You might have found your tween girl secretly shaving in her bathroom, or maybe she has requested you to let her have some shaving products. Either way, it is normal for tweens to reach this stage as they grow up.
Adolescence comes with many new changes for your female child – hair growth, development of breast buds, and body odor. It is common for some tweens to feel the need to shave their legs, while others prefer not to, or show no interest until their teens.
Either way, you should support your baby girl. You need to sit down with her and get to the root of what’s causing them to get the urge of shaving.
Sometimes the need to shave stems from peer pressure or what they watch on social media. You can talk with your tween and ensure they get the real picture of what will happen once they start shaving.
For example, hair that grows next becomes darker and rougher after shaving. So, if they’re ready for these changes, you should help them learn the best hair removal products for tweens.
You’ll often find that tween girls want to shave their legs and maybe armpits, while tween boys prefer shaving their facial hair. Facial hair removal for tweens is common, especially facial hair removal for girls. Girls prefer getting permanent methods to remove any facial hairs.
Why Girls Might Want To Remove Body Hair
First off, if your tween girl came to you asking for permission to shave, you should be glad that they did so instead of going off the limb and looking for shaving tips from their peers who have no clue what they are doing.
Society today is in a good place, allowing women to have body hair without shame, so if your tween girl doesn’t care about hair growth, let her be, and don’t push these techniques until she’s ready for them.
Your tween may want to shave because they’ve seen their peers shave and feel the societal pressure to fit in. If that’s the case, you’ll need to sit your tween down and explain to her how not to succumb to peer pressure. Let her think about it, and if she still wants to shave. You can guide her on the best ways for hair removal for tweens.
Sometimes tweens also feel the need to shave because they’ve grown faster than their peers, making them feel out of place. All tweens grow at different rates, and some may have body hair come in in their teenage years rather than their tween years. So, you’ll need to explain this concept to your tween, so she understands what’s going on and stop being self-conscious.
Tweens can also get the idea of having perfect brows and shaved legs from their influencers or even celebrities. You’ll need to explain to your tween that what they see isn’t always what the reality of things is. But if they want to shave simply because they prefer no hair on their bodies, then it’s your time to step into your mommy power and guide your tween.
Hirsutism
In rare cases, tween girls may develop hirsutism, excessive hair growth connected with hormonal issues. If you notice your tween girls hair growing in places it normally wouldn’t, primarily on their face, back or shoulders its time to see a doctor. It can be a sign in many girls of PCOS – Polycystic ovary syndrome.
Different Methods of Hair Removal
There are many different ways to go about kids’ hair removal. These include:
Shaving
Shaving for tweens is a common hair removal method. Shaving is a hair removal method where one removes the tip of the hair shaft that has grown through the skin using a razor.
Shaving is the most common hair removal method. Most tweens start by shaving, then, later on, explore other hair removal methods.
Some razors are disposable, others have disposable blades, while others are electric. An electric razor is the easiest method for shaving because it’s easy, takes less time, and is less intimidating for your tween girl.
The best razor for tweens is this Intuition Schick Island Women’s Razor Blade when looking for razors. It has soap built right in; hence you won’t need to lather your body, saving you the time to apply the cream.
If you’re more into the electric razor, you can get this Women’s Electric Razor Shaver Trimmer that is easy to use and has a feminine touch.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easy
- Better, for coarse hair
Cons
- Bumps
- Razor burn
- Nicks and cuts
- Ingrown hairs
- Upkeep is more regular
- Needs shaving gel
Epilating or Plucking
An epilator is an electric device that looks like an electric shaver but works like tweezers. It works by pulling your hair from its roots. Of course, this sounds very stressful, but it gets better once you get used to it.
It is a painful hair removal method, but it keeps hair growth away longer than shaving does. Shaving requires your preteen to do it most days of the week, while epilating gives you a bit of time before you need to rid hair.
Alternatively, one can pluck hair from the skin using tweezers. This method can also be painful, like epilating, and takes a lot of time, so you can only do this to the brows where you only need to remove a few hairs.
