Age for Pubic Shaving

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-02-2004
Age for Pubic Shaving
29
Mon, 09-25-2006 - 2:34pm
Help!! My DD16 walked in on me while I was shaving myself "down there" and became very curious, asking why I do it (I fibbed a little - feels more comfortable, looks nicer) and wanted to watch how it's done so she could try it, too. She tells me she is sure other girls her age shave. I don't have a clue. Do they? Is it a bad idea for a girl that age? For me, it is quite a sensual experience to groom "down there," but maybe that's just me. I know there have been discussions about minimum age to start shaving legs, and I guess I always assumed that young girls merely do a little bikini line trimming with scissors for bathing suit season. BTW, she has been sexually active for several months and I can't be sure her BF is not the reason for her interest in this.
Avatar for momtb4
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 09-27-2006 - 5:28pm

I'm in the "I want my own hair" camp, too! LOL I've shaved a couple of times, for variety. I find that it's HOT that way. I don't mean sexy, I mean hot. I don't like to be all sweaty, and then it get stinky that way. YUCK! And the growing back in process is miserable. For me, within 12 hours, it was hot and itchy. Ain't nothing sexy about that. However, I used to have a friend (same age as me) who took a bath and shaved every single night. She learned (and shared) some important info with me. She got a horrible infection from an ingrown hair from shaving. Her doctor told her to shave is fine (although it's not natural and it takes away stuff nature gave us to deal with life) but if she is gonna shave, use the cheapest disposable razors she could get and throw them away after every single shave (2 at the very most).

For me, to not have pubic hair is like not having eye lashes.

And I strongly agree with who ever said it sexualizes little girls. That is exactly what it looks like to me, a bare naked little girl. I think it makes private parts look perverted. but that is just me and I don't have to look at anything covered by a swim suit.

I suppose as long as the shaver is happy and the end user is happy, that is all that matters.

As for the OP's dd wanting to watch her shave, I think it's way off, and it was that statement that made me almost report it! I do think someone, some where is snickering that we are even discussing this openly in a public forum.

Avatar for jobismom
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Fri, 09-29-2006 - 8:02pm

My good friends dd got a serious infection from an ingrown hair and one of the first questions the ER doc asked was "do you shave", its the most common cause of those infections. This girl was 14 and it blew up huge and they had to lance it, they also had to do a pelvic exam on her which is something she may or may not have been ready for, the mom was with her of course but it was a horrible experience for all involved.

My dd is just 13 and asked me about it this summer because my neice who's 14 told her she does it. I told my dd that it was not appropriate at her age and reminded her of what happened to my friend's dd. I just dont think its safe to practice shaving at that age, adults can do as they please.

Just my opinion.

 Terry

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-02-2004
Wed, 10-04-2006 - 11:19pm

Thanks to all who responded. Sorry that my question shocked anyone. (I always thought "spam" was advertising!) For those who were unaware of the popularity of pubic shaving here are lots of i-village board postings about it, and on just ONE of the boards (I could show you hundreds more i-village postings!):

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/find/results.asp?webtag=iv-csaboutsex&ctx=search&o=newest&af=366&be=0&f=this&qu=shaving&x=7&y=6

As for those who brought up the pedophile or "Lolita" idea, what is the difference between shaving off pubic hair vs. shaving underarms - when you stop and think about it, doesn't having no underarm hair make you look just as "unmature" or prebubescent as having no pubic hair? And we expose our bare underarms in public!

My DD is now happily shaving - I supplied her with a razor, shaving cream, and Neosporin ointment (to avoid red bumps or infected follicles) and told her to go for it!

Susan

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-03-2006
Thu, 10-05-2006 - 7:50am

This whole thread has been very enlightening - and makes me feel a bit better. I noticed that my 17DD had shaved, but hadn't gotten around to mentioning it to her. I don't think I will now - it's up to her what she shaves; I just hope it's for her own comfort and not for sexual reasons.


To the poster who mentioned possible infections from ingrown hairs - this can happen anywhere on your body. I don't believe the risk is greater in the pubic area.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-18-2006
Tue, 12-19-2006 - 1:52am

I don't shave down there. At all. Instead, I use VEET In-Shower Hair Removal Cream, and it works a treat. There are two varieties available, one in a pink tube (which as I recall contains silk extracts), and a green tube (which contains aloe extract). I prefer the aloe variety for my bikini line, and operate two different tubes and sponges (aloe for bikini line, silk for everything else).

I went nearly bare for my "schoolies" holiday a week ago (to look good in my bikini), which is an Australian tradition where students who have graduated Year 12 go away for a week around November-December to celebrate finishing school.

However, there are issues with using this sort of cream (called depilatory cream) is that your daughter would need to be very strict about time keeping to use it. It is essentially a substance that dissolves hair and has some very strong chemicals in it, and leaving it on too long can cause chemical burns.

Additionally, at a minimum she can only use it once every three days, due to aforementioned chemicals.

My other caution is that she only applies the cream to her pubic region and NOT her actual genitals (in other words, her vulva, perianal or anal regions).

Of course she can use it on other areas, e.g. underarms, (which doesn't work in my experience), her legs (works very well) and her arms (haven't tried as the hair there is blonde). However, it CANNOT be used on the face, feet, hands or the breast.

Finally, she must NEVER apply it with her hands. It will burn. If any cream gets on her hands, she must wash her hands IMMEDIATELY.

So, how to do it?

BEFORE you shower, you squirt a generous amount of the cream onto the double-sided sponge that will be supplied with the cream.

