Mum slammed for forcing 2-year-old daughter to get shellac manicure

There's nothing quite like a relaxing manicure when you need a bit of self-care - but how young is too young to get one?

One woman has shared her shocked reaction after seeing a 2-year-old girl being "forced" to have her nails painted with shellac in a beauty salon, reports the Sun.

Taking to UK parenting website Mumsnet, she explained the situation on a forum called Am I Being Unreasonable?

She revealed it was a "hot humid afternoon" and the nail salon "stunk to high heaven of nail glue".

"Among the various women and nine-year-olds having their holiday nails done, is a two-year-old, sucking a dummy, having Shellac nails done," she wrote.

"They're using the plug-in file on her tiny nails. The mum is here and argued with the salon owner who said she was too young, got really s***ty and in her face to have it done, so it's happening but the poor nail tech doesn't look happy about it."

She concluded her post by asking whether or not it was unreasonable of her to say that toddlers shouldn't have shellac manicures. "Damage to tiny nail beds, toxic chemicals, sexualisation of children as reasons off the top of my head."

Other parents were quick to reassure her that she wasn't being unreasonable for pointing this out, with one commenting, "There should be a test you need to pass to procreate".

"What the actual ..." another added.

The woman then updated her post, adding, "The child is starting to cry so the mother now has her gripped sat on her knee so her little hands can reach the CND lights."

"I have no idea why the nail salon didn't ask her and her mother to leave," another commented.

Another person couldn't believe the salon owner and nail technician had agreed to give the tot a manicure. "Absolutely crazy behaviour."

"That's awful," another parent wrote.

"My daughter wanted hers done aged about eight, I did ask the salon (hoping they would say she was too young) and they said definitely too young, the UV light is damaging to their soft nails.”

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.