An epilator is easy to use. The best epilator for girls is this Braun Epilator Silk-Epil. Not only is it cute, but it also gets the work done seamlessly and is a safe hair removal method for tweens.
Pros
- Long-lasting results
- It needs replacement after a few years
- No sticky mess, cuts, or nicks
- You can epilate anywhere
- Hair grows back thinner and softer
Cons
- It can be pricey at first
- It takes longer than shaving
- It’s painful the first few times
- Can cause ingrown hair
Depilatories
A depilatory cream removes hair from the skin. When applied to the skin, these creams react by fighting with the protein in hair, making it so weak that you can easily wipe it away or even wash it off.
After using a depilatory cream, your tween girl won’t need to remove body hair for up to two weeks.
Before using any depilatories, it is best to test it on a patch of your tween’s skin to see if she reacts to it. Some girls tend to have specific reactions to particular creams. Since your tween’s skin may be sensitive, the best hair removal cream for tweens is this Veet Hair Removal Cream Sensitive Skin with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Painless
- Inexpensive
Cons
- It can be messy when applying
- The odor can be unpleasant
- Some people get allergic reactions to the creams
- They may not be effective on people with coarse hair
Waxing or Sugaring
Waxing involves spreading a sticky solution on a patch of skin where you want to remove hair. After applying wax, a strip of cloth is put on the wax and then quickly pulled off, removing the hair root and dead skin cells.
Waxing can be done at home or at the salon. On the other hand, Sugaring is similar to waxing, but you won’t need waxing strips or wax. Sugaring combines heated sugar, lemon juice, and water. You can apply this on a patch where you want to remove hair, then pull it off, repeating until the mixture can no longer come off with hair.
When using Sugaring, ensure the mix isn’t too hot as it may burn the skin. If you’d like to experiment with at-home wax, you can try something like the Nair Hair Remover Wax Strip Kit.
Pros
- Leaves behind smooth skin
- Cost-effective
- Results last longer
- Readily available at home and in grocery stores
- Hair grows back lighter and softer
- Less noticeable compared to shaving
Cons
- Painful
- Temporary redness, inflammation, and bumps after waxing
- Risks of burns when not done correctly
The following methods are not normally recommended for young girls but to put all the options out there a worth talking through with your daughter to fully understand all the pros and cons as they get older:
Electrolysis
Sometimes your tween may want a more permanent hair removal method, especially if they have hair growth on their faces. Electrolysis treatment is the solution in such a situation.
It involves working with a professional over a series of appointments where a probe is inserted into the hair root killing it. Electrolysis ensures that the hair removal is permanent.
Pros
- Some people get permanent hair removal.
Cons
- Expensive
- Can be painful
- Causes dry skin, scarring, scabs, and inflammation
- It can be risky if the instruments aren’t sterilized well
Laser Hair Removal
Compared to electrolysis, laser hair removal isn’t permanent. The laser is directed through the skin to the hair follicle, stopping the hair from growing. Your tween has to return in six months to a year for maintenance as it isn’t permanent.
It can be a little concerning for your tween due to the use of radiation., but it helps take care of large areas of the body that need hair removal.
Pros
- It’s long-lasting
- You can treat large areas of the skin at the same time.
Cons
- Expensive
- Treatment can lead to inflammation after treatment.
We hope this will help guide you through one of those challenging puberty conversations you’ll no doubt need to be ready for with your tweens. Unlike helping your daughter select her first bra, or being ready for when her first period starts, there’s no urgent health reason to deal with tween body hair.
Social norms and peer pressure may dictate otherwise, but with all things tween, keeping a good channel of open communication on the changes they are starting to go through will be essential.
When she’s ready, discuss the pros and cons of each method here and guide her in the techniques she’ll need to master until she’s confident to try them on her own.
You can find more articles and advice helping you navigate tween health, hygiene and puberty issues over here.
