At what age do girls start shaving their legs?

[mo2]

This is kind of a spinoff of the underarm shaving post. It seems that girls start shaving their legs way earlier nowadays. I didn't start shaving my legs until I was, like, 14 or so, but my cousin has girls in elementary school who shave. Is it just me, or is that crazy??

[PiCO]

This is kind of a spinoff of the underarm shaving post. It seems that girls start shaving their legs way earlier nowadays. I didn't start shaving my legs until I was, like, 14 or so, but my cousin has girls in elementary school who shave. Is it just me, or is that crazy??

I started shaving my legs when I was in 4th grade. My dd was older than that. I have no idea why I thought it was a good idea- I have hardly any hair on my legs anyway. I don't shave them anymore.:)

[Carol in Cal.]

.nt

[abbeyej]

I don't know why it's "crazy". Fourteen seems pretty late to me, though I'm sure it depends on the individual girl's body and the culture in which she lives. With any girl shaving for the first time, I'd be concerned that she learn to do it carefully and efficiently so she doesn't cut herself, and that would worry me more if she were particularly young (so maybe an electric shaver would be a better choice). But if the hair is noticeable or bothering the girl, I think it's no big deal to shave, but potentially a really big issue to forbid her to.

My dd is young enough that we'll have a number of years left till this comes up. And like any "growing up" thing, I'm sure it'll be tough on me, no matter when it happens! :)

[Whisperlily]

I was 11 when I started shaving mine, just because I wanted to do it. I had very light hair, so it was choice, not necessity.

My poor DD has so much dark hair that we've actually been talking about encouraging her to do it soon. She mentioned it before, but we kind of brushed it off at that point to see if she'd bring it up again. She won't be 11 until June, but her hair sticks through her tights uncomfortably... plus it looks strange to see it poking through. It's noticeable, and, well... it's time. Even with bare legs, it's going to be obvious this summer if she doesn't start shaving. ;)

[Pencil Pusher]

I was 10, but I was in jr high & inherited plentiful hair from my dad.:blush:

I've heard that these things have begun to begin earlier w girls because of hormones in meat. Of course, I'm sure the culture is a factor, too.

[Doran]

They start shaving (et. al.) when their bodies show a readiness and need. There is no set age, though I imagine the median age has decreased over the years as girls seem to be maturing earlier. I'm sure this practice is also influenced culturally. It's not something I'd get too worked up over. When my dd (13) expressed interest in shaving about a year ago, I bought her a nice razor and told her how to use it safely. That was the end of that.

Doran

[Tammy]

nt

[Jenny in Atl]

I think I did in 5th or 6th. DD12 started at 11. She didn't need to but felt the need to. :willy_nilly:

[Stephanie in FL]

I was 11 when I started. I was wanting to hold off as long as I could with my dd, who is now 11 1/2, but I recently bought her a razor. I haven't given it to her yet, but it is definitely time for her to begin.

[lynn]

As soon as my dd says it bothers her or 12/13years old whichever comes first.

[Laura Corin]

My sister regrets ever starting to shave. She's red/blonde; her hair was very light gold and barely visible. Now that she's been shaving for years it's much more obvious and she feels she has to keep going.

Laura

[Tami]

whenever the hair makes them feel uncomfortable or self-conscious. Each girl is on her own time table for these things.

[RoughCollie]

DD started shaving her legs a few months before her 12th birthday. It was her idea.

[Rachel]

I think I was around 13yo when I started.

My 13yo daughter however is not interested and I have discouraged her just in telling her once you start you'll have to keep it up. She has blonde hair and I explained (and showed) how it will come back black after that.

I think once they show an interest and realize they'll have to keep it up is when they should do it...........whether its 10 or 20.......its about them wanting to. If you push it and rush it, it'll become a headache for you both.

[abbeyej]

... and I explained (and showed) how it will come back black after that.

But that's not true. Once an individual hair is shaved, the soft end is gone, so it seems coarser, sharper, but the actual texture and color of the hair are totally unaffected by shaving. If one quits shaving long enough for the follicles to cycle completely (all of the shaved hairs fall out and are replaced by new hairs), the hair is just as if it had never been shaved. As one ages, it could be darker than when one was younger (that's how most of our hair is -- darker as we age, until it turns white), but shaving doesn't have anything to do with it.

[Barb F. PA in AZ]

This is kind of a spinoff of the underarm shaving post. It seems that girls start shaving their legs way earlier nowadays. I didn't start shaving my legs until I was, like, 14 or so, but my cousin has girls in elementary school who shave. Is it just me, or is that crazy??