The sponge has a rough side and a smooth side. The rough side is white, and the smooth side is either green or pink. You apply the cream to the region you want to remove hair from with the SMOOTH side of the sponge. Try to create a smooth layer, but DO NOT rub it in, whether with the sponge or your hands. Never, never, never apply the cream to anywhere but your pubic region. Don't go further than about the sharp end of the triangle, meaning you do not apply it to the vulva, anus or basically anywhere there is not a triangle of hair. You will be sorry.

Wait for a minute before stepping into the shower.

Rinse the sponge as soon as you step into the shower and turn the water on.

When in the shower and the water is on, try to avoid exposing the area to which you've applied the cream to the water for at least two minutes. After two minutes, expose the area to the water stream (warm water works best).

With the SMOOTH side of the sponge (NEVER depilate your bikini line with the rough side), begin rubbing gently in circles on the area you've applied the cream to. Step away from the water stream occasionally while you do this. Eventually you'll start to get the strange feeling that something is falling away from you.

Actually, it is. The hair will slowly fall away and go down the drain. Don't expect to get rid of it all in one fell swoop - you will need to time this process, keeping in mind you can only try again once every three days, at a minimum. Once you are satisfied that you can remove no more, rinse the area THOROUGHLY - and the sponge (expect there to be dark, curly hairs embedded in it - this is why I operate two tubes of VEET, and two sponges!). YOU MUST REMOVE THE CREAM WITHIN SIX MINUTES.

Carry on showering as normal.

The area may feel slightly itchy as the hair begins to grow back, and water pressing against the area will give you an urge to go to the toilet. This is only because your clitoris is more exposed and therefore more able to feel sensations. It's not anything bad. And you won't pee in the shower, I promise.

All in all, it's a much better alternative to shaving.

Hope that long-winded explanation helped! I really do feel that taking the VEET option for a bikini line will serve you better in the long run.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2006
Mon, 01-01-2007 - 9:41pm

That seems kind of risky and scary, isn't there anything else i can use besides veet? Ive shaved that area once before. I understand why everyone would want it bare. I wish all my hair would just fall out. I like to see it that way, it also feels better, but when the hair grows back it is hell. However, I find that when i leave my hair there they pull sometimes and i get bumps sometimes. So whether u shave or not you'll have problems. what i like to do is use a trimmer which will shave close enough, but not too close, so i dont have to deal with the itchy "growing back" phase. I would really like a good alternative though.

P.S. I'm not a mother, i'm a teen as well, 19 yrs old. I enjoy hearing u ladies talk about ur experiences with your daughters, there is actually alot of stuff i can relate to.

If you ever need the teens point of view u know who to come to.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2008
Tue, 01-02-2007 - 8:58pm

I use something called "Magic Shave" it comes in a powder that you mix with water or tube of cream. it is formulated especially for Mens faces, so i am guessing it can be used there. I do it......lol.

beats the heck out of the Brazillian bikini wax I let dd talk me into.......YIKES!

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2006
Tue, 01-02-2007 - 10:55pm

Well....I feel like i'm about 100 years old, cuz I'd never dream of shaving down there! Now I know why so many girls/women have to put on their underwear while still wrapped in a towel in the locker room. I'm one of the few who goes au natural and does not shave or cover up in the steam room after showering (I stand and stretch, don't sit--that'd be gross).

It makes sense to me to shave our armpits, especially when everyone can see the hair when we wear sleeveless tops. And the hair in the armpits is right over the sweat glands, making it itchy and stinky if we don't shave. But down there, don't know about you, but most of my hair is over the pubic bone and my sweat glands seem farther down where there is little hair. If we bathe daily, I don't see how shaving will make us any 'cleaner' in the crotch. And why risk getting ingrown hairs or the itchies as hair grows back? Who actually sees that part of us except our SOs? And if they don't like it, I'd say they've been viewing too much porn and gotten accustomed to seeing unnatural, little girl toidies. Tough $&!+!

I have shaved near the leg line of bikini bottoms before and during vacations, but that's only a couple times a year. And if a few stray hairs stick out, who cares? I'd rather spend time reading a good book or working out than waste time dehairing my bottom! Geez....

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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-18-2006
Wed, 01-03-2007 - 1:13am

I went hair-free once, and once only so far. I'd never, and will never, take a razor to "down there".

Yes, while it is fairly liberating to say, "This is what it is, this is how it stays", dark curly hairs sticking out the sides of bikini bottoms is not, has never been, and never will be, a good look, in my humble opinion.

It's not about whether a boyfriend watches porn, and that's how it looks in porn films. It was my personal choice, because I simply didn't like how it looked when I kept it 'au naturel'. But I waited a long time to remove that hair, and it's growing back now. I'll only get rid of it when I have to wear a bikini. As most of you probably know, I'm 18, and I started developing pubic hair at about age eleven or twelve, so I feel I've given it enough thought and time.

Good on you, though, for having the confidence to say, "It is what it is". Many women can't. Sometimes it's because we feel our men won't love us, every bit of us, if that hair is there.

But sometimes when that hair is gone it's a tiny bit easier to love yourself.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2007
Sun, 01-07-2007 - 10:06am
Something bothers me about the sentence "Sometimes we feel our men won't love us, every bit of us, if that hair is there."
I can understand shaving as a fashion statement or a comfort statement during bikini season or as an experiment that turned into a neat feeling for YOURSELF.
But HOW and WHEN did our young women begin to feel that *pubic* hair was a reason for men to not love us. GEESH. First they learn to starve themselves and now they must be hairless?
I know I'm old (49)... and only have a boy child... but I'm dismayed by how many steps backwards it seems the female gender has taken since I was in college. Is it all about what men do or don't think of their bodies and their sexuality, and not what they/we (women) have to offer emotionally or mentally?
Sorry... it just really bothers me to read someone felt a man wouldn't love her because she was a "natural" woman.
K