The Shaving of the Legs - When to say OK

Terri - posted on 06/25/2012

my girls are very hairy, we do it the easy way, veet, 6 minutes and your done, but only for the legs they use a razor on their armpits, I let my now 11 yr old start at 10 and my now 10 yr old is also doing it. I really feel its up to the parents. I mainly let mine start at 10 because they were so hairy and they were being teased at school, I went through that and I wasnt about to let my girls go through it too, it leaves a lasting lifelong impression

Hannah - posted on 06/24/2012

I started shaving when i was going into 5th grade because it was really dark and notice able because i where shorts a lot

Denise - posted on 04/28/2012

My dark-haired daughter is 11, I told her she could shave her legs the summer before 7th grade. I let her shave the hair under her arms this year, she was very embarrassed about them so I figured it was appropriate to start.there. I would like to let mothers know that shaving does NOT make hair grow back thicker or darker. It only seems that way at first, since re-growth is all cut at the same length and angle. Hair that is pulled out at the root (waxing and plucking) is much worse since it stimulates hair follicle (root) so each hair comes back stronger and thicker--the hairs just don´t all grow out uniformly, thus, the misconception of "less hair growing back" Consult any certified electrogist about this. Deni

Victoria - posted on 10/11/2009

mine wants to start but am going to hold of as long as i can she is 9 they grow up to quick as it is

Sheila - posted on 10/10/2009

I let my daughter start when she was 11 & in 6h grade.

Kylie - posted on 10/10/2009

hi natalie

my daughters started at 10, i bought an electric shaver, as they inherited their mum's black body hair, and yeah its a hassle, but is it not a hassle to be teased for it either? I have some folks roll eyes at me or whatever, but its what they want and its not body piercing or tattoos at 10, its just hair!!! that grows back!! lol

the electric shaver is in her room, and i advised her that sunday nite is a nice time to do it, then ur done for the week, and she was happy with that. the electric shaver prevents cuts and bad accidents in the bathroom.

i think the rite of passage is a very personal one...for our daughters and for us :)

ROSA - posted on 10/10/2009

Post a reply! MY DAUGHTER JUST TURNED 11 AND WE ARE DEALING WITH THE SAME ISSUE. I DID LET HER START VEET & NAIR TO TRY OUT. SHE PLAYS SOCCER AND IS SELF CONCIOUS OF THE DARK HAIR ON HER LEGS. I AM TRYING TO GET HER TO WAIT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE BETWEEN HAIR REMOVALS, BUT SINCE IT'S A NEW THING SHE IS EXCITED AND TRIES TO GET IN THERE WHEN I DON'T KNOW OR TO SHOW OFF WHEN A FRIEND IS OVER.

Kelly - posted on 10/09/2009

My daughter wouldn't wear shorts, even in the heat! I say, when the kid is embarassed, let her do it. Self esteem is a wonderful thing.

Jenn - posted on 10/09/2009

My daughter has blond hair so it wasn't as noticable. But we did have her start the summer before 8th grade. She wanted to play sports and hated that her legs were hairy(in her opinion!) She now is crazy about doing it. I told her to slow down but, she still shaves everyday!

Janet - posted on 10/09/2009

I think you have to "pick your battles" and if you talk to her about the right ways to shave and maybe throwing away the old razors after a few uses, she should be fine at that age.

Terri - posted on 10/09/2009

I tell my daughter when she starts her period she can shave!

Roaa - posted on 10/09/2009

I think she s about the acceptable age, it depends how hairy is she and if that is affecting her or not, I dont have girl but from others experince it'll not be easy to convenice her if she wants to do so espcially these days, it is not like our generation we obay whatever mom says!

Karen - posted on 10/09/2009

Hi my daughter is 13 and has dark hair, she wanted to start shaving her legs when she was about 10 as some of the boys in her class kept mentioning her hairy legs which really upset her, so rather than let her loose with a razor I bought her hair removal cream, we did a patch test first. I would recommend this rather than shaving as with shaving the hairs grow back quicker and thicker. she has been fine eversince and hair free.....

Sheila - posted on 10/08/2009

My daughter is 10 and I know exactly where you are coming from. She seen me shaving my legs and started asking me if it hurt and do I like doing it. I told her no to both questions. I also told her once you start you have to keep doing it. She came to me last week and asked if she could shave her legs. I asked if she thought she was ready for that and she said yes. We talked about it for a while. I let her but we only shaved up to her knee. I think it's okay to let her. Just start out slow with it.

Justine - posted on 10/08/2009

My daughter is 10 yrs. old will be 11 in November. I let her start shaving before school started because she was very embarrassed about how hairy her legs were. She started with Nair and is now using a 3 blade razor better then I do. Good luck with your decision. It's not an easy one to let your baby grow up so fast.

Sherry - posted on 10/08/2009

i have a 14 year old who wants to shave i will not let her,girls want to grow up to fast,there are more important things then shaving legs!!!

Lori - posted on 10/08/2009

If your child has alot of hair and is self-consience over it, Id let her shave them. I let my daughter shave at ten because her legs had thick blond hair and she HATED it , and now at 18 ,she turned out WONDERFUL . It won't make her "bad".

