Bikini hair removal method suitable for 12 year old?

[cingolimama]

Hi, my DD is almost 12, is physically quite mature for her age. She's beautiful (no, really!), but she's got quite a bit of body hair. When she asked for it I showed her how to shave, and she does her legs and underarms. I did try those waxing strips on her legs, which I use on my fairly sparse blond hairs, but she found them too painful (also, I hated doing it.)

Now with summer on the way, and she loves swimming, she's wanting to do a bit of crop management "down there". What to use? Forget about waxing - too much pain involved. You can't really shave the bikini line, can you - doesn't it itch like crazy if you do that? Can you use those chemical methods on a bikini line? What about those Lumea things? Do they work?

Any advice gratefully received!

It read a little as if it was implied. Apologies if it wasn't.

Being a hairy Mary myself i know all too well how it feels and as much as I agree that magazines/fashion are partly to blame for trends, when it comes to body hair you don't need anything other than seeing your peers to feel insecure, especially at an age where hormones are hardly under control.

Just be careful if you go for the cream. Please do a patch test. I had a nasty reaction to it.

I use the shaver head on my epilator it doesn't itch or give shaving rash that I get with a wet razor. I had IPL done on my ginger bikini line, it did thin a bit but isn't very effective on fair hair

How about electric shavers for the "sideburns" so that she can go swimming without feeling self conscious? I find these don't cause the irritation and itchy regrowth that wet razors do.

I had excess hair growth as a teenager due to an endocrine condition and I was bullied about it and had a huge complex. I do sympathise and understand your desire to protect her from this.

I suppose you would have to find a way to do this without it leading to more aggressive forms of her removal, which would not be age appropriate.

I agree the electric bikini shavers are great, and something she could do herself quite easily. Maybe bleach the hairs first then trim?

Again, thank you all you lovely MNers for all your suggestions and advice. I really appreciate it!

I like the idea of an electric bikini shaver - this had never occured to me but may be the best option as it avoids potential skin sensitivity with the chemical methods.

Op, you asked about the lumea, I actually did use it on my dd before I saw that the manual said not to use on children . I used it on her toe hairs as another mother had once said to her, her toes were dirty on the top, but it was actually hair .

They didn't grow back for a few months, and no other skin problems, but I guess toe knuckles (?) are more resilient than the pubic area.

Would she consider a bikini wax? My pubes grow so quick shaving just doesn't do any good.

Veet do a trimmer for about €20. I find it the best for there, as normal shaving just brings up loads of bumps and ingrown hairs, and then creams can sting. I have a lumea and am finding it good, but haven't tried bikini area as of yet.

I've just bought the Veet electric trimmer for underarms and bikini line. It's brilliant and has all sorts of attachments for different length hair. Wish I'd bought it years ago as I much prefer it to waxing and am allergic to the removal creams.

I'll get the Veet trimmer as even shaving brings me out in the most awful bumps.

Oh dear the reviews aren't great for the Veet trimmer

I've got a Lumea, it only really works on my dark hair and has took a year to get a really good effect.

I bought the Veet trimmer and used it today. I would recommend it, especially for what your DD needs. It's gentle enough, not likely to cause skin reaction, it's ideal just to tidy down the bikini line so she can wear swimwear without being self-conscious. I'd go for it as an initial approach, significantly cheaper than the Lumea which might be more of a long-term purchase.

Take her to a beauty salon for the hot bikini wax. Not the one where they apply and strip it off with cloth strips but the special bikini one where they leave it 10/15 seconds then peel it off. It's fantastic and at her age it should last most of the summer. I've always been hairy and even as a teenager I couldn't shave and expect it to last more than half a day. Salon hot waxing is the way to go and there is evidence to suggest that waxing regularly at her age or slightly younger dramatically reduces the levels of hairiness they're left with as they emerge from puberty. My boys are all very hairy so if DD looks like going the same way, I'll be discussing waxing with her at 10/11/12. I would have been forever grateful for anything that had lessened my teenage hairiness as it caused me significant distress.

Agree with electric shaver/trimmer - I find it is a lot less likely to cause a rash or discomfort than a normal razor.

Wilkinson bikini trimmer. It's battery operated and trims close to skin so no rash.

tumble are you talking about "sugar wax"? The salon bikini waxes I've had used hot wax and then stripped it off (eeks! agony), which I don't want to subject DD to - but I think you're talking about something different.

No not sugar wax. It's a green stuff and I've had it done in 2 salons and both only use it for bikini and face. Im super sensitive both to the pain and to rash but this is great on both counts.

I've been having it for 2yrs now. Before that it was always the same stuff as they use on my legs i.e. Hot caramel like wax stripped off with cloth strips. This is different and imo amazing

Waxing is much better when done by a professional.

I use an electric razor. I have very sensitive skin and creams and wet shaving bring me out in a rash, so I use a lady shave.

I also LIKE swimming shorts. They take away a lot of the worrying about visible pubes, they aren't a punishment.