Need help with 6 year olds hairy problem

[luc_anna]

My daughter will be 6 in January. She is extremely hairy, not just on her arms and legs but on her back as well. I tought we would'nt need to address this issue until she was much older, but the other day when she got home from school she asked me if I could shave her arms. Some of the kids kept pointing out how hairy they are. So my question would be should I shave her or would using nair or neet be a better optiion. I don't want to get her waxed at this age, once she is old enough to understand the pain then we can start waxing. Till then what should I do? Thanks for any advice.

[KrazE]

Start with an appointment at her family doctor before you jump into shaving. Nair/Veet/Waxing should not even be a thought at 6.

[luc_anna]

Start with an appointment at her family doctor before you jump into shaving. Nair/Veet/Waxing should not even be a thought at 6.

I never used nair or veet so I wasnt to sure how harsh it would be on her skin. I definatley do not want to wax her till she is a teen. I have an appointment at the doctors this week for my baby, i will ask him about it then. It just makes me so sad to see a kid at this age so worried about her hair. I thought i would have at least till she was around 13 before this became a issue. Thanks for the reply.

[lucy16076]

My daughter had dark hair on her arms but luckily it didn't become an issue until she was a little older, around grade 7 I think. (kids are mean) Anyway, she asked one day if she could shave her arms to which I said "no" & somehow managed to curtail the thought of that for a while....but then one day I looked at her arms & the hair was gone. she had gone ahead & used my razor to shave her arms. (dulls them very quickly so stock up! lol) She loved the softness & no hair look....so I spoke to her about it, and thankfully she's a strong will so bullying wasn't her reason for shaving...she simply wanted it gone. I allowed her to continue (can't stop her at this point!), and now she's in grade 10 & no longer shaves her arm hair. It does grow in much lighter in the summer months & I believe, not so dark in the summer, perhaps due to shaving for about a year.
SO, my question is, does she want to do it because she's being bullied? Maybe explain to her that if she truly wants it gone, YOU can shave it for her, and that it won't change who she is.........I can understand her thoughts, but it's unfortunate that she has to deal with it at only 6. If you can manage to give her some confidence in her appearance & delay the shaving, that might be your best bet...but in the end, she'll do it on her own if you don't help her through it.
It's cosmetic, won't hurt her and may give her a boost in confidence. And it will wear off....just be sure to boost that confidence level so she has strength against those who might say mean things...tell her that just because she shaves it, others may not stop commenting...it may just shift to "so n so shaves her hairy arms!" instead of "so & so HAS hairy arms" ... kids can be so mean sometimes!
Just my 2 cents having been there....good luck!

PS....my daughter also shaved her eyebrows at one point....yikes! We now go to the hair dressers to get them waxed properly...point being if you dont' speak to them about it & address the issues, they go ahead & do it themselves! lol...

[Natalka]

You definitely should get her hormone levels checked, that's pretty unusual.
I wouldn't go any chemical route with her at all...
As for the arms, some females have hairy arms, and some don't - even in our family between us four sisters, each of us is different.

lucy above me gave great advice..

[lucy16076]

PPS....it's not a "problem" .... she's beautiful just the way she is....unfortunately others are the problem!

[Natalka]

PPS....it's not a "problem" .... she's beautiful just the way she is....unfortunately others are the problem!

[Darth Penguin]

PPS....it's not a "problem" .... she's beautiful just the way she is....unfortunately others are the problem!

+1

[Crochetlady]

I have always had hairy arms. Being on some meds also made it worse. I`ve been tempted to get them waxed but finances kept me from doing it. Don`t know if I can handle shaving because of my hands so I just put up with it. Kids can be so mean about things like that.

[luc_anna]

My daughter had dark hair on her arms but luckily it didn't become an issue until she was a little older, around grade 7 I think. (kids are mean) Anyway, she asked one day if she could shave her arms to which I said "no" & somehow managed to curtail the thought of that for a while....but then one day I looked at her arms & the hair was gone. she had gone ahead & used my razor to shave her arms. (dulls them very quickly so stock up! lol) She loved the softness & no hair look....so I spoke to her about it, and thankfully she's a strong will so bullying wasn't her reason for shaving...she simply wanted it gone. I allowed her to continue (can't stop her at this point!), and now she's in grade 10 & no longer shaves her arm hair. It does grow in much lighter in the summer months & I believe, not so dark in the summer, perhaps due to shaving for about a year.
SO, my question is, does she want to do it because she's being bullied? Maybe explain to her that if she truly wants it gone, YOU can shave it for her, and that it won't change who she is.........I can understand her thoughts, but it's unfortunate that she has to deal with it at only 6. If you can manage to give her some confidence in her appearance & delay the shaving, that might be your best bet...but in the end, she'll do it on her own if you don't help her through it.
It's cosmetic, won't hurt her and may give her a boost in confidence. And it will wear off....just be sure to boost that confidence level so she has strength against those who might say mean things...tell her that just because she shaves it, others may not stop commenting...it may just shift to "so n so shaves her hairy arms!" instead of "so & so HAS hairy arms" ... kids can be so mean sometimes!
Just my 2 cents having been there....good luck!

PS....my daughter also shaved her eyebrows at one point....yikes! We now go to the hair dressers to get them waxed properly...point being if you dont' speak to them about it & address the issues, they go ahead & do it themselves! lol...

Thanks for the advice. I don't think she is getting bullied about it, I just think the kids are pointing out that she has way more hair then the average child. For a 6 year old my daughter has a lot of confidents. And I have noticed when people are hard on her she just shrugs it off and ignores them. I am not to sure why the hair thing bugs her. I think I will wait until the summer and see if she still wants to shave it then. Thanks everyone else who posted I appreciate all the comments and advice.

[icangarden]

Oh...wow...this takes me back in time quite a few years! I had very, very hairy arms. Asked my mom when I as about 10 or 11 if I could shave them...she said no....I shaved them (I know....I was a brat!). Continued shaving my arms for years with no issues.

[luc_anna]

You definitely should get her hormone levels checked, that's pretty unusual.
I wouldn't go any chemical route with her at all...
As for the arms, some females have hairy arms, and some don't - even in our family between us four sisters, each of us is different.

lucy above me gave great advice..

I think her hormons are fine. My moms side of the family unfortunatly is very hairy. My daughter definatly has the most but there are other female relatives that have more hair then most women. I remember having this problem but it never bothered me till I was around 12 and I was able to just take care of it myself so it was no big deal.

[luc_anna]

Oh...wow...this takes me back in time quite a few years! I had very, very hairy arms. Asked my mom when I as about 10 or 11 if I could shave them...she said no....I shaved them (I know....I was a brat!). Continued shaving my arms for years with no issues.

I have been shaving my arms for years now also. I just really did'nt want to start dealing with vanity issues like this till she was nearing her teens. I guess kids are just growing up way to fast now a days. Hopefully I can convince her to stay a kid a little longer.