Shaving - Staten Island,NY

I know this is late- but my daughter(11) asked about shaving her legs recently. We decided to try the smooth away pads and she loves them. They are very easy, chemical free and her legs are super smooth and soft after using them. I would highly recommend them-just not for under arms! She decided to try that on her own and it was painful on that very sensitive skin!

I would let her shave her legs but to shave her arms is a no no unless it is her arm pits.... kids these days are cruel and make fun of anything they can. I started shaving at 12 and it made me feel better about myself.. hope this helps

I saw this after the so what happened was posted but I personally tell my girls to wait til the start their period.

Reading through some of these answers were very interesting and I definately agree with alot of things that were said (YES girls now a days do seem to be growing up far too quickly, but reading the scientific studies, they are growing up quicker, literally!!!) It's nice that people could share personal experiences (I too am "lucky" enough to have dark hair) however reading some of the responses people seemed to completely miss the question. She asked "what electric razors are best for a tween to start with?". Not what are your feelings on if/when I should allow my daughter to shave? Giving personal opinions on the matter is not what she asked for and really aren't necessary, if SHE feels that allowing her daughter to shave her legs/arms is the right thing to do then so be it shes not talking about taking her 12 year old for implants!

I have an electric razor as well as a regular razor and I find the electric razor irritates my skin more than the regular (because I don't remember to use moisturizing cream in between shaving when I want to use the electric). I dont think its so much the brand or type of electric razor as making sure the skin is well moisturized between shaving as this helps to eliminate most of the irritation. Regular razors have moisture strips built in so most people dont notice much irritation at all, where as an electric doesnt have that added moisture so you have to take care of that yourself.

Hello I know I am posting after your update "So What Happened", but after reading the responses, I have something to add as well.

I haven't shaved in over 12 years - I sugar - and it works wonderfully - I go about every 4 weeks and I do pits, chin, lip, full leg, bikini.

My 10 year-old daughter has started to have armpit hair and to keep the body-odor down, I had started to bring her to be sugared - pits only. It hurt her too much that we looked for an alternative -- without resorting to razors - we found that the Avon SKIN SO SOFT Fresh & Smooth Hair Removal Cream works wonders -- doesn't hurt, doesn't smell bad and really really works. So much safer than razors and should be good for sensitive skin as Avon products can be absolutely wonderful for sensitive skin. We only have to have her do her pits about every 3-4 weeks or so - not every week or every other day like shaving.

Hope this helps

J.

I don't have an electric razor suggestion, but are you talking about underarm hair or arm hair? Leave the arm hair alone!! I had a friend in school that started shaving her arms and wow! it was coming back in really stubbly and worse that I have seen leg hair. I know girls make a big deal about arm hair, but everyone has it, and if it lightens in the summer, please tell her to leave it alone. Don't let her or encourage her to succumb to that peer pressure.

i find it amusing that some folks think leg and armpit hair is 'unsightly' but that women should leave arm hair and be happy with 'how God made them.'
it's all just societal norms, folks. pick a stance and stick with it, but you really can't have it both ways.
:) khairete
S.

I've used the Norelco and Braun brands.
Both works well.
Pricey. But good.
I use the men's electric razors.

As for shaving arms: I do that. My arm hair is dark, but fine on my arms. I'm sure it only bugs me. I use the electric razor. No problems. My hair does NOT grow in thicker or more stubby. Nor my legs.
BUT, she is only 12... I'm sure her arm hair is not hairy or unsightly? She doesn't 'have to' shave it.... it probably is just a current-trend-fad with the teens. Not obligatory in any way.

Instead of Veet etc., what you can try is, the hair removal creams that are designated for the face. These are more gentle. I used, the Sally Hansen brand... for faces.

Just try her legs first... with an electric razor. Even Costco has them.
Then, wait and see. Then as time goes on, she may get a better idea/feel for what she wants to do with her body hair.

