To Shellac or not, a 'child'?

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VHunter

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Now here is the debate for the day...

AND BEFORE YOU REPLY, please remember we are NOT discussing morals or crucifying anyone for their parenting skills. I won't have any of that, if you don't mind. Please and thank-you.

Would you 'Shellac' a child?
We all agree that it's perfectly fine to give them a natural manicure and paint their nails.
And those of you that are Mom's KNOW that the nailpolish will last only a couple of days before it peels/chips because children's nails are so very soft and pliable.

BUT would you Shellac a child?
It's not an enhancement, nor advertised as such.
No buffing of the nailplate required. Removes easily in acetone, etc...

SO... would you?
Why and why not?
 
Firstly, define child?

I am happy to and I have! When Sandi and I returned from the Event we did my children's nails - Sandi did child 1 and I did child 2.

My girls are 13.
 
I have done my daughters and she's 4.... I would on a client too IF they would pay the price as an adult. IMO there's a lot less in 3free Shellac and polish, than in lots of the c**p you boy as toys... (both the makeup and nailpolish)
 
"Define a child"............
Well, to me 13 is a young teen and although not an adult, not exactly a child so somewhere in between LOL

How about as young as 6? Or rather, between the ages of 6 & 16?

Why?
Why not?
Be specific why yes for one age and not another,.... etc

:D
 
I would. I know my niece who is 3 loves having her nails done but it never lasts on her little nails so using Shellac would be fantastic
 
i ran kids pamper parties prior to going on mat leave, i did consider it (perhaps kids over 11ish) but just wasnt all that comfortable with it .. i was mostly concerned about the issue of removal, would they come back, could i trust them/their parent to use the removal pads correctly .. in the end, just decided wasnt worth the worry so gave it up as a bad idea
however, im thinking about offering it alongside prom makeup as part of a package when i start up again next year, as well teen pamper parties
 
I would , have and do my 8 year olds....
Would I do a a child client? Hummm that depends if my insurance allows (I wonder where it stands with kids and shellac) and if they wear paying the right amount other than that then YES I would :)
The instantly dry element is perfect for kids!
 
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No I wouldn't.

Children may have the patience to have it applied due to the novelty. They may have the patience to have it properly removed once. But why bother?

Kids love change! Do they really need the same colour on for 2 weeks?? What about school? One colour coat doesn't exactly take a long time to dry.

Girly girls may like a slick of mascara or lipstick but do they really need lash tinting or a semi permanent lip line?? (yes a bit far I know but where does it stop). They may like to clip in a coloured hair streak but a permanent colour??

What's wrong with kids growing up slowly. Why give them solutions to adult problems before they are adults?
 
What's the point? One of the benifits of using Shellac is that the colors last 2 weeks. What little girl would want the same color for 2 weeks? XD

I feel that if would be a waste.
My coworker's little daughter is 8, and she comes in almost everyday wanting something different.
 
Personally I dont see anything wrong with shellacing a child but I do think its a bit pointless. All the advantages of shellac over polish would be lost on a child.

But then im not very kid friendly anyway lol.
 
I would providing my insurance allowed it. I could see it
being sooo helpful on nail biters . My 13 and 11 year old are
wearing and it is really helping ! Soon they may even have a
little free edge.

So yes I would.
 
Ok here's what I think..... I don't have any strong opinions on this either way really and each to their own I say, but in saying that I feel that as a Nail Tech I'd be more than happy to apply Shellac to my niece's nails or my friend's child's nails because we don't have to pay for it..... so that's OK..... but a paying client coming into a salon to pay for a 6 year olds nails.... I think its a bit over the top to be honest!!

I mean... kids getting treatments like that in a salon at that age... how do you top that???... what will they want by the time they're 12?

I think kids should be kids and we should treat them accordingly .... Shellac is, in my opinion a luxury (that even some adults can't afford) and I think most kids would be thrilled with a normal file a paint anyway.... I agree with the other posters that most kids, especially the very young ones would be bored after day 2.. so what's the point??? (they may even pick it off.... what small kid wouldn't??)

Give kids something to look forward to about being an adult I say... I know when I was a kid I couldn't wait to be a grown up so I could go into a shop and buy all the sweets I wanted....