Dana - posted on 10/08/2009

My daughter started shaving her legs this year...she is 11. The poor thing was being picked on in school (we all know how mean and relentless kids can be) and I couldn't deal with her being saddened over it. She also got her period this year so who was I to deny her shaving her legs...we started with the Veet hair removal, but that does get costly after awhile. She now uses a razor, a Schick that has the wires over the three razors....she's a pro now!

Jen - posted on 10/08/2009

I always thought Jr high would be the right time for girls to shave their legs....its when you expect other girls to notice things like that & point out the 'hairy' legs. Age, 13? & in Grade 8, was when that happened to me. I didn't have Jr High though, straight to high school in Grade 8.

Unless she's getting picked on before that, my girl will probably not be shaving her legs 'till just before she starts Jr High. My girl is only 9, so I don't expect to deal with this yet. I peeked in the thread to find the general consensus. ;)

Tara - posted on 10/08/2009

My daughter had more hair on her legs at 10 then I had at 40. So at 10 I started shaving them for her, now at 11 she does it herself. She is a real girly-girl who will only wear dress to school and it bothered her so I felt for her it was ok.

Amber - posted on 10/08/2009

My daughter is 10..she will be 11years old the 22nd. She has started shaving and I allowed her to ONLY if there is a adult present for a few times to make sure she can do it correctly. Her legs are the only thing she can shave right now. She is a cheerleader and she is in that stage where its "LIKE OMG MOM...THE GIRLS ARE GONNA LAUGH AT ME IF MY LEGS ARE HAIRY" soooo, she shaves and also with a adult present. If you want to...start her off with the BLADELESS shaver with the creme. lmao

Samantha - posted on 10/08/2009

If she's asking it may be time.

Maryanne - posted on 10/08/2009

If she has the hair let her shave - the embarrassment the girls suffer is a much worse fate that learning a life skill. When my girls asked I showed them, one was in 6th, one was in 8th. The one is 8th was more fair. I don't think there is a set time. One of my nieces had the armpit hair in 3rd grade, and she was really embarrassed over it.

Heather - posted on 10/08/2009

My daughter turned 12 this year and started shaving her legs over the summer when she developed hair on her armpits.

Nessa - posted on 10/07/2009

I'm at the same point with my daughter. She just turned 10. I'm "ok" with it, I guess. We decided to wait on her to decide when she wants to start. She wears "short-shorts" still without feeling ackward, so once she really wants to start, I guess I'll be there "teaching" her how. Thank goodness autumn is here and long pants are coming.. but I have a feeling next spring-summer its going to happen...

I'm so not ready... she's growing and developing so fast.

Barbara - posted on 10/07/2009

I did not want my kids to be teased as I was, when my 10 year old kept asking me, I started by doing neer( the cream you put on to remove hair) that got old quick so I bought her the shaver intuion with the big soap on the razor. She is now 12 and my 9 year old is asking. I will wait one more year and then let her start.

Stephanie - posted on 10/07/2009

I let both og my girls start shaving their legs when they started middle school, both were 11 or 12.

Evelyn - posted on 10/07/2009

I let my daughter start when she was 11 as she had pretty hairy legs! It might not have been so bad if her brother did not often comment on them. I got her good razors and foam and she has yet to nick herself so basically, so far so good! She is not nearly as self-conscious as she was.

Christina - posted on 10/07/2009

My oldest daughter is 12. I told her she can shave when she starts her period!

Lori - posted on 10/07/2009

Quoting Kenitra:

I told my daughter when she gets armpit hair, she can start shaving. I will be encouraging her to shave her legs only up to the knee, and reserve the shaving of the thigh to only about once a month, or special occasions.

My thoughts EXACTLY!!!!  If she needs to shave her armpits, it's time to shave her legs.

Corena - posted on 10/07/2009

I started helping my daughter shave her legs when she was nine.
She has very dark hair and was horribly embarrased by it. I can't see any reason that age should be a factor. If it is embarrasing to her why would anyone force her to endure that?

Kari - posted on 10/07/2009

My daughter was 12. I wanted her to wait til she was 13 but then it came summer time and she refused to wear shorts or even capris to school because she was so embarrassed about the hair on her legs. She has blonde hair mind you so it really wasn't that bad, but I told her the same thing....once you start it's a hassle! I think my exact words were you know how you wanted your period soooo bad?! Now that it comes on a regular basis you dread the day....well shaving your legs is like that....you will want to wear shorts but then you are going to have to find extra time and shave first!

Rose - posted on 10/06/2009

instead of shaving try waxing the baby hair this way it wont be as coarse and stubbly. if its really noticable I would give it a try.

Angela - posted on 10/06/2009

My daughter started around 11 or 12. We started with Veet. She liked it because of the foamy stuff - I liked it because I didn't have to worry about her cutting herself. Plus a depilatory doesn't go as deep - so the re-growth isn't as thick.

Kasha - posted on 10/06/2009

My daughter is 9 and has complained about her leg hair for several years! It was very dark and thick. I let her try the Smooth Away and she loves it. I found it to be a time consuming pain, but it makes her happy and no razors.



