Tween beauty: How young is too young?

Leticia Gonzales
Special to The Free Press

September 15, 2008 09:55 am

— With the school year in full swing, and homecoming dances and parties on the horizon, advertisements for clothes, shoes and makeup are everywhere.
But shopping malls are no longer the only places vying for teen clients. Salons are starting to get a piece of the pie, especially when it comes to teens and even tweens.
Shannon Black, owner and stylist at Raydiance Salon in downtown Mankato, said her salon sees about five to 10 clients a week who are younger than 14 years old — a number, she says, that has jumped in past years.
MSNBC recently reported that 16 percent of teens who have visited a spa have received hair-removal procedures, according to The International Spa Association. Several salon owners across the country told the “Today” show that the number of children ages 12 and under coming seeking beauty services has dramatically increased during the past three years, leaving one to wonder: How young is too young to be focused so intently on beauty?
Black said the majority of her younger clients are accompanied by their parents, grandparents or nannies.
“We find that they (are influenced by) their mom and friends, or are highly influenced by magazines or television,” Black said. Still, Black said the salon strives to teach young people that beauty comes from within, she said.
Black said the most sought after services at Raydiance are haircuts, dimensional color, foils, waxing and make-up lessons, she said.
“They also use our Styling 101 classes, which walks them through one on one with a stylist,” she said. “They are shown how to style their own hair.”
Most teens are not jumping into bikini waxes and heavy makeup at an early age. Sierra Page, a 15-year-old sophomore at Mankato West High School, has been a regular client at Raydiance Salon since she was 8 years old.
Page visits the salon about three to four times a year, but only to get her hair trimmed and highlighted to keep it “healthy and nice looking.”
“I always talk with my mom before I visit on what I should do with my hair,” Page said. “I don’t do anything too crazy with my hair, and my mom trusts me to ask the stylists at Raydiance for their opinion before I decide what I will do with my hair.”
Still, Page thinks the media has a great affect on society and teens.
“Many of the celebrities in the tabloids affect many young girls and women, whether it be a hair style or what a girl’s size is in clothing,” Page said. “Hollywood is trying to show America a beauty that is fake and negative (to) people who don’t look like that.”
Rachel Carpenter, co-owner of Indulge Salon and Tanning in North Mankato, services about 10 younger teen clients a week. Most are dropped off by their parents and request services such as tanning, hair cuts and pedicures, with an occasional brow wax.
Carpenter said her staff doesn’t make too many changes when servicing younger clients.
“They get the same treatment,” she said. “Conversations may be a little different (but) the service is the same.”
Carpenter recommends that parents come along, since some of the services, including massages, may require a parent’s signature if the client is under 16 years old.
Same goes for clients at Raydiance Salon. Black said parental consent is needed for any chemical service or waxing for their younger clients.
Black puts emphasis on the importance of having an experienced stylist when it comes to younger clients.
“This is such a touchy age,” Black said. “A lot of girls are very self-conscious. Bringing them into a salon and teaching them how to take care of their hair and skin is a great start to a lifelong habit.”

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.