Hi mom's I have a question...my daughter is almost 12 years old...and she is now wanting to start shaving her legs, wax her little mustache (hardly nothing there)...she says she hates the jungle that is going on her legs...anyways my question is ...Should I take her to get her legs waxed or just let her shave her legs?....because I've heard...and maybe i heard wrong...but is it true that if u wax your legs for the first time...the hair will not grow as thick and dark. Is that a fact? Also about her little mustache should i have those waxed too....or should i just help her pluck'em....For the mother's that have already gone thru this what did u do?
Well I have a 12 year old daughter (7th grade), I let her shave her legs last year because she was going in to middle school and she didn't want hairy legs, before she started shaving the hair on her legs were dark and thick, now that she shaves the hair grows in real light and thin (stubbly still though), as far as waxing her "mustache" I would say no, because she will have to do it the rest of her life, the reason she probably has hair there now is because she is going thru puberty, it MAY go away on its own. This is just my opinion, hope it helps. Good luck with your Pre-teen daughter! They can be a handful =)
My mother swears by waxing, just make sure you find someone who is good. Bad ones can burn you and break the hair off which makes it just like shaving and that is what you are trying to avoid. When my daughter is old enough I will definitely be going the waxing route instead of shaving. Good luck, have a great holiday season.
My daughter is 13 and actually started shaving when she was 11... Her hairs were really dark and she was extremely embarressed by them.... My opinion is that shaving is not that big of a deal... it doesn't change anything about them and most people don't even notice rather she does or doesn't... I've never done the waxing but I can say since my daughter has started shaving her hairs aren't any darker or thicker.... As for the "mustache"... well if it's really dark and noticeable then yes I would so go ahead and have it waxed... Kids these days are soooooo mean that something like that would be the perfect thing to pick up on and make fun of... My daughter just started getting her eyebrows waxed this year and it was because they were starting to grow thick in the middle and a few kids started making comments....
My motto is "Pick your battles and don't sweat the small stuff..."
My girls Nair or Veet their legs. It works for them.
As for the facial hair I would do THREADING. I think it's great and works better and longer than waxing, which can hurt the folicles and the face if not done right.
Threading can be found at Grapevine Mills Mall in a kiosk not far from Old Navy or in Las Colinas at Eyes of India.
It's a very old eastern technique and is done with special cotton thread. It takes a few minutes and is pretty cheap. It still hurts, but not as much as waxing.
My daughter is "9" !! & we shaved her legs (I helped her) & the kids at school were making fun of her dark hair-hairy legs, its' ashame kids are so ugly this day in-time, when I was 9 we never heard of shaving !!!.....
I would recommend waxing the mustach, too much pain to pluck ! + you won't have too do it as much if you wax !
My daughter is "9" !! & we shaved her legs (I helped her) & the kids at school were making fun of her dark hair-hairy legs, its' ashame kids are so ugly this day in-time, when I was 9 we never heard of shaving !!!.....
I would recommend waxing the mustach, too much pain to pluck ! + you won't have too do it as much if you wax !
I met an Italian woman with two girls who had very dark hair on their arms and legs (ages 7 & 9). She takes them in for sugaring - it's much less painful and damaging than waxing yet lasts longer than shaving.
I have a 12 yr old in 7th grade and she started shaving in 5th grade. I understood how she felt with having hairy legs. My mom was and is old fashioned and she would not let me shave. I was embarrassed and I swore I would NEVER let my child go through the humiliation.
As for the mustache, she has a little battery operated bikini razor thing (about $10 at Walgreen's) and she uses it about twice a month.
I personally don't think it is a big deal, especially if you are open and honest with each other.
My cousin and I started shaving our legs when we were young too -- I'd say 10 at least... her mom left the razor in the tub and I was spending the night and we made a MONSTER bubble bath. We were like... we should shave our legs. And we both did... Not a big deal. My mom bought me a disposable razor and left the safety cover on. She had me show HER how to shave off soap so that she knew I knew how to do it properly and then helped me on the next time.
It's so funny for me to read "kids are so mean these days"... kids are kids... they've always been mean. There have always been bullies, there have always been soft skinned kids that get picked on... kids make fun of those that are different -- always have, always will. We can't shelter them from anything but I don't think there's anything wrong with helping her feel more confident about herself. :)
We are dark haired people, and my twelve year old did have quite a forest and mustache going. I went ahead and started letting her deal with that once it started causing her some embarassment. I'm sure that if we were lighter haired, she could have waited until she was older. Anyway, she did start out by using an Avon hair remover, which worked somewhat, but not as well as we would have liked. Then, she started shaving. So far, shaving has not been a problem, and we discovered that olive oil was the very best shaving lotion because it won't let her skin get irritated. Later on, she discovered VEET, and says that it is wonderful. It is a hair removal cream, but comes with a scraper to scrape it off with, and doesn't smell bad like most of the other creams. As for the stache, if she doesn't have much, then I would just pluck. Otherwise, you might experiment with some creams that are made just for the face. There are also those tiny razors that you can use on those little areas. We like them for straightening up our eyebrows. Welcome to young ladyhood and good luck!
