I have a precious 7 yr old daughter who is quite timid and shy and is extremely embarrassed by her leg hair. She has been made fun of by other kids at school and this past summer was the last straw for me, as a caring mother, when she broke down crying and didn't even want to put on shorts. I cried too. We talked about it and, since summer was coming to a close, I promised her that I'd find a solution for next spring/summer. I was secretly hoping she'd grow out of it or her hair would start thinning out. Then just last night I caught her trying to shave her legs! She cut herself twice and was extremely upset when I caught her trying to secretly apply bandaids. I had no idea she was still upset about her leg hair. She hadn't said a word in months. I certainly don't want to start shaving her legs. I can barely keep up with my own. I'm thinking about bleaching her leg hair. I don't know where to start as far as what is safe for her age. Thank you ahead of time. I'm so upset for her.
Maybe an electric razor. It will keep it short without having to be super smooth and she can't cut herself. I wouldn't put any chemical things on her like Nair. That stuff is so horrible and can give terrible reactions.
I had the same problem as a child and started shaving without my mother's permission also. Cut myself many times also. I don't see why girls can't shave at a younger age if they need to, but at least the electric ones are safer.
Just my 2 cents from someone that has been there. Good luck.
Boy I wish my mom had figured out a way to help me with this problem when I was young. I agree on the electric razor.
That is how I started out, but it was not till middle school and all of the time before that I dreaded shorts, bathing suits and dresses.
There is a spray called Sun In that when you are out in the sun, it gives you "natural highlights". I am wondering if you could spray that on to lighten the hair.
One Australian mom had this problem and invented a solution- only her daughter had thick black hair all over her body! After trying everything under the sun, she invented a sugar 'wax' system. I think I bought it at Walgreens, I don't know if they still make it. Personally, I thought it hurt terribly and was annoyed that I actually had to let the hair grow out again before I could do another treatment. But, you could try it.
I don't like Veet because of the strong chemicals (and keep in mind everything you put on your body goes into your body!) The electric razor would be a better choice.
Definitely do something to help her--it's obviously bothering her and there is nothing wrong with shaving early. Electric razor, I agree is the best. Bleach will take a lot of time and just be yucky and then she will just have lots of blond hair.
I like the electric razor idea, too. And I agree that bleaching it will only make her have thick blonde hair and may not help all that much. I started shaving at about the same age (8 or 9), and it was fine. I'm sure I cut myself a few times, but that's how you learn. Heck, I still cut myself from time to time now! Anyway, good luck, and I hope you come up with a solution that works for both of you!
Go to getsmoothaway.com and take a look. I haven't tried it but I want to order it for my daughter. She is 13. It looks painless and safe. I think it is worth a try.
I think you should let her start shaving. I know you aren't thrilled about it but it's obviously time. I wouldn't do veet or nair & waxing will be painful, but if she's not getting good results from trying an electric razor, let her shave. Go in with her & show her how. Get her some shaving cream & teach her. Maybe your guidance in the beginning will make for less cuts. Good luck to you both.
I know that you are loath to have her start shaving at such a young age. I did not reply to offer you any shaving/waxing/depilatory solution. (but, while I'm here, my personal favorite is the Silk Effects razor. I like it because all the wires across the blades cause me to almost never get cuts, and I've used this brand for about 15 years. I have to be really scraping and sawing in all kinds of directions and quickly so, to achieve a nick.)
The reason I did reply is to remind you of how very important self image is to girls. Unfortunately, it is their controlling thought for a while. Now, I'm not saying that girls should be taught to conform in all areas of what the other girls are doing, and there's a lot to be said for teaching them self confidence and independent thought. But for a problem as soluble and inevitable as shaving her legs, I would sit down with her, and show her the safest way to do so. It's really a small thing in the grand scheme, and will help her to feel better about her self image. It may also give her a little boost to be first. You remember the "firsts" don't you? And you probably remember who they were. – First girl with a bra, first girl to lose the eyeglasses and get contacts….