Edit...my son was 9 when he started asking me to pluck his unibrow..lol Don't forget your boys..they can be self consious too!

KATHY - posted on 10/06/2009

My Daughter is 11, and I noticed her baby fine hair getting thicker and thicker but didn't bring notice to it myself. I had talk it over with my husband and he didn't want her to start shaving. We agreed on when she was uncomfortable with her apperance then we would let her. It happened the end of summer I told her she could ware some of her nice short outfits to school and she said no because her legs.. I found the product SMOOTH AWAY because I didn't want her to use a razor it works good. I like it .

Deborah - posted on 10/06/2009

I felt the same way you do but I decided it's much more important for them not to get made fun of for something they are planning to do anyway. Let her shave. I let my girls shave at 11 years old and none of us ever regret that decision. Maybe the only thing I regret is we didn't do it a year earlier. Kids are so mean!

Beth - posted on 10/06/2009

Hi! My daughter is 11 and just started shaving armpits and legs a couple months ago. Her legs were hairier than her older brothers and she was getting picked on by him quite a bit (at least her voice isn't changing. lol). I figured she is shaving her armpits so why not just go the next step to her legs. She only shaves them once a week. The hairs on her legs weren't baby fine anymore, they were pretty thick and getting black (you could tell she had hairy legs when she wore shorts) guess that would be a good time to start. lol I also bought her that razor with the soap already attached (Venus or something like it), she likes it and hasn't cut herself, yet anyway. Good luck.

Kelly - posted on 10/06/2009

Hello! I think if she is uncomfortable with her legs being too hairy and is ready to start shaving why not it will just build up her self esteem. Maybe try starting with a electric razor that is what my mom bought for me when I was 12 and started shaving. It's just a little bit easier to deal with then a sharp razor at a young age. Good luck :)

Christy - posted on 10/06/2009

my daughter started shaving right before she started 6th grade. I got her an electric shaver so she won't cut herself. i do find myself reminding her to shave, but she was told that once she started shaving, she had to keep it up.

Leslie - posted on 10/06/2009

it really depends on your child's maturity. They are using a razor and could get hurt. my daughter is 10 and decided to shave on her own because a friend did. her friend cut herself all up and had to get stitches the third time. My daughter has no problems with it. It just really depends on your child. I wasn't planning on letting her until she was 12.

Rachel - posted on 10/06/2009

My daughter started shaving her under arms when she was nine, because she really needed to! I think she was 10 when she first did her legs, but we used the veet hair remover so she wasn't attempting to use a razor on her legs right away. It uses a "fake" razor so it gave her the experience to shave later on. BTW about half of the girls in her class have shaved and she is in 6th grade now...so I still think it's a very personal choice between you and her!

Diana - posted on 10/05/2009

I think as long as it's not so noticeable that it's destroying her self esteem.I say NO don't start because it will grow back longer and thicker every time and you know the upkeep is horrendous. It's just too much for anyone.

Jessica - posted on 10/05/2009

i think middle school/junior high school age is a good time to start. i recommend the gillette venus razor---alot less nicks and cuts--the replacement blades are a little more expensive, but one blade usually lasts me 4-6 months(depending on the season...hahaha)....monitor her shaving frequencies and let her know how often she needs to do it.

Maria Emma - posted on 10/05/2009

My daughter is 12 and I let her shave this summer so going into junior high would'nt be embarrasing for her. Plus I shaved at that age and I bought her an electric shaver since she's not a careful kid. She does get annoyed having to shave which is funny, but hey oh well. Anyway I think it's a good age.

Kenitra - posted on 10/05/2009

I told my daughter when she gets armpit hair, she can start shaving. I will be encouraging her to shave her legs only up to the knee, and reserve the shaving of the thigh to only about once a month, or special occasions.

Samantha - posted on 10/05/2009

Thank you, I will try the veet for her. I remember my mom and I shaving together when I first learned, but at 33 I still nick myself. UGH

Jane - posted on 10/05/2009

well i'm a beauty therapist and my daughter shaved one of her legs and i caught hr in the act. it was making her self concsious and i think thats worse, so i got a special numbing cream used by doctors, and i waxed them for her, she's 10 goin on eleven in june, and it's a thing we do togehter and she really appreciate's it. veet is another cream removal which is very good.....as for the dad thing!!!! Dont thnk they get the whole appearance and body hygeine thing!!! some thimgs should be keapt private between the mom and daughter...

Samantha - posted on 10/05/2009

My daughter is turning nine and begs me to let her shave her legs but my husband says no. I wonder if he just doesn't want her to grow up. I was thinking about smooth away, has anyone tried it?

Angela - posted on 10/05/2009

My daughter is only 10 and I allowed her to start shaving before school started this year. The poor child had horribly hairy legs & she was self-conscious about it. I can remember being her age & not wanting to wear shorts because of the hair on my legs. I did explain to her that once you start, it can be a hassle to keep up with, then I let her make the choice. Right now she only shaves 2 times a week and that has worked so far.