10yo embarrased by hairy legs and wants to shave. i am at a loss.

[Anonymous]

dd inherited fair skin from me and dark hair from dh. she is noticeably hairy (arms and legs). she is not into clothes or her appearance at all (yet), so this one took me by surprise.

a few kids at school have commented that she has hairy legs. based on what she says, you might call it teasing, but barely. i don't think it comes up often.

well, she won't wear any of the shorts we bought a few weeks ago for the warm weather. she is wearing heavy fabric pants right now until i can run out and try to grab her something more lightweight. she absolutely refuses to wear shorts. she wants to shave. i think she is just too young to begin all that, esp for a kid who doesn't seem to care about it. she chose to buy 3 pairs of adidas shorts in three different colors when i took her out to get spring/summer clothes.

wwyd? if i do help her in this direction, there is no way i can let her touch a razor.

sigh.

[Anonymous]

Nair?

[Anonymous]

Let her shave. You'd rather her feel so self-conscious that she won't wear shorts. Trust me, I've been there.

If you're worried about her wielding a razor, get her an electric razor.

[Anonymous]

She is into her appearance now. She wants to shave her legs because she doesn't like how they look.

I would teach her how to shave.

[Anonymous]

Let her shave her legs! I also got teased about my hairy arms and legs when I was her age (I won the hairiest arms in school contest in 6th grade). I am still sometimes self conscious about it today. If she isn't concerned about fashion and make-up, shaving her legs is not going to open some crazy Pandora's Box. Trust me -- I am still very low maintenance.

When she is older, she could get laser treatments. They are especially effective on fair skinned, dark haired people.

[Anonymous]

I remember going through that as a kid. Black hair on very fair skin. Everybody noticed and many people said something. My only saving grace is that it was the '70s and I could wear knee-highs with shorts without looking too out of place. My Mom was not the kind of person I could talk to about girly things. By the time I was 12, I literally walked to the store and bought a women's razor with my own money. My suggestion is to show your daughter how to shave her legs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:dd inherited fair skin from me and dark hair from dh. she is noticeably hairy (arms and legs). she is not into clothes or her appearance at all (yet), so this one took me by surprise.

a few kids at school have commented that she has hairy legs. based on what she says, you might call it teasing, but barely. i don't think it comes up often.

well, she won't wear any of the shorts we bought a few weeks ago for the warm weather. she is wearing heavy fabric pants right now until i can run out and try to grab her something more lightweight. she absolutely refuses to wear shorts. she wants to shave. i think she is just too young to begin all that, esp for a kid who doesn't seem to care about it. she chose to buy 3 pairs of adidas shorts in three different colors when i took her out to get spring/summer clothes.

wwyd? if i do help her in this direction, there is no way i can let her touch a razor.

sigh.

Nair SUCKS. My daughter broke out in a rash from it!
Let her shave. Most nice razors are pretty decent and don't nick....
I would recommend the Venus spa razor AND shaving cream.

Signed....

Italian mom of a fair-skinned dark-haired furry daughter!

[Anonymous]

let her do it! it is only a big deal if you make it a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Wax!

[Anonymous]

Let her shave. What's the problem?

[Anonymous]

I agree with letting her shave if she wants to. There's no benefit to making her tough it out.

If you are really worried about the razor you could try Nair or electric as others suggested. If she's otherwise responsible, though, the worst you are looking at with a disposable safety razor is a nick or two on the knees and ankles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i think she is just too young to begin all that, esp for a kid who doesn't seem to care about it.

But she does care about it now that people have brought it up, right? I remember being embarrassed in 6th grade at having the hair on my legs pointed out--and it was very fair. Back then, many or most of the girls in my grade were already shaving at that point. I don't think 10 is too early if it is making her so self-conscious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let her shave her legs! I also got teased about my hairy arms and legs when I was her age (I won the hairiest arms in school contest in 6th grade). I am still sometimes self conscious about it today. If she isn't concerned about fashion and make-up, shaving her legs is not going to open some crazy Pandora's Box. Trust me -- I am still very low maintenance.

When she is older, she could get laser treatments. They are especially effective on fair skinned, dark haired people.

Totally agree. I am also a fair-skinned brunette and at the age of 10 was incredibly self-conscious about my hairy legs (and arms). Thankfully, my mom (who is fair and blonde) was very sympathetic and showed me how to shave. It was a life-changer for me - I could wear shorts happily. Thank you, Mom!

Another life-changer - a few years ago I had laser hair removal on my legs and underarms. Cost a small fortune, but was so completely worth it!!

[Anonymous]

Totally agree with either shaving or waxing. Waxing is also good when the bikini line becomes an issue. Also agree with the electric razor.

I was dying to shave around that age and was so relieved when my mom finally let me start at age 11. Would the sky really have fallen had I started at age 10? Doubtful.

[Anonymous]

I have fair skin and light hair and started shaving at 10, as did most of my friends. Why wouldn't you let her shave?? Show her how and she'll be fine. She may get a couple nicks or something but I can't imagine why she wouldn't be capable of using a razor.