All the best,
Susan

Try the bleach first, shaving your arms would be a pain.
She will learn what the rest of us know, shaving is a bore and a chore.

Good morning! I just saw your question when you posted your update and wanted to throw a little suggestion out there. It sounds like you are on the right track with your daughter. I went through this a few years ago with mine, and know what a big deal this can be for them.
What I wanted to mention was more about when/if you transition from an electric razor to a manual one. Sometimes electric razors as well as manual ones can cause irritation. I got my daughter the Gillette sensor (I think that's the right name) razors that have the little wires across the blades. They help keep you from cutting yourself because the wires won't let your skin get too close to the blade. It feels like any other razor when you use it, and it does a nice job. My daughter uses them with a moisturizing shave gel for sensitive skin and has had very good results.
Good luck!
Christi

She's 12. There is no good reason to start shaving anything. Peer pressure is not a reason. For the legs, if she doesn't start shaving, she probably won't really ever need to. Especially if the color is light. I wish I had never started. The maintenance is such a chore. Don't shave the arm off, that hair is there for a reason. Now I could see maybe trimming underarm hair if it's really dark and long, otherwise it could be left alone as well. Maybe it would be good to research with her what purposes our body hair serves. I don't let my 5 yr old play with Barbies or get drawn into the bad entertainers created by Disney just cause hundred's of other buy into it. I'm teaching my daughter to think for herself. To be a unique individual.

I'm glad to read your response. But would you talk to her and advise her to really think about starting to shave so early. After she starts she'll have to keep it up. At least in the warmer months.

You are doing the right thing by agreeing to teach your daughter to shave. I had very dark, thick hair on my legs and arms from a young age, and by the time I was in 6th/7th grade, most of my girlfriends were shaving. I was made fun of (mostly goodnaturedly, but it still made me feel insecure and 'uncool') numerous times for how hairy my legs were. If I had waited until after my "first menses", as some pediatricians suggest, that would have kept me not shaving until I was 15 years old. For a 9th/10th grader to not be allowed to shave yet is just setting them up for major humiliation, to say the least!

I also have thick, dark hair on my arms and have had little kids comment on it innocently. Weirdly, my arm hair has never bothered me. Probably the "societal norms" thing as another commenter remarked. I shaved my arms once and it just looked weird to me, so I never did it again.

In Japan - where I lived for 5 years - women shave their arms, legs, underarms, faces, (seriously), eyebrows, upper lips... (Though funnily enough with all that attention to avid hair removal, they tend to largely ignore the pubic region...!) Though many high school girls will not begin shaving until later in their high school lives... Kids stay "younger" there for longer than they do here in the US. Anyway, just another example that societal norms, it seems, play a larger role in the age and method of hair removal than any sort of biological timeframe.

Good luck with the shaving lessons!

Shaving arm hair...BIG NO NO...it will come in much thicker and then you will be in really big trouble. As for shaving her legs..I let my daughter start at age 10 because it was very hairy in that area but only the lower leg area. We use men electric razors like norelco or remington. they work well. We both have sensitive skin so when she uses a reg. razor she uses a sensitive shave cream. She just starteed this and she is 12. So with that said and to other women who commented on this and said it is wrong..get with it...most girls now at 12 and even 10 are becoming young women already so they are ready for this next step into womanhood.

I have heard a pediatrician say that shaving a girl's legs too soon can mess up the oil glands in the legs, and cause them to be dry forever. That doctor said to wait until after the girl has had her first menses.

My 10-year old daughter is growing armpit hair. It is not much, but they can get long, so we found that using an eyebrow trimmer works great for now. Thankfully, she's not interested in doing her legs yet, and she hasn't ever mentioned arm hair. I think I will discourage it if she asks about it, however.

MEN'S electric razors are about 1000 better than the "best" of women's electric razors. I strongly recommend Braun. They're expensive (around $100) but they'll last you 10 years, and they do a GOOD job (aka smooth). The ones with the beard trimmers are my favorite.