I don't know about everyone else, but I find young girls coming in to me for their debs (prom) don't seem to be as excited as my other older clients.... it's like "yeah I've been getting gels done since I was in nappies" :lol::lol:and it's not a big deal for them, which I find kinda sad...... Oh God, now I sound like my mother "the youth of today"!!! :) ... but you get what I mean.:D
 
Ignoring all the 'kids should be kids' and 'children grow up too fast nowadays' comments as I thought those arguments were not encouraged, I would say that if I would be prepared to polish a childs nails then I would be prepared to Shellac their nails if that is what was wanted. Why not?
 
I'd say Shellac is perfect for a child for special occassions, for example, I've got 2 flowergirls booked in for Shellac (Romantique with some diamontes) for the wedding, zero dry time, no chipping....perfect for them, they are both 11! I've also done shellac on an 11 year old for her school prom. I charge the same for children as adults as they still have 10 fingers and as they are so small it can take longer to do than an adults, so if the parent is quite happy to pay for it then I have no problem with doing it. I really don't think parents would be happy to pay for it on a regular basis, but for special occassions I think its perfect.
 
Yes I would and have.

One of my friends daughters does loads of dancing shows so its perfect for her.

I dont really have any issues with doing children so long as there good and sit still.

I wouldnt do L+P or Gel or tips but shellac, manicures and other treatments no problem.
 
I wouldn't have a problem with it at all, it's just a longer lasting nail colour at the end of the day so if a parent wanted to pay for it and the child would sit there for that long then fine.

But I don't see the point personally for a variety of reasons......school wouldn't allow it, the child would most likely want a different colour within a few days, a single coat of enamel could be done and dry quicker than a shellac service and this is all a young child needs surely?
 
Ooo yes, for special occasions and competitions it would be ideal!
 
Ignoring all the 'kids should be kids' and 'children grow up too fast nowadays' comments as I thought those arguments were not encouraged, I would say that if I would be prepared to polish a childs nails then I would be prepared to Shellac their nails if that is what was wanted. Why not?


EXACTLY!! We're not here to judge what is appropriate or not appropriate, and blah blah blah.
I simply wanted PROFESSIONAL points of view and NOT personal ones.
Some of you need to go back and re-read my original post.:rolleyes:

More with regards to the state of natural nails on children in comparison to adults, and that sort of thing.
I was thinking of it's usefulness with nail-biters.. yes.
And for weddings and etc.
I do NOT expect children to appreciate the 'unique' quality that is Shellac.
I expect the PARENTS to appreciate it, OR the young teen.

But also if you feel that Shellac is different from enhancements if you would do it on a younger age group than you do with enhancements...
AGAIN with regards to the state of the natural nails and NOT to do with parenting and morals and appropriateness etc etc which has NO PLACE in this conversation.

As I said, why & why not from a PROFESSIONAL perspective PLEASE.
 
Shellac yes at any age, it's no different than nail polish, VERY gentle on the nails.
 
Another reason I think Shellac would be ideal for the younger end of the client spectrum is that often the sheer strength of enhancement products is complete overkill for many people's nails (like it was for mine).

Many do not need the excessive strength that an enhancement gives to help them to grow and maintain their nails, but they do need something that is more than that which they already have; something in between strength-wise that is quick and easy and dry instantly, that they can choose to maintain every 2-3 weeks without fear of damage from the nail tech's file and that stays looking gorgeous. Shellac delivers all of those features.

When I started doing nails as a business, 99 out of a hundred women who came to me .. came with a goal which was, to grow their own nails while wearing the enhancements and then eventually to have them removed to reveal their own long natural nails. :D

Well, we all know that once removed, natural nails tend to break :sad: so back the clients came to have their nails re-enhanced and some are still coming 25 years later (slaves to them)..

Shellac is now the perfect 'in between' service for most clients whose goal still is to have their own natural nails again. If the nail technician is conscious to always maintain the health of her clients' nails during the enhancement service so that when removed, the natural nails will be in tact and fairly strong, Shellac will be the solution clients have always wanted to reach their end goal.
 

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