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Original poster

Acceptable age to 'let' DD shave her legs?

19 replies

StripeyTee · 08/08/2015 16:15

Just pondering how to manage this. 7 yr old DD has recently noticed that her legs are very hairy (gets it from her Mum Grin) and has the beginnings of what I think is self consciousness about it.

I'm doing what I think is the right thing and trying to reinforce that body hair is natural, we all have it, some people are hairier than others...etc etc. But she has rightly pointed out that I shave my legs! I've said its a choice to remove bits of body hair if you like, some cultures do and some dont, but that she is too young to use a razor and to take care of it regularly, which she seems to have happily accepted.

But has got me thinking...what age IS ok for a girl to start shaving legs? I think I was about 12 or 13, but dont really remember. I feel a bit conflicted to be honest. I want her to be a carefree child for as long as pissible and to feel comfortable wuth her body as she grows up, but I also dont want to be a hypocrite, as she sees me shaving legs and pits and waxing my 'tache...

OP posts:
meglet · 08/08/2015 16:17

I was about 9/10. It was 3rd year junior school. The teasing was relentless so mum bought me an electric shaver.

Feline09 · 08/08/2015 16:20

I was about 8 or 9. I'm very dark haired and everyone else in my school was fairer than I was and I was getting laughed at for having hairy legs. It was making me really self conscious, so my mum shaved them after I literally begged her. She did it for me for a couple of years, think I started doing it myself when I was about 10

Sleepingbunnies · 08/08/2015 16:20

I will 'let' my DD whenever she asks. She is 6.5 I have recently noticed (although she hasn't yet) her hairs are very dark..

I remember hating swimming / PE :(

burnishedsilver · 08/08/2015 16:21

I opened the thread expecting to say yes. I had assumed that she was about 12. 7 is way too young imo.

dementedpixie · 08/08/2015 16:21

Dd was 11 (has only recently started shaving) and getting self conscious as her leg hairs are quite long and dark. She uses the Olay blades as you don't need extra shaving gel with them

Loveleopardprint · 08/08/2015 16:21

Hi. I have two DDs who are now 15 and 12. They started shaving their arm pits at about 10/11 as they found that embarrassing at school. Also helped with hygiene. They use one of the razors with a big head and soap surround by wilkinson a. Quite hard to cut yourself with that I found.

With regards to legs they don't want to shave as they say my legs are prickly!!Confused so they use in-shower veet about once or twice a summer. Soon gets boring for them! I tried to put them off shaving their legs for as long as possible tbh as once you start you have to continue.

lunalovegood84 · 08/08/2015 16:25

I would let my daughter do it whatever her age if she felt self-conscious. Even as a child my legs were hairier than some men's and it was embarrassing but so easily fixed.

RonaldosAbs · 08/08/2015 16:34

My DDs all got hair very young, we're a very hairy family. I got them good electric shavers at first (about 8/9), they graduated to proper razors at about 11 and then they started to wax of their own accord at about 13/14. Eldest DD (adult) now gets laser.

Whenever it starts to bother them is the proper age. I was never allowed to remove hair, my awful mother finally relented at about 14, I am now lasered and plucked/waxed to within an inch of my life as it gave me a real complex. My girls care about it far less because I've let them be in control of it.

MimsyBorogroves · 08/08/2015 16:49

I have boys, so theoretically this is less likely to be an issue for me, however I would say whenever she asks. This is purely because, at 13 I finally plucked up the courage to ask my Mum if I could shave mine, after a year of being bullied in PE about my legs. I would never wear shorts, skirts etc in school except for PE when we were made to because of my hairy legs, and spent the summer sweltering in trousers. My Mum told me there was "no need" and I "wasn't old enough". In absolute desperation, I found one of my Dad's razors and guess worked my way through, dry shaving my legs and cut myself to shreds in the process.

It was one of the first things that marked me out as "different" in school, and opened the floodgates for a lot of other bullying. No make up, no experimentation with hair styles...it wasn't the best.