Maybe shaving used to be taboo because showing too much leg was taboo??? I don't know why it was considered such a rite of passage. But when I was a kid, pierced ears were just losing their 'too mature' image. I got mine done in 1977, when I was 8, but some of my friends had to wait until they were 16.

I know my mom held off teaching me to shave because the razors were really dangerous when we were kids. I finally got exasperated and sneaked off to do it myself. I also cut myself to ribbons a number of times, but only once I got confident enough to be a danger to myself. Maybe kids are starting earlier now because razors are kinder to the legs than they used to be. I can't remember the last time I cut myself since I started using a Venus.

Barb

[Rachel]

Thanks for clarifying abbey

[gardenschooler]

One was 12, the other 11. My youngest is so very hairy, I'll definitely encourage her to start earlier! http://www.33smiley.com/smiley2/people/male/41.gif She's always had dark hair on her arms and legs, but since she's only 9, we haven't started shaving yet. It doesn't bother her.

[Sandy in Indy]

I forced my dd to shave her arms when she was 12ish...she really, really needed to shave. (Unless you like that dark, hairy underarm look. Not the look I'm going for.) We repeated the experience when she had really dark, hairy legs. OK during the winter...not cool on the beach! (We lived in Florida at the time.)

DD simply didn't want to grow up. She was in denial for almost a year when she started her cycle (at 10). [We won't talk about the gross things I found in the dirty clothes!] Shaving was just another "I don't want to grow up" thing for her. She actually cried when she turned 10...because she wanted to stay a kid.

[Momto4kids]

Well unfortunately for me I have dark hair and my mom had me start in 2nd grade. IMHO I believe that is way to early. In fact after the first time my mom showed me I decided to do it by myself and used just a razor and water. Nothing else. Let me tell you it was painful.

[TCoppock]

My mother did not allow me to shave my legs until I was almost 12yo. I had horribly dark hairy legs and was embarassed that I was not allowed to shave. I think if I had a daughter I would allow her to shave when it started to bother her.

[Mrs Mungo]

My daughter was 12 and just recently started. She needed it, poor thing takes after her dad in that department. I was probably 14 and I doubt I even needed it then, I'm not very hairy at all, it's the Native American bit. Oh and she asked to shave when a *boy* (add horrified gasp here) noticed her underarm hair.

[BMC]

believe it or not that was at about age 9 the boys were about 11 or 12.

She's now 12 and the rotten neighbor boy still teases her about the dark hair on her arms (she says her calls her gorilla). I suggest that she just ignore it, but she "can't". I know it is hurtful, but he does it to watch her reaction. I am about to tell her to punch his lights out to get him to shut up, but although they are the same age, he is loads stronger and would hit back (and then some). Someone (probably DD) would end up very damaged.

Parenting. :banghead:

[Holly IN]

For me it was early because I have dark hair and hair showed up in 4th grade so I shaved in 5th grade. I really needed to!

For my dd I would judge based on how much hair she has on her legs and if it is noticeable then yes we will shave it off. Age is not really a factor...it is a need that is a factor for us.

Holly

[cin]

My mother did not allow me to shave my legs until I was almost 12yo. I had horribly dark hairy legs and was embarassed that I was not allowed to shave. I think if I had a daughter I would allow her to shave when it started to bother her.

:iagree: I have a large amount of Native American Blood in me, so my legs were QUITE hairy; dark and long. Fortunately, knee socks and knee length tube socks were the fashion. My daughters are both Asian and the hair on their heads is black, so I imagine legs and arms will be the same. Arms (pits) when it starts looking tacky, legs, when they feel the need (or it starts embarassing Dh & I!) I'm not goign to make it the big deal my mother did! She warned me that the hair would come bakc in darker adn such....well, it was already black and a good inch or two, so what difference would it make????:001_rolleyes:

[Tracey in TX]

I was 11y/o and began shaving. It was on the sly as my parents didn't condone it.

DD1 began shaving at 9y/o. She could've begun at 6y/o given her dark, hairy legs. It really didn't look very feminine. My other DDs will begin shaving when they ask. They also have dark leg hair. We spend way too much time in shorts and swim suits to look like little gorillas :) (When it bothers them they can begin.)

IF my DDs had blond leg hair, they wouldn't begin yet. Like a PP stated, some of this is cultural. Some is also the hormones in dairy products. DD 10y/o is almost as tall as me already and quite voluptuous :( Not thrilled about what the ramifications of that will mean for her.

