To buy DD aged 11, hair removing cream for her legs?

[MeDented]

DD has been complaining for ages about how hairy she is. To be fair her legs and arms are both quite hairy and doesn't help when big brother teases that she is hairier than him! She has also started getting dark hair in armpits. Nice weather means she wanted to wear a vest top but was worrying about armpits so I picked her up a sachet of hair removing cream while we were oh shopping for picnic supplies. She then decided she would use it on her legs as that bothers her more. Out for tea with my mum and dad tonight and DD mentions she had used cream on her legs and mum was very disapproving... Is this so wrong? I know she's young but she genuinely seems concerned and I didn't see much harm. Would worry about her using razors so young but thought the creams would be ok.

Dont see the problem. a friend of mine wasnt allowed by her mum to use razors when she was about 15 thats far more odd imo. I mean it was her body so surley she gets a say..
I think at 11 and if shes noticing then why shouldnt she , especially as shes had guidance from you about it :)

I don't want dark leg hair in the summer so I don't see why she should. YANBU OP.

I would 'deal' with it as it's causing this much upset for her.

I probably wouldn't use any of the creams though as they are quite harsh. I can use them on my legs but they burn under one of my arms in a minute and the other one after about 2. It BURNS and hurts like fuck!

I have a set of hair removal 'pads' they have sticky pads on them that look like 'wet & dry' sandpaper, they are very smooth and you just move them around in a circle and they remove the hair, they're brilliant.

I would take her to have her under arms waxed. It's cheap enough and relatively painless (or at least very quick!!) whereas legs are expensive and FAR more painful! (well IMO).

I think I'd expend more energy on educating DS :-) and probably teach razoring rather than the use of expensive, caustic creams.

If you're worried about razors, buy her a ladyshave....Argos do them and I think they start as cheap as about £& or £8.

I had very dark, hairy legs at that age and my Mum wouldn't buy me cream or a Ladyshave so I borrowed my Dad's razor and shaved them myself.

oh what about cheap lady shave. cheap and safe.

No, I think its kind and supportive of you to notice when she needs a little advice and support. Girls are developing earlier than they did, and my DD needed advice and help with hair removal by 12. Why would I not give her that advice - after all I would help her in any other way!

£7 or £8

Thanks, I have been ignoring her for so long because she is only 11 but this morning I wondered if iwbu as I shave my own legs and armpits and certainly wouldn't be comfortable wearing vest tops and shorts without de-fuzzing so I thought cream might be good idea. Mum's reaction just thrown me now, maybe just a generation thing?

yanbu, i wish my mum had :(

Yes I think it's a generational thing to be honest...or it was with my Mum anyway.

I think she saw it as 'far too adult' and that children shouldn't be worrying about how they look.

A good sentiment and she was right of course...trouble is children that age do worry about these things and if a cheap Ladyshave can solve the problem, there's no point in over thinking it.

Or an epilady. Painful, but much better than shaving. Perhaps 11 is too young for this but they are very effective.

I'd be worried about the creams in fairness, but only because I have had a horrid reaction and they are so pumped of chemicals. 11 year old skin and nasty chemicals, not great IMO.

I remember being 11 ish and using my mum's razor. My brother tried to snitch on me (thinking about it, he must have seen me in the bath to know...didn't think anything weird about that at the time though ha!) and I felt so smug when she told him that it was ok because that's what ladies do!

I think, either a lady shave OR show her how to use a razor properly - a good quality one won't cause her harm if used properly.

Overall, YANBU - just watch she doesn't have a reaction to the cream.

Where did you get the hair removing pads from Chipping?

Get the pads in boots or superdrug.

Would echo everyone else and say avoid the cream if she has sensitive skin but definitely do something to help her.

She only used cream on her legs and was beyond delighted with the results, even after I pointed out she had missed the back! I made sure she didn't leave it on too long and then showered it off. Will investigate lady shaves for her, and these pads.

My mum wouldnt let me shave or wax till i was 18. I was bullied terribly in HIGH school for having hairy legs and she STILL didnt care that my life was made a misery cos she wouldnt let me. My 17 year old niece put a comment up on twitter last night about how people would call her gorilla in PRIMARY school for being hairy. (half Italian) it runs in the family. Difference is her mum (my DBs ex) could see it was making her life hell so once DN was in high school she was allowed to shave. But it shows how much and how badly the bullying affected her because shes posting about it on twitter years later.

MeDented - sorry, mine were a gift from a friend (who loved hers so much she bought me some, it wasn't a 'pointed' gift ) but I'm sure you'd be able to get similar at Boots (as CVT said).

I used to be able to use the cream under my arms but can't anymore - I'm not sure if it has changed or if over the years I've become intolerant of it... I just know I wouldn't be keen to use it on an 11 year old on a regular basis.

As another one with a mother who wouldn't allow hair removal, I think YANBU (although I agree cream is not the way to go)

I'm laughing at the irony of your name on this thread fuzzpig

I started shaving my legs at 11 I think. I wouldn't see it as a problem at all.

Interesting most people agree that the cream isn't a good idea. I thought it would be more 'gentle' than shaving. I remember stinging razor rash too! And cuts round my ankles!

Worra :o