance with the theme of the event, is particularly original. Let’s say that on the first of September, a manicure for a 10-year-old girl may contain designs of bows, butterflies, ladybugs or rainbows - as a reminder of summer. For a birthday, the nails of a young fashionista can be decorated with images of cake, pastries, fireworks, and ribbons.
For winter celebrations, an excellent design option for children's New Year's manicure would be all kinds of images of snowflakes, deer, Santa Claus, gifts, etc. If your young lady also celebrates foreign themed holidays - Valentine's Day, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, etc. , delicate images can be made using patterned transfer foil or use the velor manicure technique using velvet (cashmere) for nail design as an accent. The options are limited only by your imagination and artistic skill.
On some special occasions, you can use false children's nails (tips). There are sets on sale with a variety of designs with or without adhesive. If we talk about preventing nail biting, then after trying a plastic nail a couple of times, the child is unlikely to want to do it again.
And quite quickly he will wean himself from the bad habit. But there is also another side to the coin. If false nails for children are used too often (especially glue-based ones), you can damage the nail plate. And yet, small children who are under 11 years old can catch false nails while playing, and again, damage their own. Therefore, choose tips with a short length that will protrude just slightly above your natural nails.
As you can see, it’s quite simple and not at all too expensive to give your little lady the manicure of her dreams!
Dangers of wearing long nails in children
When parents ask at what age can nails be extended, they do not always understand the consequences of this procedure. Children do not have as much control over their bodies as adults. They are impulsive and can easily break an artificial nail with a sharp involuntary movement. Asking your child to take care of new nails is pointless. Children cannot fully control themselves. Only by the age of sixteen or seventeen, when the girl has formed, her movements will become smooth and calculating, we can talk about long nails.
A broken nail usually results in a broken nail bed. There may be a wound, blood flow. Of course, no mother wants this for her child. Therefore, it is better for girls not to wear long nails. A millimeter of free edge is ideal, allowing you to wear comfortable and healthy nails.
Design Tips
So, we found out that the safest decor for the nails of children and adolescents under 14 - 16 years old is varnish. But how to choose a design? You need to take into account the child’s age, ask what he would like to do on his nails, take into account the reason for decorative manicure, and the time of year.
Designs with drawings are suitable for little girls. You can try to make them on the nails of children under 8–9 years old at home, contact a specialist, or simply stick on a finished picture. You should not choose too complex patterns from many details. They will be difficult to apply on a tiny nail plate and will look bulky.
From the drawings we can suggest:
- animal faces (bunnies, cats, panda), birds, butterflies;
- favorite cartoon characters, princesses;
- floral motifs;
- hearts;
- funny emoticons;
- multi-colored dots, lines, shapes.
Manicure with animals, cartoon characters, geometric patterns is a universal option at any time of the year. In spring, floral motifs and delicate pastel colors will be relevant. For summer nails for children, bright, rich shades are suitable: green, yellow, orange, blue. You can draw fruits, butterflies, paint each nail with a separate bright color, or depict marine motifs. For example, a combination of blue, white, red, turquoise colors fits perfectly into the marine theme. Drawings for summer nails for children include an anchor, a steering wheel, shells, droplets of water or starfish.
For girls over 10 years old, offer geometric patterns, motifs of lace, flowers, leaves, and a gentle gradient. For children 13 – 16 years old, nails in soft, pastel colors are suitable: mint, pale pink, lavender, light blue, powder, coffee. Remember that teenagers are already following trends and trying to try them on themselves right away. For example, in 2022, manicures with motivational and newspaper inscriptions on individual fingers are fashionable.
If we talk about manicure for school, then we need discreet, discreet options that emphasize natural beauty and do not attract the attention of teachers. Choose translucent coatings with a light pink or beige tint, nude colors, and pastel shades. As for the design, it is better to choose a simple monochromatic coating without drawings or patterns, a classic French nail polish or a moon manicure for children.
For a holiday, decor with sparkles, glitter, and rhinestones is suitable. If the child is going to a themed party (Halloween, Valentine's Day, New Year), the manicure can be neutral or appropriate for the occasion.
Suitable coatings for a beautiful children's manicure
Improper care of children's nails leads to the formation of a flattened trapezoidal nail plate. However, it is possible to correct the most unattractive shape of the nail bed. If you regularly push the proximal roller back, use cuticle oil, and cut straight rather than in a semi-circle, it will result in beautiful nails. And then the question of how many years you can extend your nails will completely cease to arise.
Modern nail polishes include a whole series of colorless coatings. They can be glossy or matte. These polishes are good for nails, do not attract attention and are quite suitable for school. For preschoolers, water-based paints can be recommended.
With the onset of puberty, nails begin to become thicker and stronger. If you are not allergic to acrylates, you can apply gel polish coatings. High school girls can try nail extensions. But it should be borne in mind that the large length will not allow you to do everyday activities and may interfere with physical education. In addition, the school administration may limit the dress code of students.
Manicure Guide for Teens
There must be thorough disinfection of the skin.
Transparent manicure.
The procedure for applying a manicure is also slightly different from that for an adult. Thus, the master misses some effects that are particularly unfavorable for children’s nails and skin, and also never performs procedures that can damage delicate skin. Also, as a rule, teenage nails are quite short when applying a manicure, but sometimes a specialist also applies a top manicure. As a rule, when performing an operation, you must follow the following step-by-step instructions:
- The first step should be thorough disinfection of the skin around the nails, cuticles and fingertips. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that antiseptics should not contain a lot of alcohol so as not to irritate the skin. However, at the same time, the liquids must be sufficiently active and kill 100% of microbes.
- It is necessary to trim the nails carefully, without leaving a free hanging edge, since the nail plates are still too weak.
- The edge of the nail is sharpened using files with abrasives of about 300 grit, since otherwise cracks may form on the plates.
- The cuticle peels off from the nail and is removed, and in order for the procedure to take place without damaging the skin, you should use a remover based on fruit acids, which effectively dissolve the skin without damaging neighboring tissues, and also do not cause irritation due to natural ingredients.
- Many children are prone to the bad habit of biting their nails, so the plate is most often treated with a special compound that repels the child from these actions.
- After this, the design is applied with acrylic varnish, and here the master can give free rein to his imagination in accordance with the wishes and creative ideas of the young fashionista, using stencils, glitter and rhinestones.
- The final touch is to apply the finishing coat and briefly put your fingers under ultraviolet light to dry.
Important! Following the procedure, when the specialist is absolutely sure that the varnish has hardened on the skin, it must be treated with moisturizing compositions based on plant components in order to provide proper care for the delicate tissues. You should also remember that children's fingers are more often exposed to the environment, the skin dries out and becomes irritated, which requires careful daily nail care after a manicure.
