Best way to remove underarm hair for a nine-year-old?

[Snackdealer]

My dd is 9 and half and has started growing hair under her arms, she is getting grief at school and during netball games (wears a sleeveless dress) from other children and wants to get rid of it. I am wondering what is the best method to remove it.
Hair removal cream or Shaving?

It really doesn't grow back thicker. That's a myth. I never shaved my thigh hair but that started growing in my 40s and now I have to shave the backs. Hair just grows more whatever you do, the older you get - it's hormones!

I wouldn't wax a child. It's really painful and ingrowing hairs will be sore.
Shaving - either with a decent razor or an electric one. My DD uses a bikini line electric trimmer. Cuts close to the skin but doesn't shave.

I agree. My daughter was 16 before she decided she wanted to shave her armpits. Like everything else in her life she was taught to do it when she wanted and not because others thought she should. Girls only have a short time in their life when they can avoid all those things that men never have to deal with. I preferred she made her own decisions and did it when she was ready. If at 9 year old she was so impacted by peer pressure she was starting to think of beauty standards, I’d have been having a whole different conversation with her than how to shave her armpits.

No I wouldn’t wax a 9 year old either but I also wouldn’t use a razor because a 9 year old using a razor could make a cut and scar. I agree that at this age an electrical lady shaver is fine but I’d be trying to get a professional wax when the child is older.

I've got my daughter an intuition razor, although she's happy to keep her arm pit hair for now. Apparently shaving it all off isn't necessarily a given these days. Sorry your daughter has been teased about it. Little shits

No I'm not joking. If she has underarm hair she may also have hair elsewhere now or in the near future. If she wants to wear a standard swimming costume, she will likely want to remove any visible hair, like many other women and girls who don't wish to reveal their pubic hair to others.
It's all well and good saying 'she's a child!' Which she is, but she's a child who has started puberty and is likely feeling very self conscious. This can and does lead to many young girls having poor self esteem and giving up sports they enjoy, particularly swimming, due to hair growth/periods etc. Instead of supporting them to find solutions they personally are comfortable with, their parents dismiss their concerns or think they can be dealt with when they are older, but then it's often too late, having spent years feeling embarrassed.
I was extremely grateful to be taught to properly and safely remove my unwanted body hair as soon as it came in, as that was my personal preference. I didn't want to wear clothes to hide it or pretend not to be embarrassed. I have olive skin and started my period at 9, so my body hair was much darker and coarser than that of my peers. Thankfully my mother cared more about my comfort than she did about my age.

I shave my daughters with a normal razor and shaving cream, takes a few seconds and she’s okay till the next week then. She is just 9, by 10 I will see if she wants to start doing it herself carefully.
never has a rash or in grown hairs.

properly and safely remove my unwanted body hair

There's no such thing for me. Even professional waxing causes red infected spots. Razors are impossible. I'm also autistic, so I'm dyspraxic making reliably shaving "safely" an impossibility, and I have huge sensory issues with stubbly regrowth.

I sought out more modest swimwear and clothing than my peers because I was also self-conscious about my large breasts and didn't feel comfortable showing my body. I was sexually assaulted at eight and wanted to deter men from looking at me. I would have welcomed my parents' support in finding legsuits and high-coverage sports attire.

My point being that there's more than one way to address the OP's DD not wanting to show her armpit hair, more than one reason why OP's DD would want not to show her armpit hair, and OP should consider all options.

Not really relevant to OP, but have you tried an electric shaver @selffellatingouroborosofhate ? My skin is too sensitive for razors or waxing (causes red bumps etc). Electric razors actually leave a little hair, they just cut it really short - so the hair doesn't break through the skin again and cause stubbly red bumps.

I've been shaving for 40 years and have never suffered from any of those.

Yes. Still little red bumps.

Apparently shaving it all off isn't necessarily a given these days

Agree. My dd and her friends are 15/16 and they don’t shave/remove any body hair.

My dd used these razors as they have wires so you can’t cut yourself.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wilkinson-Sword-Quattro-Women-Blades/dp/B086TCPWS1/ref=asc_df_B086TCPWS1?mcid=13bd8c54b6d53e7691d91441820d055a&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697300393121&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6516921140660953896&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9250856&hvtargid=pla-942584646660&hvocijid=6516921140660953896-B086TCPWS1-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1&th=1

Life doesn’t work like this.

As a hairy person who was teased at primary school I’m so glad you’re supporting her in getting rid of the hair.

Teach her to shave it, literally takes a few seconds every morning.

Yes it can. As an adult, I never shave my armpits and don't wear sleeveless clothes.

I think there's a very pertinent discussion to be had about societal expectations around body hair and women.
But, I would put that to one side and help my child not to feel embarrassed and self conscious. We could talk about those other issues when she's older. Which is exactly what I did do.

My DD started to be bothered by it at 9, we use a disposable type razor once a week after a sink wash… I have tried a few and those with a panel which makes a kind of moistening gel seem to work best. I do it for her and it only takes a minute, it doesn’t hurt her, and she’s happier for ballet / swimming / gymnastics etc.

Hi OP
my daughter is 11, so a little older than yours.
i have waxed her arms pits twice now, each time she’s come to ask me.
theres only a small patch, so one of the small wax strips is all it takes. She’s been fine with the pain, but obviously everyone is different.
we’ve not yet touched her leg hair, although I have said we will sort it for the summer.

also, to the comments above clutching their pearls at the mention of a bikini line at this age, some children are very much bothered by the appearance of pubic hair, and do want to lessen it as much as age appropriate.
I’ve helped my child with this a handful of times, at her request, and each time she’s come to me again after to say how much happier in herself she feels.

those with a panel which makes a kind of moistening gel seem to work best

Tried those, I still get red infected spots.

I have ridiculously sensitive skin. If I just rinse my face with water, my eyebrows flake, never mind using any kind of detergent. I get that shaving works for many people, but at the same time I wouldn't want any child with skin as sensitive as mine to feel pressured into enduring the after effects of shaving when a change of clothing can spare her that.

Give her a choice.

My mum insisted on the cream consodered it being the safest and I hated it. Simple razors for me.

I taught my daughter how to shave her armpits when she really wanted to, and got her the kit she needed. I think she was 9/10. She danced 5 days a week and felt self conscious.

I.also reassured her body hair was natural and not shameful.

I then left her to decide. Sometimes she shaves, sometimes she doesn't. The key is it's her choice

9-year-olds removing under arm hair. We have gone mad, haven't we?

We got one of these too. She started using it for under arms at around 10 I think. Then for legs and bikini line at around 12 as she was really conscious of any leg or pubic hair showing during mixed swimming in school.

I started taking her to get her legs waxed from around age 13 as it’s better than shaving. Now at 16 she doesn’t shave anywhere and has progressed to getting all areas waxed.

That said, I did notice last summer that a lot of girls/young women seem to not shave or wax anywhere these days. Which is quite a refreshing change.

Puberty is getting earlier and earlier. I was in size 39 shoes, same as I am now, and menstruating at nine.

This isn't claiming that the social pressure is OK, but explaining why a girl aged nine would have body hair.

@TheKittenswithMittens I don't think so, no.

My child didn't get underarm hair till later but at 10 she started shaving her legs sometimes.

One boy had made 2 comments on 2 different occasions about her legs being hairy. After that it made her self conscious. I really wish it didn't but it did. Then she started not wanting to have bare legs because of it. Well I'd sure as hell rather her shave her legs than avoid wearing shorts all the time. So I got her a shaver and explained but obviously it's up to her.

So I can certainly imagine someone want to shave their underarm hair too