I have "gorgeous" :P thick, dark, curly hair. So hair removal is unfortunately an old companion. Because you don't just grow hair on your head :(

For arms... I've shaved them for years. JUST from wrist to elbow, and only on the top, where dark hair grows. That way you only have to deal with "prickles" in one tiny area. I don't grow DARK hair on the silky undersides or tops of my arms, so I don't shave them. The hair also grows back really slowly on my arms... so while I have to shave my legs twice a day if I want them smooth (hence why I prefer waxing my legs), my arms I only have to shave once a month at most.

Hold on!!!! She is 12 and worried about ARM HAIR??? I think you need to talk to her about loving her body as GOD or you made it. Unless the leg hair is very dark i would let her shave her legs either. She is or should be a girl still and she is wanting to do womanly things. Another poster today was worried about society pressure making girls grow up too fast and I agree. And I dont know what this obsession is with body hair these days. Yes underarm is unsightly and leg can be if it is dark and bushy. I doubt at her age it is. But arm hair?? My goodness what is she going to shave next? Please let her be a young girl that is proud of her body.

I just wanted to comment to bring in another consideration. Self esteem is critical in child raising. I don't mean that you need to cater to certain expensive brand names of clothing, or plastic surgery for anything/everything, or letting them do what is clearly unsafe or culturally very different (purple hair, suggestive clothing). But if she feels bad about something like this, she is not doing it for her because otherwise, she'd wouldn't care. I had dark hair. I know how unsightly heavy arm hair can be against fair skin. Seems as if it got its worst in junior high then it settled down later to where it wasn't a concern in high school and on. I shaved it once and realized that wasn't a great solution because it shows when starting to grow back in. I didn't want to shave every other day! Bleach worked for me -- as did a tan where the sun naturally bleached the hair and darkened teh skin. Since tanning in a tanning booth can be dangerous, with or without protection, I wonder if you would want to experiment with a natural looking self-tanner on her arms for the other seasons. Per-menapause, tjhen menapause has taken that issue completely to bed. I also got too much upper lip hair in junior high and some high school. By all means, get rid of that. No shaving. Regular waxing to limit its regrowth over time (unlike shaving). Let her do it at the salon, then you guys can try it at home if you like.

And on a friendly note, I think it is a disservice to tell people that you shouldn't change a hair because it is "God's body, beautiful as is." Consider your child's self-esteen as that will have a heavy emphasis on their choices in life. Always look at anyone's religious advice from other examples to see if their advice makes sense. Does God not want you to cure your cancer, fix that cleft lip, remove that 6th finger, color your premature greying hair, whiten your teeth when they turn very yellow, get bonding or braces on your teeth? Then don't be selective. Just be sensible. I am a Christian, but my view of God's greatest desire for us is to love and help others (regardless of their religions, etc) , and appreciate his gift of life for us by being happy, truly happy. Isn't that what you want for your children? (We know that you don't get happiness just from money or one person or .... )

My friend's daughter started shaving her legs at age 10 because she played sports and was a hairy girl. It is the need to do so that makes it right. Your daughter is nearly a teen and I would let her also.
F.

My oldest dd who has brown hair didn't start shaving until she was twelve. Her hair is still light and she only shaves from the knees down, as far as I know. She is almost 15 now. She does shave her armpits and we also started out with the electric razor as well. Now my second dd who is a blond has tons of hair both on her legs as well as her arms. She will be 12 this summer and has not asked to start shaving and she really could've started shaving at 10! Just because she looked hairy! Anyhoo, she can start now at any time if she wants. I just like them to wait until they are at least 12. Which she has done and I don't think she even cares if she shaves or not because she has never asked.

I hope I am not too late to answer this q's.
My Mom always tells me do not shave your legs because those hair will fall off after a while...

