10 year old and leg hair

[Loveagoodbook]

My DD is 10, soon to be 11, so going into high school in September.
Last summer she got really upset about the hairs on her legs, she is very hairy, although they aren't really dark.
I wondered if everyone else has come across this and what you have done?
I don't really want to start shaving it, I just think once you start that's it, no going back, always prickly/dark hairs.
I've bought the Philips lumea, but now I'm not sure if she is a contender for this with her leg hairs being lightish.
Any advice appreciated.

I am very hairy, have been that way since 10/11, if she wants to remove the hair then that’s her choice to make imo as long as the method isn’t dangerous, if she doesn’t feel comfortable with having hairy legs she should have the choice, as we all do, to remove the hair. My fiancée’s mother didn’t allow her to shave her legs until she was 15 as she mistakenly thought it grew back thicker, and my fiancée wouldn’t wear shorts and avoided swimming etc as she was so embarrassed.

I've showed my daughter all of these posts and she is gobsmacked at me asking about what other ways apart from shaving people have come across has escalated, she said well if this is how women behave, let's hope it takes me ages to get there.
She said you asked a simple question and at the end of the day it is our decision if we shave/wax/Veet etc, like it would be my decision if I grew my head hair long or short!

@Loveagoodbook
Just come back to say there have Been some really shitty responses on here I'm sorry people have assassinated you so badly on here
FWIW I think you're fucking great caring so much about your daughter xxx

I am just presuming that everyone that has been negative on this post has either A never had a child that feels this way or B doesn't have any children full stop.

Not at all (I have a 14 year old DD). If my daughter at 9 had been upset by hair on her legs, I would have wanted to understand why, because IMO that's far too young to be upset about how you look - particularly when it's something so natural! As it happens, I had the leg hair conversation with my own daughter when she was 12. She said that she knew that leg hair was normal but she wanted to shave her legs so she could see if she liked them better with no hair. So I got her a razor and showed her how to shave and she shaved quite regularly to start with and soon got bored with it. And now she sometimes shaves and sometimes doesn't depending on what she feels like.

But I do think encouraging a 10 year old to remove her leg hair as a reaction to her being upset last year is the wrong approach. It seems to be saying that body hair is a problem, which I don't think is a healthy attitude.

There is a quick fix for leg hair, so why put your kid through it?

So if your child was bullied for being studious, you would tell them not to bother working? The quick fix is not always the best solution.

I can’t remember how young I was when I started removing leg hair, but I remember being in primary school and being teased about it by a group of boys who are several years older than me. I expect I must have been under 10 when we started dealing with the hair (I basically have goat legs). I have some memories of veet (then immac), but think I progressed to razor fairly swiftly. I actually find the Venus travel razor with the short handle easiest to use, but I’m also a fan of Wilkinson sword Quattro. Most of today’s branded razors are fairly safe, just don’t go with a basic bic whatever you do

RedskyAtnight I'm not encouraging her, she has asked, as well as her friends have asked if they can remove theirs, everyone's home situation is different..i would never ever judge what a parent does.
Like I have said before I was 11 when I first shaved in the first year of high school. The likelihood is that she will be 11 and she is happy in herself at the moment. Do you know nothing about a child's mental health?
@cultkid thank you so much, this has taken me back to my school days, feel very much like the bullies are still out there!

"I've showed my daughter all of these posts and she is gobsmacked at me asking about what other ways apart from shaving people have come across has escalated, she said well if this is how women behave, let's hope it takes me ages to get there.
She said you asked a simple question and at the end of the day it is our decision if we shave/wax/Veet etc, like it would be my decision if I grew my head hair long or short!"

Sure she did OP.

@homeschoolchaos the ones that are saying she is too young are the ones that haven't been through any bullying/name calling, I would imagine that quite a few young girls feel self conscious about one or another part of their body, how we deal with that as a parent is our personal choice.

I am just going to leave this here, i can't do right from wrong, I only wanted some advice.
I'm just going to concentrate on keeping my family happy and healthy during this awful thing we are going through at the moment.
At the end of the day, my daughter knows that she can come and talk to.me about any problems she feels that life is throwing at her and that's all that matters ♥️

@RedskyAtnight

I would want to understand too but let me say understanding won't stop her feeling awful about it or people commenting on her hair

The removal of hair on a body is not sexual and I fear that people think children are too young because it sexualises them, when it doesn't
Is that the elephant in the room?

I mean if your daughter was self conscious in an outfit would you make her wear it still? I wouldn't make my kids do that, even when my son was 2 if he said he didn't like something then that was fine

@cultkid thanks for your wise words lovely.
I'm coming off this now, my next door neighbors child has just been rushed off in an ambulance, makes this thread, a little less important at the moment.
We will get through the embarrassment of her hairs together next time it raises its head

@Loveagoodbook sending you strength xxxx

Professional wax or buy an epilator! If she starts that now eventually her leg hair will thin out.

If you spoke to Philips, they would have told you:

a) The Lumea is not suitable for children. They'd otherwise be sued if a child used it and something went wrong;
b) The Lumea is not suitable for fair hair as light hair doesn't contain enough melanin for this to work and
c) Putting aside a and b, you have to shave, epilate or wax the area before using the Lumea.

I'm not a bitch (Thanks for that). I'm just someone who owns one and knows how it works. There is zero point in you using this on your daughter.

In terms of being constructive, she'll do best with an electric razor to keep the hair as short as possible without risk of cuts.

I hadn't seen your last post. I hope your neighbours child is ok.

@rumpoleofthe bailey, I'm just leaving this post here. If I called anyone a bitch then I'm sorry, I just felt I was being picked on for a simple question.
I did online chat and that what they said, I'm not a liar.
And thanks, no she has gone straight to intensive care, with breathing problems, so all of this is just totally irrelevant at the moment.