DD age 13 and managing underarm hair?

[Reginaphalangeeeee]

Just looking for advise from mums who have already supported their DD and their hair growth changes/hair removal.

DD age 13 has some fair underarm hairs, not as noticeable as some of her friends But she has begun to become self-conscious about it. She likes dancing and more aware than a few months ago in her leotard arms up.

I have always told her speak to me before any hair removal and I will help guide her & get her own stuff if she ever wants to remove it (want her to feel able to talk with me and not just share a razor eek).

She says she doesn’t want it to grow back thicker, darker and spoken so is worried about shaving. She has very sensitive skin so I don’t think hair removal cream would be good…. So waxing, but I know she is not good with pain (I haven’t said this to her ofcourse).

what do you think is the best start out for girls age 13.
I have ofcourse told her she doesn’t need to do anything and hair is normal, but know this seems hypercritical as I shave me arm pits.

I offered my 13yo a choice of waxing and shaving. She chose to wax in the summer months and shave on the rare occasions she needs to be hair free during the winter. She’s very hairy, dark hair. Difficult to cut yourself with a good quality razor with a protection strip and shaving foam.

I really don’t see the problem with shaving to be honest. The thicker/darker regrowth is a myth.

DD started off with hair removal cream at a similar age as she just didn’t yet feel confident with using a razor and was scared of cutting herself. You can get sensitive versions of Veet/Nair etc nowadays - as long as they’re used correctly she shouldn’t get any irritation. DD has very dry, sensitive skin and never had any bother whilst using the creams.

I started my DD on a Venus razor and she has no issue using it, no nicks or broken skin. I showed her how the first time. If she has more sparse hair it will be much easier to learn now and be quickly over with. I find shave foam really drying, so use a moisturising shave bar or just a dab of decent conditioner. Creams may be a faff and can upset skin. Waxing sounds not much fun either! All the best with what you choose.

Thank you!
I was also thinking we could just trim with scissors initially as not much there?

Cutting it with scissors would be a farce I think and you'd still see it. At 13 I'd recommend just shaving. I don't know if it's a myth that it grows back thicker but it's takes a few seconds to shave an armpit.

I would just go with shaving, it's easiest and most efficient

She should just shave it. I’d get her a lady shave electric razor so she can do legs and bikini line too, and maybe a razor like the Venus one for extra smoothness

Nooo, well not unless she wants you to do that for her. She could very easily step herself trying to do it by herself.

There are loads of hair removal advertised on Facebook, I would see if she wants to try one of those, but I'd probably screenshot a couple of stills as she really doesn't need to hear all the recommendations for a smooth snatch!!

Trimming with scissors!!! Really 😕

Surely that would have more of a risk to cutting/nipping the skin that actually shaving! Waxing might scare her off, so personally, I wouldn't start with that. She could try a sensitive skin depilatory cream, and if it burns, just wash it off immediately. At 13, I wouldn't think shaving is a big deal!

I bought my DD an electric razor when she was in primary school,around year 5 as she has dark hair and it was making her unhappy- I didn’t see the point in making her wait.

Thanks all for the comments & advice. I will chat with her again today to see what she wants to do.

@Pinepeak2434what electric razor did you get? I’ve never used an electric lady shaver before so recommendations appreciated.

@Darkclothesdon’t really need that sort of judgy comment. Really 😕.
Ofcourse I would be extremely careful. There are not many hairs there but they are very long and fair so it’s not such a silly idea if done with care and only for the first time. For some 13 year olds, like my daughter, shaving is a big deal. I started shaving mine by myself before age 11 but it’s no problem my daughter is not the same.

Anyway, thank you all for the advice.

We’ve just got DD14 a new electric shaver, she has very dark hair and prefers to use these but there are razors available if she wants them.

DD19 has always just used a Venus razor but she has much fairer hair.

The growing back thicker thing is a myth. It will darken and grow more as she goes through puberty anyway there’s no avoiding it.

just show her how to shave

I got my daughter this one too

Electric razor, but no more than once a week for as long as that is possible. With sporting activity and dancing it will be hard to avoid only shaving in the summer months as I do these days

I’d suggest a few monthly/6 weekly waxing appointments - exfoliating beforehand, and then buy her a wax pot (Amazon) and teach her to do it herself

It's actually a myth that hair grows out thicker than before after shaving, just feels that way after shaving it at a blunt cut at the surface of the skin. dd 14 has learnt to get used to waxing but she sometimes shaves when it's last minute. If your dd is still confused about how to go about it there are videos and articles on the we are luna app about body hair for teens. I went through it before getting it for dd and totally love their writing style and very body positive too but practical i.e. when they want to learn how to shave safely for example x

Why no more than once a week? Surely she should do it when she wants to?

My eldest is similar, tries to wax when she remembers but sometimes ends up shaving - she doesn't mind rotating between the 2, whatever is convenient for her. She's also a Luna user which helped her so much with general fore arm hair, she went from wanting to remove to accepting and being happy with the idea that it's normal

Shaving is working for my DD too - literally just use the orange razors (can't remember their name) I think she just wants to do it because her friends do but don't see any harm in it xx

We use hair removal cream for DD

I’ve not read all the comments but my DD age 11 has started shaving her legs. I got her the Estrid razor and shaving gel and showed her how to do it. She’s fine doing it herself now so I’d recommend that razor x

Mine started off shaving but quickly moved to Nair wax strips (which I use myself weekly ) she loves the smooth finish and rarely shaves any more. it isn’t really painful once you get used to it 2-3 times.

I use the above-pictured electric razor on my legs only, as my skin got quite sore when I tried using it under my arms. For underarms I use Lidl's equivalent of Venus razors with the heads that are coated in aloe vera or whatever it is!