[PiCO]

My sister regrets ever starting to shave.

Laura

She can just stop. I did. It will look weird for a while- you have to wait until the shaved-off hair ends are gone.

I have dark brown hair, but the hair on my legs is lighter, very fine and thin. I have a couple hairs I pluck because they are dark.

[mo2]

Maybe I was just oblivious to what other girls were doing. I always did tend to live in my own head rather than in the world around me.

Anyway, the only reason this came up is because my dd is 6 and extremely hairy. She always has been. Most of the women on dh's side are quite hairy. But some of her cousins and such have teased her about being hairy, and she recently asked me if she could shave her legs. I said no. ;) But it just made me wonder when girls did start doing this sort of thing. Thanks all.

[LisaK in VA]

My mom doesn't have to shave... we joke about her "yearly" ritual to clean the 3 hairs from her legs.

Me? I wasn't allowed to shave until I was 13. It was a very painful experience. My mom just didn't realize how hairy I was -- dark, long hair, it looked awful when I wore tights or nylons... was teased a lot by girls and boys from about the 4th grade through the 7th grade. She just assumed I didn't have hairy legs because she didn't.

The summer before 8th grade, I finally got my mom's attention on the shaving issue. She felt so badly. My mom started me with NAIR -- unfortunately, that product has never worked on my hair. My choices are pretty much waxing or shaving. I gave up the waxing when we started having children.

Waxing was my best solution -- But until I have time to do things like that again, I have to shave every day, or I have 5 o'clock man-stubble shadow on my legs... not pleasant.

[PiCO]

Maybe I was just oblivious to what other girls were doing. I always did tend to live in my own head rather than in the world around me.

Anyway, the only reason this came up is because my dd is 6 and extremely hairy. She always has been. Most of the women on dh's side are quite hairy. But some of her cousins and such have teased her about being hairy, and she recently asked me if she could shave her legs. I said no. ;) But it just made me wonder when girls did start doing this sort of thing. Thanks all.

I was responding to Laura in China's post about her sister wishing she had never started shaving her legs. That's why I quoted Laura's post in my reply. Sorry for the misunderstanding!

As for your daughter, I think 6 is a bit young, but if it was my daughter and she was self-concious, I would try to figure something out that would make her feel better- I don't think I would OK shaving, though- a littl risky I think. Good luck!

[mo2]

I was responding to Laura in China's post about her sister wishing she had never started shaving her legs. That's why I quoted Laura's post in my reply. Sorry for the misunderstanding!

As for your daughter, I think 6 is a bit young, but if it was my daughter and she was self-concious, I would try to figure something out that would make her feel better- I don't think I would OK shaving, though- a littl risky I think. Good luck!


No, I gotcha. I was just kind of responding in general. I'M sorry for the misunderstanding, lol!

[readwithem]

Mine is 16 and doesn't want to at all. I think it comes from living in Europe when she was prepubescent :)

[StaceyinLA]

and I started fairly young (and LOVED my mom so much for letting me do so). My dd's have fairly hairy legs as well, and I didn't see any point in making them go through the frustration of dealing with it (and the embarrassment). To me, it just isn't worth it to deal with something unpleasant that you can control, and I totally understood how they felt about it.

If it is really bothering a child, I would let them. If it wasn't noticeable, I'd try to encourage them to wait, but I'd ultimately let them make the call. Only they know how much it bothers them...

[Lady Dove]

Maybe I was just oblivious to what other girls were doing. I always did tend to live in my own head rather than in the world around me.

Anyway, the only reason this came up is because my dd is 6 and extremely hairy. She always has been. Most of the women on dh's side are quite hairy. But some of her cousins and such have teased her about being hairy, and she recently asked me if she could shave her legs. I said no. ;) But it just made me wonder when girls did start doing this sort of thing. Thanks all.

My 5 yr old daughter is hairy as well. She's biracial, but she inherited my hairiness. My parents wouldn't let me shave until I was 12, but I probably could have started much younger. My daughter hates her hairy legs, so I'll let her shave when I feel she's mature enough to do it on her own and maintain it. She just started bathing herself pretty good and washing/conditioning her own hair. Shaving would be something we will tackle probably around 8 or 9 if she's ready (which I'm sure she will be).

[gardening momma]

I would guess I was around 12 or 13. I had very light blonde hair, but I think the lightness of it caught the light and there was enough of it that I became self-conscious and embarrassed by it.

[Janie Grace]

This is a super old thread... not sure why it has been resurrected but my dd12 just started. Her initiative.

