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AIBU?

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Original poster

Babies in nail salons -

80 replies

HellKitty · 06/02/2015 14:16

  • not actually getting their nails done mind Confused

I've just walked past one of those Chinese/Korean nail bars and there were three buggies in there with sleeping babies in while, I assume, the mums were getting their nails done. It's a very small shop, no windows and quite a few (8+) techs working.

These places really smell of chemicals, you can smell it a good few shops away. I've used a place like this in the past for my nails and it takes a good 30 minutes start to finish.

Aibu in thinking it's not the greatest place for babies?

OP posts:
HorsesDogsNails · 06/02/2015 16:27

Clumsyninja, Methyl Methacrylate should not be used on nails but not because it is dangerous as such. Ethyl Methacrylate is the correct product for nail enhancements.

MMA forms a product that doesn't adhere well to the natural nail, is too hard for an enhancement to break if necessary and is difficult to remove - that is why it shouldn't be used on nails. The cheap nail bars use it because it's cheap! The EMA I use is designed for use on nails.

Pengyquin · 06/02/2015 16:27

I'm with you OP.

Get a sitter whilst you have your nails done. Fumes are bad enough for an adult. And we wonder why cancers etc are all so much more prevalent now than they were 30+ years ago..fumes/chemicals/toxins etc etc etc

I wouldn't dream of taking my baby into a nail salon.

Birdsgottafly · 06/02/2015 16:30

""There are no 'regulations' when it comes to beauty, you don't have to have any qualifications or certificates to do anything. It's scary.""

There are when it comes to products.

The reason that the Salons that are successful and on the "up", are Chinese etc, is because they are experts at nail art etc.

We've got quite a few of these salons in Liverpool, they were recently found to be using banned products, but everyone was working legally.

They have been given a chance to clean their act up and are now regularly inspected. If that isn't happening in your area and mistakes are happening, then report them and they will be inspected.

Unless there is a known risk to young children, then Mums should be able to decide for themselves, you shouldn't have to put your life on hold for four years.

We know that foods regularly fed to young children (and supported on here) are carcinogenic and can store health problems, but these are choices that are defended.

It is the dust that is a worry, there a lot of industries, lace making, is one that has a high rate of a certain type of Lung Cancer across Asia, because of dust and fibres. They are pro active when is comes to wearing masks.

That won't be a risk, to any customers, given the exposure amount and proximity.

Hillingdon · 06/02/2015 16:30

Horses - what if they are fake, they are plenty of fakes in the UK, phone chargers that catch on fire, fake handbags, fake GHS hair straightners... one of my friends who had a bad experience felt they were adding water to make liquids last longer but that was just a guess.

HorsesDogsNails · 06/02/2015 16:31

Just for clarity I am very much against the use of MMA but not for 'danger' reasons. Understanding product chemistry is essential for good nail technicians.....

sebsmummy1 · 06/02/2015 16:31

There was an expose years ago on the nail bars you describe and the damage it was doing to people's hands. I have stepped foot in one once and agree it is absolutely not where I would like to take a sleeping baby for an hour.

Luckily I couldn't give a shit about my nails.

Birdsgottafly · 06/02/2015 16:33

""And we wonder why cancers etc are all so much more prevalent now""

The experts don't wonder, the food we eat is a major factor, then it is other lifestyle choices.

DialsMavis · 06/02/2015 16:34

YANBU they stink

HorsesDogsNails · 06/02/2015 16:35

Hillingdon, that is a real problem in some parts of the industry. I would advise going to a salon where you can have a conversation with your nail tech (!) and where they use products out of original labelled containers, so labelled by the manufacturer. Ask which brand they use and why, I'm always happy to sing the praises of my chosen products.

Cheap prices, cash only and unlabelled products are not good.....

Hillingdon · 06/02/2015 16:36

Thinking about what others have said Birds - how do you come in from another non UK country and start a business often taking cash only. It sounds like a Immgration and HMRC issue tbh.

SuperFlyHigh · 06/02/2015 16:36

Birds - I'm with you there.

When I was in my salon recently they seemed to use proper equipment, brand names, Seche Vite etc and the drier looked a proper brand name and seemed clean and also not old. They also had one main person overseeing whose English was far better than her employees. Same when I was upstairs in the waxing room and it all looked clean/tidy/hygienic.

I think they are inspected as they may have been reported in the past (as with the Liverpudlian ones) for using dodgy equipment.

