8 Year Old Wants to Shave ?

do her friends shave?

My daughter had a lot of hair too but I had her wait until she was in the 6th grade which is 12. I did not start until 7/8th grade and am a brunette too. It's interesting other countries don't get hung up on this stuff. THe other question I have if we always give into bullies then are we teaching our kids to give in when things get a little tough? We need to encourage our kids to not put any value in what people say if it is not meant for building a person up. I've always told my kids when they were struggling with friends whether that friend was supportive of them or took away from them. That helped them identify people that were true friends. It worked great with my son. My daughter it was a little tougher for but I have seen her change friends because of this lately. (she is now 14)

This may not be the best advice, but its from persnal experience so here goes:
I had very hairy legs when I was younger. All my friends teased me because they could shave and my parents wouldn't let me regardless of how much i beggedSo, I took a disposable (used) bic razor to my dry leg one morning. You can imagine my mothers horror when I woke her up with my bloody leg.
I think that you're better off teaching her the right way to shave. It may seem early to us, but in todays day it really might not be.
Try talking to some other mothers in her class. My parents broke down and got me an electric razor to start me off.
I know that every woman is different, but most blonde hair does not "grow in thicker". I was blonde then, and still am today and there is no difference from then til now.
Best of luck!! They grow up sooooo fast!!

The summer I turned 10 I started shaving. I had started asking befor that, but that summer is when I started shaving my underams so my Mom decided that if I had to shave my underarms, I might as well start on my legs as well. She helped me the first few times and then stayed in the bathroom with me while I did it completely on my own the first time. We discussed what it meant to have to shave and the knicks that happen so when I cut myself for the first time, it wasn't a huge surprise. Good luck in your decision!

Veet makes a gel that you have a plastic "shaver" to use and no blade piece to scrape away the gel and hair. Perhaps that would work because it isn't dangerous since there's no blade and your daughter gets rid of the embarassing hair. Just a thought. My only concern would be her cutting herself with a real razor. I think if she's too self-conscious about wearing shorts then it would be okay.

unfortunately...girls shave MUCH sooner because of all the pressure to look like the girls on TV...and they don't have "fuzz" on THEIR legs!
I'd say give her an electric shaver. Will get rid of the fuzz she's worried about but won't make it "smooth" but shouldn't matter because nobody should be touching them anyway....so how will anybody but her know? Right?
Good luck mom!

I agree to let her go ahead and shave! I was 9 when I started, and I also had very light hair but it was thick and I was also getting teased.
And it probably won't grow back that fast at first, I doubt it would be more than a once a week thing.

I know it seems so young, but I think you will just have to go for it or else she might do it herself like the other posters suggested!

Say she is too young, and that people who would make fun of this at her age are NOT worth the time of day!
EVERY child needs a childhood for Pete's sake!
Have people gone NUTS!!!!!
Or do they just have too much time on their hands?????
YOU are in charge of whe way you do things in your family!

Hi K.:

My daughter was nine when she wanted to start shaving her legs; she's now 11. Very similar situation: she didn't want to wear shorts and was very self conscious about the hair. I was a little uncomfortable letting her start shaving but I explained the pitfalls like having to continue once you start, etc., and she was fine with it. After almost two years now she has been very responsible and doesn't complain about doing it. She feels so much better wearing shorts and skirts. As a gift, I bought her an electric shaver (pink) so she can stop taking mine! She has been very responsible taking care to clean it, etc. She's very happy now about something I didn't even realize was bothering her!!! Good Luck!!!

Its kind of heart breaking that at 8yrs old she is worried about that, but if it makes her sad,maybe you could let her use an electric razor. Thats what I first start out with, because I was afraid of cutting myself. It wasn't the greatest, but it did the job in a safer way. I'm sure there's something out there for teens that she could use. Hope this helps. Good luck
L.

I don't know if they work or not, but what about trying the hair removal lotion? Just a thought. I also used a used disposable b/c my mom didn't teach me b/c she thought I was too young at ten. What if you did it for her once a week until she got older?

I guess my question is who is making fun of her? Other girls her age? Are they shaving? My daughter and I both started at about 10 but we both had dark hair and lots of it so I let her start because she was all ready wearing bras at 9 to school out of necessity and wouldn't wear a swim suit or sleeveless top because of the arm pit situation at 9. Blonde hair is so much easier, a good tan and it really doesn't show up that much.
Use your best judgement, but once you start it is a life time of shaving unless you get electrolisis! Explain that to her.