Hi Cynthia, I would say yes teach her how to shave especially when it is a new razor she needs to shave lighter because it is so sharp and show her to be careful right by the ankles where the skin is so sensitive and cuts can easily occur. As for the mustache I would go to a pro to dye it blonde then it won't be visible because if you shave that it will just get worse. I have 3 girls aged 16,15, and 12 so I've been down this road and they also approached me when they were ready. I actually would like my 12 year old to shave her arms and legs (u know why) but she is just not interested so I'll let her do it when she's ready.
I agree with the others- let her shave. Now I wouldn't do the waxing until she is older and understands how painful it can be. Have the lip hair lightened (I think you might even be able to buy a cream to put on it to lighten it yourself.)
I recommend the Venus razer for new shavers, or a good electric razer. My husband loves my Venus. LOL No cuts. I have offered to buy him his own so he'll stop using mine. :)
I don't like the Veet or Nair because while you are sitting there waiting for it work your skin is absorbing all those chemicals. I avoid chemicals as much as possible.
My grandmother did this and it made her hairs grow back thick and wiry. Go to the store and buy Jolen Facial and Body Hair bleach. It's in a little blue box and it's gentle to use. Bleaching the hairs will make them grow back softer, and it looks a heck of a lot more natural.
As for waxing... Try it and see if she likes it, but there are a ton of more gentle products out there now a days. They have a razor-less shaving system, but I forgot what it's called. You can buy it at the store. You put hair removal cream on your legs and then "shave" the cream and along with it, the hair. Just experiment with what's out there these days before using all the old fashion techniques. Hope this helps!
I don't see any wrong in letting a 12-year-old shave or pluck, seems right for her age. I don't think it's true about waxing for the first time making hair come in thinner, but I find that it generally does make the hair come back thinner.
A 12-year-old may not be up for the discomfort of waxing and may like the act of shaving more than the annoyance of waxing. Also with waxing, she'll have to let the hair grow out for awhile (unsightly) before she can successfully wax again.
good luck, after that comes make-up, boys, cars, birth control, etc.
My 12 year old daughter started shaving a couple of years ago and it was no big deal. Most people never notice that she did or didnt, but it made a HUGE difference for her!
As for the mustache - we haven't had to deal with that, but my daughter has HUGE eyebrows (or should I say has A huge EYEBROW). She asked me to wax it at about age 8. I resisted because I felt (at the time) that doing so would send the message to her that she was not good enough as she is. A while later she came to me crying saying that people were really making fun of her, so I gave in. We now have waxing at the Brumleys every Sunday night...its kind of a ritual, with my husband, son, daughter and myself all getting it done (we are all big-browed people). None of the rest of us do it every week, but she really needs it that often. Sometimes we have family members or friends stop by for their waxing, as well...its a very well-known "date".
One thing I would like to say is don't take that on yourself...it is messy and could make things really ugly if you dont know what you are doing. (I have my beautician's license or I wouldn't have). So go pro for that!
My 11 year old dd started shaving about 6 or 7 months ago (when she was 10). I am not comfortable w/ her using a real razor yet b/c she's just not that coordinated, lol, but she has an electric razor that works well and suits it's purpose. I never have to worry about her cutting herself.
I haven't heard that about wax - but who knows. I do think waxing might be a bit painful though, and you'll just have to keep going back to do it every few weeks - that's a bit expense.
The electric razor we bought has different attatchments so my dd can do her legs, underarms and facial hair.
It's really normal and her way of controlling the changes going on in her body that she really CAN'T control.
Why not ask her which she would prefer?
"Honey - I know you want to wax your moustach so I booked an appointment at the spa for a girls day - do you want me to get your legs waxed this first time or try shaving first? We can pick up a razor and some nice shave gel on the way home."
She'll feel listened to and important and you guys might have an awesome time together - get pedicures and have fun!
I taught my daughters how to shave their legs/pits just before they started Jr High, because most girls are shaving by then. We went with shaving because we can't always afford to take them every week to get waxed, but it's up to you and what your budget is. As for the "mustache", I don't know as I've never dealt with it before. Good Luck and revel in these moments with your daughter while she is still asking you how to do things and involving you in her process of growing up.
No plucking the stache!!!! Try Sally Hansen facial hair remover--it works really well for me, and not at all painful. As for the legs...let her shave. I needed to shave very badly by the time I was 12, and my mom would never let me. I finally snuck into the medicine cabinet and got her razor and did it anyway b/c I was so desparately embarrassed. I cut the back of my leg b/c obviously I didn't know what I was doing. Instead of having that situation, make it a really special deal and show her the proper technique and remind her once she starts, it'll be an everyday (or every other day) thing from now on...