They did have a nice range of polishes (Opi etc) on shelves and like I said not just jumbled in a basket like the other (non Vietnam/Chinese/Korean) salon. That one was so bad that after my pedi and soaking in foot spa I was concerned as to how clean it was.... Hmm

Hillingdon · 06/02/2015 16:38

I am not going again. I have found a lovely mobile lady and she is as cheap as these local spas. She uses Aveda products which are lovely!

Rhianna1980 · 06/02/2015 16:38

The chav brigade is out in force today . Init?

SolasEile · 06/02/2015 16:42

Hmm, you've given me pause for thought. I am booked to go for a nail salon trip with some friends tomorrow morning and DD has been fussy recently so I was going to take her with me if I needed to. Might have to rethink that...!

AmarettoSour · 06/02/2015 16:42

One of my friends is a nail technician who works from home. She is also a new mum. It has never been mentioned by her HV or any HCP so I'm not sure why half an hour in a salon as a one off would be a problem Confused

MrsTawdry · 06/02/2015 16:43

Rhianna what are you blathering on about? Hmm That word is generally used as an insult by people who are MUCH less pleasant than those they are trying to insult.

ClumsyNinja · 06/02/2015 16:44

Horses I said Methacrylate not specifically MMA or EMA for good reason.

Methacrylate (and versions of) is found in all nail enhancement products. Just check the MSDS for any brand.

It is the dust from filing not the fumes that are dangerous. They can cause allergic reactions of varying degrees from mild skin irritation to something requiring hospital treatment.

Plenty of South East Asian salon staff are British born! I deeply resent the implication that if the salon is not run by white girls then they're operating illegally.
Britanniagate · 06/02/2015 16:44

Oh god, the 'is the workers' ethnicity relevant' brigade have arrived.

fruitpastille · 06/02/2015 16:51

Do only chavs get their nails done then? Until a health care professional advises otherwise I shall continue to not worry about an occasional half hour in a nail bar/hair salon/recently decorated house/by a busy road etc etc and get on with my life!! God forbid mothers should do things purely for their own enjoyment or convenience in case of an as yet unproven risk.

HorsesDogsNails · 06/02/2015 16:55

Clumsyninja, there is a big difference between EMA and MMA and the risk of over exposure and allergic reaction was one of the first thing I was taught on my Foundation Course! Working safely is essential if you want a long career in nails..... I never let dust sit on mine or my clients hands and I dispose of my couch roll regularly throughout the service.

The people getting slightly over-excited about the dangers of nail liquid on this thread were talking specifically about the smell and that is where I was attempting to offer my knowledge! I've had my 'Nail Structure and Product Chemistry' book out for this thread, it's a good read!!

Hillingdon · 06/02/2015 16:57

I am questioning not that its run by white, yellow or red people. But cash in hand, chemicals that are often fake, little English spoken does sound suspicious - or is it just me?

WD41 · 06/02/2015 16:59

Yanbu. I've only ever been to a nail salon once and the smell was so strong, it actually made me feel slightly panicky. There's no way on earth I'd take a baby into one. I wouldn't even want my 3yo breathing it in.

mamababa · 06/02/2015 18:06

Horses, you may have done the course but your scientific knowledge here is flawed. Just because it's used in dental fixings is utterly irrelevant - the methacrylate Monomer is polymerised - that polymer is put into the mouth and sets hard. Just like is does on nails. What we are discussing here is the vapour of the methacrylate Monomer (ema) which is used not just because it's better but basically methyl methacrylate is horrible stuff. EMA still has a distinct vapour and is volatile and highly flammable. It will also cause respiratory and skin irritation to some and can result in running eyes, coughing etc. The effects maybe temporary but are not pleasant at the time and certainly not for a baby. Just like CS spray effects are temporary but unpleasant.

One nail tech in a salon doing one set of nails and probably other stuff is very different to 8 people using this stuff all day because it's purely a nail salon.

Even on a small scale, the use of methacrylate monomers in a laboratory would be confined to a fumehood, not on an open bench because of the irritant nature of the vapour but also because of flammability.

HorsesDogsNails · 06/02/2015 18:34

MMA is definitely horrible stuff, I see too much nail damage caused by it.... I wish it was banned in this country as it is in the States, but no-one outside of the nail industry really cares sadly.

ourglass · 06/02/2015 18:40

I've taken both of my kids loads of times. They haven't grown two heads yet.