I would recommend holding her off as long as possible. Once she shaves those hairs will be dark.
Talk with your doctor for suggestions.

I was 15 when I started shaving my legs that was before disposable razors that you rarely cut yourself with.I have very dark hair and had to because I was cheerleader. If I had a choice I would not have started ever. This is a task that has to be repeated every couple of days whether you feel like it or not.Kids grow up way to fast all ready keep her a kid for a while.Then teach her the proper way to shave so she doesn't get cut.

The more you shave the thicker it get's...... Did some tease her already?? how would an 8 year old even know to think about hairy legs? It's not going to hurt her But it will get thicker. If you do let her make sure you teach her so she won't get cut. Ouch!

It was kind of odd to see this request this morning, let me explain. My daughter, who will be 12 in August, asked me since she was about 7 if she could shave. I told her when she was 10 I would teach her how as my mother did. However, one evening while helping her wash her hair at the age of 9 1/2, because she had just broke her arm, she popped her leg on the side of the tub and asked me to shave for her because she had already and it had been a few days. Much to my surprise!! Anyways, last night while getting ready for bed, after taking her shower she came to me crying and extremely upset. She had blood running down her shin! After cleaning her up and calming her down, she said she never wanted to shave again. It turned out to be only a few nicks, but ladies we all know how one little nick stings like crazy. She now wishes she had waited a few years. I guess it all depends on the maturity level of the girls and how bad it is. But explain how to do it properly, carefully and once you start.....You never stop! Good Luck!!

I started shaving when I was 10. Be glad she came to you first. I shaved first and then went to my mom and asked it I could start ( :

My daughter has blond hair but a ton of it as well. I let her shave beginning of 5th grade. I had heard from a teacher friend of mine that the boys can be VERY mean, so she suggested I let her do it. I bought her an electric shaver, and she does a nice job.

FYI- Her hair has NOT turned dark. Neither has mine. I have blond hair and have been shaving for YEARS. My hair still grows back blond.

I was 11 i think... my mom had me start with a womens electric razor. she felt safer with that. a family i was a nanny for let her daughter start a 10. it is really up to you.....can't blame her.. kids are mean these days. maybe start with an electric. I don't recommend nair, veet, etc. I had a reaction and a horrible rash. even the one for senstive skin. chemicals = no thanks!

If she is very hairy, and if she is getting picked on, you absolutely have to let her start. I started waxing my daughter's unibrown in second grade, because she came home crying due to girls making fun of her. I was reluctant at first, and gave her all the usual tips about disregarding mean comments, those girls not being her real friends, etc., but it really started to have an effect on her feelings about herself. And THAT is not worth it. I made sure it was just the center part, and even now that she is 12 I still make sure it's natural looking, not polished like an older teen or adult would want. She just started asking about the legs when she was ten, and I put it off again at first. She didn't want to shave it though, and asked me to wax it. I use Moom sugaring paste, which doesn't really pull like the regular wax. I did it once in the summer the last two years and she didn't care about gym class or anything during the school year. The other day she asked me to teach her how to do it herself. After one strip she told me to let her do it, and she finished her legs (lower only of course) by herself. My niece who is almost 13 came over and asked me to do it for her (with my sister's blessing of course), but ended up learning to do it herself as well. My daughter had never shaved, even though I offered to teach her, but my niece thought it was much easier.

Anyway...a lot of rambling for you. Go ahead and let her. Girls can be especially cruel nowadays...way rougher then when we were kids.

You might think about letting her use Nair, or other cream hair removers. This way no cuts and the hair doesn't come back as prickly. At a minimum I would suggest the Nair type products on the thigh and maybe electric razor below the knee. I have two daughter's and I set the age at 12, but it seems kids are a bit more cruel these days. Good Luck.

I was your daughter's age the first time my mom shaved my legs. I have very thick dark hair and I was made fun of. I think my mother would have preferred to wait, but I was very upset because the girl who had made the comment was someone I thought was a friend.

If you do decide to, I would suggest you shave her legs first, slowly and carefully explaining that it is possible to cut herself. The first few times you might want to do it for her then be with her when you let her start doing it for herself.