I myself was teased for the same reason. I understand your delima about shaving but I agree with letting her shave give her an electric razor though. It will be safer for her and then she will not have to go behind your back>
There are some other alturnitves to shaving. They have a rub mitten that rubs the hair off. I tried it and it does work, but I leaves a lot of dry skin behind. Then they have nair that she can rinse off in the shower. Peroxide is a pretty strong chemical, I would be afraid that It might end up hurting her leg skin. Good luck, it is a delima!
Hi Lennie, I started shaving when I was 10 (my mother was not thrilled about allowing me that young but I was really bothered by the hair on my legs). I remember as far back as 8 years old wanting to shave. This day and age, there are so many options. I do agree with many, an electric razor sounds like a great idea! As far as her age, she isn't trying to be "sexy" like some young girls out there. This is a self-esteem issue. I can't believe others are actually making fun of her. I would just stay away from the chemical hair removers. That can't be good for a 7 year old (I even wonder if we will find they harm adults as time goes on).
If the leg hair bothers her that much, just let her shave it, but show her how to do so safely or buy an electric razor .
Some of my daughters shaved their legs at 7yrs old and have been happy to do it. One is 11 and still doesn't want to do it.
Don't look at shaving legs as growing up but something hygenic, and it sounds like a real problem for you daughter.
Best of luck with your and your daughters decision.
Blessings,
DebbieA
I had this same problem when I was young. But 7 is way too young to start shaving, it will only get worse. and she will be shaving everyday for the rest of her life! I found epilady about 25 yrs ago and have never looked back, but it is too painful when you first start to expect a 7 yr old to tolerate it. Here is an idea that i discovered quite by accident! There is a product called Sun-In that lightens hair. I don't know if they still sell it, but the ingredient that was in it that lightened the hair was simply Hydrogen Peroxide. So buy some H.P. and put it in a spray bottle, spray it on the legs and use the blow dryer to dry it on the legs, apply as often as neccesary and it will turn the hair Blonde which is a lot less noticable! Good luck!
Your daughter is heading into a social nightmare. Or at least it feels that way to her. The other kids have already noticed her hair so if you bleach it and make it thick blond hair they will only tease her more. Kids are cruel and they WILL notice something like that. Christmas is coming up. Whether you practice Christmas or not, a gift of an electric razor will make her year I'd bet. Teach her to use it. Let her know that it's a good thing to be proud of her body. She's not thinking right now about how great her legs will look and feel smooth. She's thinking about how great it will be to be like the other girls and not be teased. Give her this gift.
I started shaving at 10 and I didn't turn out that bad. I only did it because I wanted to be like my older sisters. Shaving your legs, while it is a usual milestone in the teenage girl's life, isn't going to prompt other adult activities from a 9 year old. Don't worry about that. Just let her do it and be her hero.
And stay away from the chemicals and the waxing for now. I'd even stay away from the razors until she's ready to try them. She's already cutting her self with those and the extra band-aids aren't going to make her feel much better. She's miserable enough right now without having to experience the pain of waxing. And I don't care what you say, if you have thick hair it HURTS to pull it out! I know it gets less painful each time and as an adult that's what I do now, but YIKES! A 9 year old won't be able to sit through the first strip. As for the chemicals, that simply can't be good for her skin. And remember, hair remover creams and lotions remove ALL THE HAIR. So if they accidently get it on their arms or God forbid their heads then you have a whole new crisis! You also have two 7 year olds running around. I can remember lots of times when I would have happily put hair remover in my sister's conditioner bottles. My vote is the electric razor. It's safe and she will feel really great about herself for the first time in a long time.
I feel your little girls pain. My nickname in elementary was gorilla because my hair was dark and thick. All thanks to both my parents having dark dark brown hair and very thick hair. I actually didn't do anything at that point except suffer thru the ridicule. But by 10 or 12 I did start shaving my legs and my arms. I have actually grown to hate hair on my body. I know how cruel kids can be and maybe a counselor at school can help her deal with the feelings from ridicule. If she has mental ways to handle being made fun of then she will have the confidence to wear shorts. But bleaching the hair might help too. I wish you all the bet and tell your little one that she is not alone.
I have never had this problem, but I would discuss this with her doctor. The heavy growth could be hormone related and could be taken care of with some meds.