Tisgrand · 09/08/2015 12:18

I let my dd start to shave at 9 yoa as she had been upset the previous summer when a lad down the road told her she had very hairy legs and kicked off an obsession with covering up her legs. As others have said, get a good quality razor.

Mimsy, you just reminded me of my very similar first experience of shaving. I 'borrowed' my dad's electric shaver and did my legs and pits. Of course I knew nothing about cleaning the shaver, so when he went to use it he knew someone had been at it. My two brothers were interrogated at length to the point where I just couldn't own up. To my shame I never have told them but its always been on my conscience!

chanie44 · 09/08/2015 12:32

I was using veet (or immac as it was called) when I was about 10 as I was really hairy and very self conscious and did get teased about it. I later found out I had pcos.

If my dd becomes self conscious at whatever age, I'd be open to a discussion.

ProcrastinatorGeneral · 09/08/2015 17:52

My daughter is twelve, she hasn't asked about legs or pits yet, but has asked about her top lip and I'm clueless. I've told her I'll interrogate my friend who does girly much more successfully than me (I wash, brush hair and go, not very feminine at all) and we're going to go from there. Such a minefield :/

Fairylea · 09/08/2015 17:58

Dd is 12 and has just started doing hers. I think that's about the right age if they want to. She's not been bothered before now.

VolumniaDedlock · 09/08/2015 18:06

i think when they ask
both my dds (like me) are pretty hairy, but we're all blonde, so I'm hoping they'll make it to secondary school before asking.

FlankShaftMcWap · 09/08/2015 18:08

DD1 is 11 and I started allowing her to use vet spray mousse stuff about 6 months ago. I wasn't keen tbh as I want all 3 of my DD's (and both of my sons actually) to be aware of what normal human females look like body hair and all. However the memory of being called carpet legs at middle school because my mum refused to help me deal with my body hair and cutting myself to ribbons after sneaking one of my step dad's old blunt razors, made me think twice and listen to how she felt. Having now negotiated successfully bra fitting, first period and hair removal I kind of feel like a super mum! 1 down 2 still to come

Bluecheese22 · 09/08/2015 18:11

My mum shaved mine at 6 as the hairs were so thick & coarse they stuck through tights!! After that first shave they came through as much fairer so wasn't necessary for a few years. I'm very pale & fair so no idea why they were so horrendous. My uncle still calls me pork scratching legs well over 20 years later!! Ha

Findtheoldme · 09/08/2015 18:18

My daughter is 12 and has started shaving under her arms after months of not wanting too. I gave her one of my cheapie razors, orange packet but not sure what brand. Can anyone recommend a better one for her please as I'm too lazy to shave mine much I don't buy good ones. I'm not worth it.

Also, I could use recommendations for deodorant anti perspiration for her without chemically bad stuff. She has under lying issues so I'd rather have something kind but she does smell at times so needs something that works.

madwomanbackintheattic · 09/08/2015 18:25

Dd is 15 and largely can't be arsed. She's a dancer so removes body hair at the start of comp season, but the rest of the time it doesn't really bother her. She spends her life in a leotard but is more concerned with what her body can do than what it looks like. Same with make up - it's obviously troweled on for the stage, but the rest of the time it's just too much faff. Luckily we live in a very sporty town and there is really not much peer pressure towards aesthetics. To clarify, she's no blonde wisp - she's got dark coarse hair like me. And also apparently my apathy towards social convention and 'beauty practices' lol.

She has all the stuff - and is welcome to use it whenever she likes. But mostly doesn't.

Dd2 is eleven and noticeably hairy. Doesn't appear to have noticed herself though. She'll have to veet if she wants it gone though - she has cp and can barely manage a fork. The idea of her with a razor is terrifying.

At 7, most girls I know have gone through a noticeably hairier phase, then it all seems to disappear for a few more years until puberty. Roughly the same time as body odour kicks in for the first time. Both girls were in desperate need of deodorant around 7/8!

But tbh there is no way I would consider hair removal that early. They are just children.

Binit · 09/08/2015 18:35

I'd remove the hair.

I remember a girl in my class who was relentlessly teased by a group of mean girls about her hairy legs.

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