I have a 10yr girl who is going to turn 11 in july and she wants also to shave her underarms and legs since she has very dark hair. However since I have not shaved my legs in over 15yrs only waxed them that now I only have to wax them 2 times a year. I have talked to the ladies at the salon and they said 11yrs is a good age to start waxing and no razors for my daughter and hopefully she wont have to wax very often after a while. Good luck with your daughter and her tweens only more fun to come.

J.

It kind of depends on what the other girls are doing. At some point it gets to be where all the other girls are shaving their legs and you get made fun of if you don't. For me, it was sometime in middle school. Probably if the other girls are shaving their legs, especially if hers has stared to darken up like adult body hair, it's about time to teach her. Shaving legs and armpits. Nothing else.

I have dark hair and I was sensitive about the hair on my arms. I'd never heard of anyone shaving their arms, but it bothered me having this dark hair on my arms. I asked my mom and she said that women don't shave their arms and some women just have dark hair on their arms. That it wasn't unusual and not to worry about it. Of course I did worry, but I never did anything about it and nobody ever made fun of me for it. I still have dark hair on my arms, but it doesn't bother me anymore. It's just part of being a brunette.

I'd recommend showing her how to use a normal disposable razor rather than an electric one. The normal ones give you a closer shave so you don't have to do it as often. Don't go for Veet or Nair or anything like that. They irritate the skin and don't always work that well either.

The one thing to think about. Mustaches. If she has dark hair, she may develop a very fine female mustache. You know what I'm talking about. Nothing that's really any big deal or that anyone else even notices, but that may bother her anyway. If you notice she gets one, you might want to talk to her about it, she may not come to you if she thinks you'll just say no. Bleaching and waxing is an option, but if it's a lot of trouble for something probably nobody else notices. Just be prepared to talk about it and assure her it's okay and normal. Women were just not meant to be hairless.

my cousin and i did it anyway without mom's permission or help.OUCH (boy did we cut ourselves bad) i have sensitive skin also and use edge sensitive shaving gel and they have great disposable or refillable razors for women now that have moisturizing strips that help ease the irritation. i actually have a mens version because they did not start making them for women until later. maybe the two of you can window shop together for some options

j

If it's not to late to add. I was around 5th-6th grade when I asked about shaving. I have dark hair, so the agreement was to shave below the knee. I was happy with this, because I felt better wearing my gym shorts. My best friend at the time had the same amount of hair, but she was blond. Her mom and my mom both told her it wasn't time yet because you couldn't really see the hair. I started out with an electric razor, as did my sister. After being comfortable shaving, I moved on to handle a razor and shaving my knees, thighs and armpits with a couple questions to avoid cuts. I still prefer an electric razor for the simple convenience. The blade does get old, so I like to buy a new one each year. I get a $20 razor from Target/Walmart that I'm always happy with.

I did become unsecured with my arms, I felt like a monkey (after meeting my 7th grade gym teacher...I no longer felt my arms were hairy compared to his!). So I did shave my arms, but you could see a line and then when the hair grew back...I didn't realize the up keep would be so tiring, so I stopped.

I know you have received a lot of advice but she should save underarms if hair is growing and her lower legs, if she doesn't shave the thighs she may never need to and just talk to her about her arms. The arms do not matter but if she has to she can try bleaching with a face sensitive bleaching cream to see if it really matters. Ugg, welcome to the tween years-lol!

I have a lady electric shaver. She should be just fine. As far as her shaving her arms......why would she.

i would not say 2 use a razor coz dat gives u bumps,an u dnt wnt dat
u could try smooth touch
nair
its moisturising hair remover cream
dats gd 2 use?

I used to wax the hair on my arm with natural Nads wax. It really was not very painful. I tried shaving for a while but it was too much work. I have blonde arm hair, but I didn't like it. I just leave it now. They have that new pad thing that goes on your hand and it sands away the hair. It's actually low grade sandpaper that they market for hair removal. This would work too.