Looking for some preteen shaving tips? Find out all you need to help your tween or teen daughter to start shaving. Find out the best age to start shaving, what supplies you will need to get started, how to teach your daughter to shave, and good rules to have in place for safe shaving.
When your daughter is ready to shave, she might just jump in and give a try one day in the shower or she might come to you with questions. Others are either terrified or simply have no interest in shaving.
Many people wonder what age to start having or allowing their daughter to shave and how to best teach them to do so. This post will cover everything you need to know for this milestone!
What Age Should a Girl Start Shaving?
There is no one right age for your daughter to start shaving. There will not but much hair to shave until after puberty. Once puberty hits, body hair changes. Your daughter will grow armpit hair and pubic hair. She will also likely get thicker and darker hair on her legs.
A good rule of thumb is to wait until she asks about shaving and shows an interest.
Some tweens will feel shy about shaving, and some might not even know it is an option if you have not made that obvious. So if you notice your tween or teen could shave if she wanted to, you can bring it up and see if she would like to shave.
Most girls seem to want to shave, but others are hesitant and nervous.
Two of my daughters showed interest and desire to shave and one had no interest for quite a while. I had to bring it up with her and even then she did not want to at all. A razor made her very nervous.
Some kids will want to shave when they notice the new hair underarms and other places. Others will want to shave because of peer pressure to do so. Others will have zero interest.
Shaving is something that is not needed for personal development. There are definitely cultural norms that vary from place to place, but do not feel like it needs to be rushed nor overly delayed. As long as your daughter can shave safely, she can shave.
What Supplies are Needed for Shaving?
You do not need much for shaving. You will want:
- A razor
- Shaving gel (or something similar)
- Lotion for post-shaving
Exactly what you get for each of these items is up to personal preference.
For a razor, we like a disposable razor, but you might prefer an electric razor. We really like the Venus brand razors. Venus makes razors that are fully disposable and others that have refills for the razor part.
For a young beginning, I prefer the disposable razor over the ones with refills. That way, the razor can simply be replaced and there is less concern for injury. The risk isn’t huge, but it is just how we do it.
As they get more comfortable with the whole process, we move to the razor with refills (which is what I also use). With those, you keep the same handle and just replace the razor head.
Venus makes razors for sensitive skin, also. This can be really good for young tween or teen skin. I like the 5 blade razors for myself, but the disposables are 3 blades.
You might also want some shaving gel or shaving cream. I used that as a teen and into my 20s, but I eventually just moved to using soap. So my girls all just use soap, too. I feel like it works great. Anything that will lather is a great option.
If you have sensitive skin, it might be a good idea to use shaving gel. This can help avoid razor bumps or razor burn.
If you do not typically lotion after a shower, you might find some lotion or oil helpful after a shave. There are all sorts of options out there. At our house, we just use lotion on our legs as usual. We do not add anything to our armpits after shaving, but if you have ingrown hairs or razor burn issues, you might want to look into options.
How Do You Teach a Tween or Teen to Shave?
Some girls out there will just seem to inherently know how to shave and go for it. Others will need some teaching and others will be nervous and really want a step-by-step tutorial.
Even if your daughter seems to know what she is doing, it can be smart to go over a few basics–like don’t shave dry. That way they will not have to learn certain lessons the hard way.
It is good to also talk about how frequently she will want to shave. This is really a personal preference. That can depend on the weather at the time (I know I shave more often in the summer than in the winter). It will also depend on genetics. Some people need to shave maybe once a week while for others, daily seems to be a need.
It can be helpful for you to demonstrate how to shave. You can do this fully dressed and on dry ground. Just get a razor and walk through the steps as you explain it to your daughter.
Here are some steps to teach and point out:
- Get the area wet. It is good to have the area you want to shave in warm water for at least 3-5 minutes before shaving. This helps soften the hair. You can do this in the shower.
- Apply gel/cream/soap or whatever you are using to be a barrier between the skin and the blade. You need something to avoid skin irritation.
- Do not push hard when you shave.
- Use slow, even strokes.
- For your legs, start at the ankles and work your way up. Be careful around the ankles and knees–those areas have a unique shape and are more susceptible to nicks because of it.
- For your legs, you shave against the direction of hair growth. Against the grain.
- For your armpits, you will shave in all directions. You will go top to bottom, bottom to top, and side to side. You might also go diagonally.
- For the bikini area, you want to shave with the direction of the hair growth.
- Rinse the blade when done.
- Set the razor in a designated spot in the shower so it can dry and not grow bacteria.
- Dry off with a towel and apply lotion when you get out of the shower if desired.
What are Good Rules to Set for Shaving?
There are a few rules that are good to teach your daughter for shaving.
- Do not share razors. This is not sanitary. We have 4 girls shaving in our house and we each have our own color of razor.
- Do not clean hair out of the razor with your finger. This seems quite obvious, but my first time shaving, I wiped the blade clean with my thumb and sliced it open, so it is something I always teach my kids.
- Replace the blade when dull and do not shave with a dull blade.
- Keep the razor out of the reach of younger siblings if applicable. You do not want a curious 4 year old grabbing a razor and cutting himself.
Conclusion
That is it! It is overall quite simple. Let your daughter know she can ask questions if she has them. You might want to stay close to the bathroom for the first shave in case she runs into questions, concerns, or problems.
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