If you look online— Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, you’ll find that many people, especially young women, love their nails long, sleek, and colored.
It’s all the rage these days! Some even choose to go as long as four to five inches.
Long nails do sound and look nice, but the amount of dedication and caution needed to actually grow your nails long without breaking them in the process can be quite taxing.
What’s more, you’ll need to wait weeks or even months to reach your desired length.
And unfortunately, not everyone is willing to put in the time and effort to wait that long. That’s where acrylic nails come in.
Acrylic nails are extensions you can usually apply to the tip of your nail to get the experience of having long nails without actually having long nails. You can paint over them.
Sounds super convenient, right? It is!
However, they aren’t suitable for just anyone. Not everyone can handle looking after them, especially children.
Should a 9-year-old get acrylic nails? Can an 11-year-old get acrylic nails? I get it.
Say no more. We will reveal all the answers in this article.
Is there an age limit on acrylic nails?
Legally speaking: no, there isn’t an internationally known law restriction that forbids people in certain age groups from getting acrylic nails. It’s entirely up to a salon’s discretion whether or not to enforce an age limit.
But you need to keep in mind that getting acrylic nails is somewhat of a big responsibility. So those who choose to wear them must be capable of giving them the appropriate amount of attention and care that it needs.
That’s usually no trouble for a mature, sensible adult. Loud, energetic children, however? You may want to wait until they’re old enough to know how to go potty and clean up by themselves.
Unlike older individuals who are more likely to understand the importance of proper nail care, the kids’ primary concerns would probably focus more on how pretty they would look and showing them off to the other kids.
To sustain the quality of your acrylics, you’ll need to spoil them by treating them as gently and daintily as possible, as in being high maintenance and basically acting like a diva.
You’ll want to avoid opening soda pop cans, playing sports, or any other activities that could potentially ruin them.
And for a child’s active young mind, that doesn’t exactly sound like a situation they’d want to be in.
Another reason why acrylic nails on little children aren’t recommended is that their skin and nails are still developing.
They don’t have the same strength or versatility as an adult’s, which makes their nails more prone to irritation and damage.
How young is too young to get acrylics?
So… how young is too young to get yourself some acrylic nails?
Well, young enough not to know how to properly maintain and take care of them.
It’s common sense to know that infants and toddlers can’t wear them. They can barely take care of themselves!
But being too young could also mean out-of-control middle schoolers or immature children in general.
Because children are not able to handle them as efficiently as their elders, who have more experience, acrylic nails become more of a threat to their well-being, especially if said nails are rather long.
You know how kids are, always on the go, moving around, and playing outside. There’s nothing wrong with that!
The issue here is more exposure to physical activity presents more opportunities for damage to their acrylic or even their natural nails.
Let’s say their nails get stuck in the crevice of a swing, or they pull too hard in a game of tug and war.
Worst case scenario, their nail beds get permanently damaged, and you’ll need to head to the ER for an emergency surgical procedure. Yikes!
Not only do they put themselves at risk, but they also put the health and safety of others at stake. It would be dangerous to have a child running around with nails that could poke someone’s eye out.
So before you make a decision, it would be wise to consider how it would affect the health and lifestyle of your child as well as the people around them.
Do you think your child would be willing to put in the effort needed to preserve their nails? Would it affect their physical health in any way? Can you trust them enough to be careful with their acrylics?
How old do you have to be to get acrylic nails?
Again, there’s no established legal age to get acrylic nails. But most salons typically allow the service to those 16-17 years of age and above.
This is because, being in your late teens, you’ve already had your share of responsibilities and are trusted to be capable of applying your experience with it on acrylic nails.
As a growing adolescent, you are also more inclined to try out new things and experience more of what growing up has to offer.
So it’s not uncommon for a person around this age to become interested in the world of nail art and to want to try out acrylics.
So then, what is the youngest age to have acrylic nails?
Ideally, that would be those that fall between 13-15 years old. But in certain circumstances, you can go younger.
What matters is that they have guidance and consent from their parents, so it is technically still possible for them to get acrylics. However, they’re advised to keep them short as they are safer and easier to manage.
Wrapping Things Up
Are acrylic nails okay for 12-year-olds? Is 10 a good age to have acrylic nails?
Ultimately, with all factors considered, that’s up to the salon or you to decide.
If you come to the conclusion that your child is indeed too young for it, there are always other alternatives more suited for them.
You can opt for press-ons, which are quick to apply and remove, or you can allow their natural nails to grow and apply nail varnish.
Whatever it is that you think your child can handle and keeps them healthy, happy, and safe!