Does Your Tween Need a Back-to-School Visit to the Nail Salon?

It’s back-to-school season, and that means back-to-school nails with bedazzled and colorful nail designs of all lengths and shapes—especially for Black and Latine students. Inspired by influencers from celebrities to Tik-Tokers, and stylish Black and Latine teenagers of decades past, tweens are expressing themselves and becoming a real-world trending topic.

 If you’re a parent new to the nail salon, you might be worried about making the right decision, especially if you’ve ever heard the words “too grown” or “muy fresca.” Rest assured, though, there are safe ways for tweens to participate in this fashion trend and pay homage in a culturally significant way.

Familia by Parents spoke to a professional about choosing age-appropriate nail designs, popular trends that originated with Black and Latine teens, and safety precautions to consider when taking your tween to their first salon appointment.

Choosing the Right Size and Shape

Many tweens and teens are looking for show-stopping nails, with lengths and shapes that may not be appropriate for school in a practical way. Melanie Lewis-Johnson, a licensed nail technician who’s worked in the industry for roughly 20 years, says many tweens come to her with uber-creative ideas and requests.

While she honors her clients, she does slide a bit of mentoring into every session. Often her tween clients ask for lengths and shapes that require experience and maturity that many younger nail wearers don’t yet possess.

 “They want the long nails, the curve, the duck feet, and they can't wear 'em because they're not practical for a teenager,” says Lewis-Johnson. “I have to talk them out of it. I’ll say, ‘Girl, you're not going to be able to pick up your book bag; you're not going to be able to text; you're not going to be able to unlock your phone. You're going to scratch yourself. You're going to poke yourself in the eye every time you go to wipe your face. You're not that thoughtful yet of your body to wear your nails that long.’”  

But if they insist on getting them anyway, Lewis-Johnson will cut them to the desired length and then ask them to pick up their phones and send a text.

 “A lot of times, it works—they don't want it. They're like, ‘OK, I can't do this,’” she says.  

For visual reference, Lewis-Johnson says the ideal length for new nail wearers is longer than active but much shorter than Cardi B’s nails; the latter is generally what parents tell her they don’t want for their tweens.

Building Self Expression Through Nail Design Choices

In the fall when teens are heading back to school, they often want to stand out and showcase their personal style in crowded schools. It's no wonder that Lewis-Johnson has received impressive requests from her young clients, some of which even challenge her creativity, including nails inspired by Arizona green tea. As a 40-something, she says she enjoys how modern the younger nail wearers are in their design selections, so far removed from the French tips teens wore when she was a teenager. However, some teens are asking for the “‘90s trend.”

Acrylic or long natural nails with embellishments and French and American or classic tips made a huge splash in the ‘90s. From the lengthy and heavily decorated fingertips of SWV’s Coko to Celia Cruz, whose nails were so iconic that the Barbie in her likeness has red-painted nails, Black and Latine women have been culture bearers of nail art trends for decades.

Teens and women of the ‘90s flocked to nail salons requesting the most exciting pierced, bedazzled, classic, and graphic design nails they could pull from their imaginations. These staples, now known as the ‘90s trend, have resurfaced because of Black and Latine tweens and teens of today.

Jessyca Williams, a secondary school educator and mother of 13-year-old Aamilah, says her daughter has a Pinterest board full of new designs to try. “I was surprised like, ‘Why are you on Pinterest?’ They're also watching those videos that come up on social media and gathering ideas from them,” says Williams.

Aamilah has been getting her nails done since she was 11, in seventh grade. Her first set was about half an inch off her fingertips and covered in glitter. “They were sparkly, the big chunky glitter—very cutesy,” says Williams. “It's kind of evolved to a big ‘A,’ charms on the nail bed, and they've gotten a bit longer and a little gaudier.”

Aamilah, who gets her nails done about four to five times a year, says it makes her hands look nice and boosts her confidence. “[I feel] more put together [when my nails are done],” says Aamilah.

 The rising high school freshman says that some teens don’t care about having their nails done, but there are more acrylic nail wearers than not. Next school year, Aamilah will be on the varsity cheer squad, so while she’ll still get her back-to-school nails done, Williams strongly suggests shorter nails for safety purposes, likely just an overlay on her natural nails.

Safety Precautions for First-Time Nail Appointments

Lewis-Johnson believes parents’ biggest safety concern should be that the nail tech is using clean equipment and working in a caring and cautious manner. She also says parents should do internet sleuthing like reading reviews before booking.

After receiving service, she says parents should inspect their child’s hands.  

 “Make sure they're not cut or bruised up,” says Lewis-Johnson.

 A great nail tech will notice and stop whatever issue occurs, but if they don’t, the young nail wearers should be able to advocate for themselves.

 “Teach your child how to speak for themselves. If the nail tech is burning them, tell them to say, ‘Ouch, that burns.’ If the nail tech cuts them, they should tell them, ‘You cut me,’” she advises.

In the event that your child is cut at the nail salon, be sure to immediately disinfect the area with isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or another antiseptic because infections are possible—especially if your nail technician's equipment has not been cleaned properly.

Erasing the "Mas Fresca" Mentality

Black and Latine children are often adultified but mom Jessyca Williams says wearing nails doesn’t have to contribute to this social construct. “[I understand] wanting to keep children looking young for as long as possible, but if a predator sees prey, it doesn’t matter how they look,” she says.

"I never forget what it felt like to be a child, so I balance keeping my child safe with being the adult I felt like I may have needed. As a parent, I’m in a position to provide opportunities for my children so that they don't repeat the feelings that I had. And so no, I'm not allowing her to get three and four-inch nails, but she'll be OK if she has these shorter decorated nails.”

Before allowing Aamilah to wear nails, Williams says she observed that her daughter was conscious of cleanliness and personal hygiene, essential to healthy nail-wearing. She also considered her activities and how wearing nails could hinder or enhance those things.

She further suggests trying press-on nails before investing in securing a nail tech. “See how the press-ons affect self-esteem, how activities are affected, how they maintain them, and work your way up from there,” says Williams. “If you feel your child is ready to wear that responsibility, be open-minded enough to follow that. And if you don't like it, you don't like it, and you don't have to do it again, but be open-minded.”