Talk to me about the pro/cons of shaving/waxing/epilating please, on behalf of my DD (12)

[ChimneyBest]

DD has started to get self-conscious about her leg and armpit hair. I have only ever shaved mine, and wasn't allowed till the teasing at school made me start to truant , so I want to support her in this, as you can imagine.

So, to me shaving is the simplest - quick, cheap, minimal equipment etc. However, people say that waxing from the off is the best - that it minimises hair growth. Is this true? Is this only if you go to a salon (we won't be!), or does DIYing have the same effect? Is that with wax strips - how else do you do it at home ?
What about epilating? Does that mean lower regrowth eventually? Can you epilate underarms - I assumed it would hurt loads [surprise]!

Any words of wisdom would be great - thank you

Epilating does hurt and can cause lots of ingrowing hairs. Wouldn't recommend it for a young girl esp on armpits - ouch.

I wax regularly - downsides are it does hurt, you have to grow the hairs in between. I wouldn't wax myself either - ouch. I had my underarms waxed once, it hurt like hell and I got severe bruising (mind you my friend was training at the time she did it!).

Shaving - I think this would be the best option if you're happy with her using a razor. I shaved my legs for the first time at about 12 and took a big chunk out of my leg, still got the scar. Think it's good you're going to help her so she knows how to use the shaving foam etc. instead of taking half her leg off secretly with her dad's razor (like I did...!!!!)

Epilating under arms is painful initially but regular follow ups are ok and it gives a really good result.

My dd (15) uses Veet on her legs and shaves her armpits.

Dd uses veet underarms. Doesn't need to do legs yet. No pain and very easy.

An electric shaver might be worth trying if you're worried about her cutting herself with a razor. I used one at that age and it was fine, very easy to do and not much can go wrong. As an adult I don't find they give a close enough finish but don't remember it bothering me then.

I was going to post about underarm waxing actually - I had mine done 2 months ago (let the hair grow for about 10 days beforehand) and there has been hardly any hair growth - I'm amazed. I had them waxed a second time 4 weeks later but there wasn't much there, and am going to keep having it done every month. It did hurt like hell the first time so not sure I'd recommend for a 12 year old, but the second time was loads better.

I've had my legs waxed regularly on and off for years and while I keep it up it the regrowth is softer and more sparse but as soon as I go back to shaving, it gets blunt and thicker again. Leg waxing doesn't hurt that much and you don't have to think about it as often whereas once you start shaving or using cream you have to do it every few days to keep smooth.

You are all v cool mums, mine banned me from doing any kind of hair removal so I became a secret leg shaver. Bonkers.

I think, if you can afford it, it's worth paying for ipl for her when she is old enough.

If you do it young enough it's worth the cost of the machine.

Whatever you choose make sure you supervise, I burnt myself with veet once.

...and there was me hoping for a MN consensus

I hadn't considered Veet -how long does it last for?

What's ipl???

Still unsure of the waxing options

Veet lasts maybe a couple of days longer than shaving and regrowth is softer - it really depends on hair type though, if fair and fine it will last longer than coarser and darker.

IPL is laser hair removal - when it works it slows regrowth down a lot but isn't permanent. Works best on dark hair with light skin, no good on fair hair.

She could always try Veet to start with for a while then a different method later - after all she'll be removing body hair for years and years to come!

I would warn against the wax treatments you heat up yourself at home, hot wax is for salons only IMO. I burnt myself on one once - because the wax was too cool, hot enough to burn but I couldn't get it off...

I shaved when I was young and had constant ingrown hairs, then spots, then scars from the spots. I have had salon waxes for the last 15 years or so, and in the last 2 years I switched to Veet + epilating. Epilating hurts less than waxing, but of course if you aren't used to waxing it is probably quite painful!

I just can't shave, it feels so wrong :) and my hair grows fast so if I stroke up my legs after shaving it feels like a man's stubbly chin... attractive!

So.. on balance I would say try Veet, possibly try an epilator, perhaps try a first salon wax (IMO it does hurt, you get used to it over the years so you can deal with it better but it is still painful) but the key thing is to make sure she exfoliates/body brushes regularly to prevent ingrown hairs.

Waxing gets my vote but you cant do your own. I did a waxing course and can wax many areas myself but struggle with the under arms - you need smomeone to help really. So you and DD could do each others an it only takes a few minutes.

The important thing to look at is the direction of hair growth and take it off in sections in the opposite direction of growth. In most people this means you need a few smaller wax strips than one big fat one. Dont wax the same area more than twice in one waxing session. Pluck out any left over stragglers with tweezers. Obviously dont use soaps, deodrant, perfumes, creams nor shower in hot water for 24 hours afterwards.

Ideally use an after wax lotion for 48 hours afterwards.

Waxed armpits look smoother and cleaner imo. I am a recent convert and gutted I have only recently discovered the bonuses if under arm waxing.

at 12 who is paying?
i would just go with a razor myself.
or i might stretch to Veet.

I would say present her with all the options and let her find her own way. If you can stretch to a one-off salon wax so she can see the benefits of that, maybe for a special occasion that would be great. I've used most things, I'd say Veet or electric shavers are better for younger girls. I used to do warm wax at home on my bikini line which was the best thing for that area imo, salon is obv better.

When we were teenagers, one of my friends was banned from shaving. Her mother insisted on waxing her, I'm sure she meant well, but it meant a few embarrassing times between waxing for her when she had to go out with hairy legs and pits. Pretty embarrassing when you're a teenager going clubbing in next to nothing poor thing

I use hot wax myself for armpits and bikini, epilator for legs.

My DD is 10yo and hasn't mentioned her legs yet, but she's got quite fluffy leg hair (sweet IMO, probably not hers)

When she does ask, I'll buy her a cream, not razor.
I find cream doesn't work for me, but she's got finer hair.

Yes you have to wait for the hairs to regrow with wax, but it is much finer.

Also worth a try is NADS no-heat wax a cold wax that is the only one I found that works (cold strips don't work on me)

Soprano laser. It doesn't hurt (because it doesn't have the sting of IPL).

I have tried everything - EVERYTHING - and Soprano has been amazing. If you invest now, you'll save her thousands of pounds and years of her life