How do you stand the smell of a nail salon?

Oh, my daughter won’t go near them, absolutely hates the smell takes her breath away.

@ucme Good call!! My first clue was the smell, the second was that the workers wore masks, while none were offered to customers.

Look at this list, it’s crazy! And people send their kids and teens…yikes.

Acetone (nail polish remover): headaches; dizziness; and irritated eyes, skin, and throat.
Acetonitrile (fingernail glue remover): irritated nose and throat; breathing problems; nausea; vomiting; weakness; and exhaustion.
Butyl acetate (nail polish, nail polish remover): headaches and irritated eyes, skin, nose, mouth, and throat
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), (nail polish): nausea and irritated eyes, skin, nose, mouth, and throat. Long-term exposures to high concentrations may cause other serious effects.
Ethyl acetate (nail polish, nail polish remover, fingernail glue): irritated eyes, stomach, skin, nose, mouth, and throat; high levels can cause fainting.
Ethyl methacrylate (EMA), (artificial nail liquid): asthma; irritated eyes, skin, nose, and mouth; difficulty concentrating. Exposures while pregnant may affect your child.
Formaldehyde (nail polish, nail hardener): difficulty breathing, including coughing, asthma-like attacks, and wheezing; allergic reactions; irritated eyes, skin, and throat. Formaldehyde can cause cancer.
Isopropyl acetate (nail polish, nail polish remover): sleepiness, and irritated eyes, nose, and throat.
Methacrylic acid (nail primer): skin burns and irritated eyes, skin, nose, mouth, and throat. At higher concentrations, this chemical can cause difficulty breathing.
Methyl methacrylate (MMA), (artificial nail products, though banned for use in many states): asthma; irritated eyes, skin, nose, and mouth; difficulty concentrating; loss of smell.
Quaternary ammonium compounds (disinfectants): irritated skin and nose and may cause asthma.
Toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate are sometimes referred to in the industry as the “toxic trio”.

Toluene (nail polish, fingernail glue): dry or cracked skin; headaches, dizziness, and numbness; irritated eyes, nose, throat, and lungs; damage to liver and kidneys; and harm to unborn children during pregnancy.

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/nailsalons/chemicalhazards.html

People have different sensitivities and aversions, but this sounds extreme. I would have thought the best option would be just to try another shop.

I always thought the reason for the masks was because the manicurists are sanding people’s skin and nails, which causes nail and skin dust to go into the air, and they’d be breathing it. If the customer had a disease or fungus, that would go into the worker’s lungs.

Also, it might be a law that they wear masks.

I know that I am welcome to wear my own mask in a salon if I wanted to, but I don’t, because I’m only in there for an hour or two and I don’t get manicures very often.

A Study of Nail Salon Workers in the United States, by University of California, Los Angeles:
https://www.labor.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/NAILFILES_2018nov29_FINAL_3.pdf

@jca2 At least some put in appropriate ventilation, I literally couldn’t breathe. Certainly looking pretty is not worth the health risks imo.

There is a lot of skill involved in nail care, however, nothing that one cannot learn to do. For oneself (sp?) and for others.

@joeschmo Besides the fume issues, there are health risks associated with not using new instruments, as well.
The whole situation is too risky. If I were going to market/ advertise a salon, I’d definately add those two issues into the ad.

https://www.more.com/beauty/nails/nail-care/dirt-alert-five-signs-unsanitary-nail-salon

Just as well you didn’t light a cigarette. The place would have gone up like a bomb.

I wouldn’t ever consider entering a nail salon, and it’s unfortunate that so many people think it’s just fine. Unless the workers are wearing gas masks, they’re not being protected from anything other than dust from nail filing, or perhaps pollen that has come in from outside.

Frankly, those chemicals fry the brain, which might explain why the workers there are so careless about their health, as well as that of their customers.

Some smell way more than others. Some are ridiculous. It feels like a den of poison air. The one closest to me is like that, but I go there, because I only do it about twice a year and it’s convenient.

I guess maybe some have better ventilation systems than others, and I also guess that some markets do more processes that smell a lot. Maybe fake nails? I don’t know.

In NYC I never find it overwhelming like I do sometimes where I live. Possibly, it has to do with how many nail tables also.

Probably better to go to a spa, and then just a small part of the total space is nail tables.

@JLeslie I sure hope the ventilation is better, for your brain cells and lungs. I felt like it was worse than blowing cig smoke in a kid’s face and there were more young teens in there than adults.

Never been to a nail salon. Now I’m curious.

@mazingerz88 Some of them are nice and ventilated, I’ve just never been to one that was so bad I couldn’t breathe before. May as well get a spring mani/pedi while you’re there!

It might also have to do with the codes in various towns, maybe some requiring better ventilation than others.

I believe humidity has an effect on how well ventilation works sometimes.
Wind speed and direction also have an effect.
It could be the ventilation is substitute ae beard, or possibly just having a bad day.

@All I forgot to say, when I freaked out and told the kid I couldnt handle it, she said she was used to it because she went with her older sister often. Thats what made me believe it was more than this fairly nice salon.