[justamouse]

.

[Joanne]

The child in question is probably in college now. ;):lol:

[ocelotmom]

These days? No clue.

When I was in school, the popular girls started in 5th (I'm sure some were earlier, but that was when I became aware of it, and at that point some were, but a lot still weren't), and most everyone else was in 6th, which in my town was middle school, not part of elementary.

Edit: Oops, fell for the zombie thread again!

[my3luvbugs990105]

I started when I was 10/11. DD [will be 10 in Aug] will probably be starting soon.....the hair is starting to bother her.

[ayden]

My daughter was 11 or 12. 6th grade-ish. I asked her in 5th grade if she would like to start (I remember wanting to shave my legs SO badly in 5th grade and my parents wouldn't let me) and she said no. She asked a year later.

[Apryl H]

My girls have all been in the 10-11 year old range. Usually about the same time as shaving under the arms...but we have some furry legged girls around here. :D

[Jenny in Florida]

Honestly, I don't remember.

She showed no interest in shaving her legs until she was away at school and then bought a razor and did so with no real fanfare.

She's 16 now and often doesn't bother to shave them for long stretches. Only when she knows she's going to be wearing skirts or dresses does she keep up with it.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Whenever they feel like doing it. My daughter was 9 but then she slowed down majorly after awhile and picked back up around 16 or so. She's jealous that I don't have to :)

Sidenote: my daughter was dx'd with precocious puberty at 6. I'm not sure my daughter would have noticed by 9 had that not contributed.

[LizzyBee]

I let my girls start any time after they turn 10. I think my oldest was 10 or 11, and my second was 12 or 13. My youngest thought she needed to shave at age 7. With her ADHD/impulsivity, I shudder to think what she would have done to her legs with a razor. She'll be 10 this summer, so I guess I'll let her start if she still wants to.

[texasmama]

I let my oldest dd shave her legs when she expressed an interest. She was about 12. She shaves off and on.

I will let my youngest dd shave her legs when she expresses an interest, as well.

[snickelfritz]

She's 16 now and often doesn't bother to shave them for long stretches. Only when she knows she's going to be wearing skirts or dresses does she keep up with it.

Really? How lazy of her. I can't believe anyone does that, whether they are 16 or um....30 something. ;):leaving:

[missiemick]

Mine can start when they want (hopefully later than 12.) BUT the rule is: It has to be maintained once they start.

[emeraldjoy]

Around here the answer would be never (as of now). I haven't been able to figure out the why of it yet, nor has my daughter (as of now). The reasons I have heard are not compelling enough to make it happen yet. It is just one of those things I don't get.....there are a lot of those "things" for me though.
e
same with armpits.

[cat]

i remember my mom letting me shave the summer i headed to camp... it was so nice to be able to go to camp with shaved legs...but looking back, who was really looking at my legs but me. i was 12.

[SailorMom]

I was 10 - in 4th grade. That was .... a LONG time ago....

[GVA]

I was very hairy at 11 and was teased horribly about it, so I tried to shave my legs without telling my mom, but I badly nicked myself and had to get help so she found out! I was severely punished for that. It was one of those "I'll never do this to my child" moments.

So I bought the razor some time ago and told mine that I would help whenever she was ready. Thus far we've only done underarms.

[SeekingSimplicity]

My oldest started at 10. My almost 10yo hasn't started yet, but will be allowed to when she feels the need for it. I didn't get to till I was 12, but needed to much sooner because I had such dark hair. I see it as a hygiene thing. if you feel the need for it, just like deodorant or anything else, then it's time.

[Pretty in Pink]

I was twelve when I finally began sneaking my Mom's razor into the shower and shaving my legs with it. The girls at school had been making fun of me for over a year at that point.

I will allow my daughter to shave her legs when she becomes concerned about it.

[AngieW in Texas]

My oldest started occasionally shaving at 13yo, but didn't start regularly shaving until 18yo.

My middle is 15.5yo and only occasionally shaves.

My youngest is 13yo and has been shaving 1x/week for the past year.

I told all of them that whenever they wanted to start, I would get them a razor and teach them how to use it. Only my youngest was interested.

Not your question, but makeup is similar. My oldest was very excited to go buy makeup and learn how to use it at 13yo. She wore it daily for one week and since then has worn it maybe 3-4x/year. My middle has had absolutely no interest at all. My youngest was really excited about it all the way up to her 13th birthday, but it's been two months and she hasn't actually wanted to go get it yet. I haven't worn makeup in at least 20 years and don't own any.