Ot: Facial Hair

[coltfan]

I recommend a book called Body Drama by Nancy Redd. It discusses a variety of issues like this for girls. It discusses the problem and gives possible solutions, including the pros and cons of each option. I first heard about it on Good Morning America a few years ago.

Just a warning before you buy the book. Thumb through it so you are aware of its content. There are graphic pictures instead of sketches. However, this allows it to fully educate parents/girls about what is normal. We just keep the book in a special place so a guest looking for a book to read doesn't accidentally pull this out!

 

[DisMN]

Blows my mind how much everyone spends on the cosmetic crap when a disposable razor and soap lather does the job just fine.
Waxing? No frickin' way...you have to let the hair grow long enough for the wax to work and the burn afterwards? No frickin' way man!
Chemicals? On the tender skin of your upper lip? Goodness no, not to mention that you're breathing in those awful fumes?? Bad health idea!

Get yourselves a good quality disposable razor and shave when you shower. It's a falacy that shaving the upper lip thickens the hair or is bad in any way. It's just not true.

 

[lisabarr]

Blows my mind how much everyone spends on the cosmetic crap when a disposable razor and soap lather does the job just fine.
Waxing? No frickin' way...you have to let the hair grow long enough for the wax to work and the burn afterwards? No frickin' way man!
Chemicals? On the tender skin of your upper lip? Goodness no, not to mention that you're breathing in those awful fumes?? Bad health idea!

Get yourselves a good quality disposable razor and shave when you shower. It's a falacy that shaving the upper lip thickens the hair or is bad in any way. It's just not true.

Yuck! Never in a million year would I tell my daughter to shave her upper lip so she can have a 5:00 shadow. I can almost hear the jeering from the other kids now.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

Blows my mind how much everyone spends on the cosmetic crap when a disposable razor and soap lather does the job just fine.
Waxing? No frickin' way...you have to let the hair grow long enough for the wax to work and the burn afterwards? No frickin' way man!
Chemicals? On the tender skin of your upper lip? Goodness no, not to mention that you're breathing in those awful fumes?? Bad health idea!

Get yourselves a good quality disposable razor and shave when you shower. It's a falacy that shaving the upper lip thickens the hair or is bad in any way. It's just not true.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (plugging ears...LA LA LA can't hear you)

 

[mrsklamc]

Get yourselves a good quality disposable razor and shave when you shower. It's a falacy that shaving the upper lip thickens the hair or is bad in any way. It's just not true.

Sorry, but it's not a fallacy. And many women have dark enough hair that it will show even without thickening from
shaving. But I agree, this is setting a kid up for humiliation. What happens the first time she wakes up with a guy and has mustache? Or has to shave?

 

[DisMN]

Yuck! Never in a million year would I tell my daughter to shave her upper lip so she can have a 5:00 shadow. I can almost hear the jeering from the other kids now.

I know quite a few brave women who shave their upper lip and none of them, NONE have facial hair that grows that fast. We all go 3-5 days between shaves. Facial hair on men and women grow at very different speeds.

Hair doesn't darken or thicken from shaving either. Old wives tales are great moneymakers for the cosmetics industry.

 

[Brancaneve]

My daughter (13) has dark hair on her upperlip too. I did take her to be tested to make sure it wasn't hormonal and it is not , just heredity from DH's side. We just bleach it right now and while you can still see the hair it is less noticable then the dark hair. I have told her when she is ready that I will take her to get it waxed or lasered. She is scared to death of the pain of either so until she is ready we just bleach. I will let her decide when the time is right.

At the age of 13, 14, etc. I advise bleaching. It doesn't hurt, and was fairly easy to mix after I got the hang of it.

 

[pooh4brains]

There are threading booths at our mall now, so check into that.

What about cream hair remover? I think Sally Hansen has one for sensitive skin.

I have PCOS, and had a mustache by 15 or so. I started by bleaching - but you could still see the hair, so that didn't work for me. I then went with the cream hair remover. I am fairly sure that the one by Sally Hansen does not require you to mix the powder with the creme. Now I wax with the Sally Hansen wax strips, or go to the salon when I get lazy and don't keep up with it.

With regard to shaving - I have known at least 2 girls that shave instead of waxing/bleaching and you can tell. I would never recommend that. Buy the stuff. Yes, the companies make money off of our "vanity", but seriously, with the way kids treat each other today, and with the sometimes fragile self-esteem of tween and teen girls (I know from personal experience) any other method is worth the extra cash!!

 

[apnep]

OK,
I thought I'd just post to say when DD got home, I told her about the product and she was interested in it. I showed her how I did it on my lip and that it didn't hurt. Well we used it on her and she was excited and it didn't hurt at all. She did report a little stinging afterwards but overall, no complaints.

The product I bought came with the big pad also for the legs. We tried it on her legs and I could not believe how the hair just came off and her legs were very smooth! She was really excited because we shaved her legs once and she has been too scared to do it by herself. It took about 15 minutes to do both legs (bottoms only) but the result were great and she can do it herself. She said she really likes it! DD will be 9 next month and we tried shaving a few months ago because she's really hairy and self conscious about it, so I thought it was time. Thanks to Eeyore for mentioning the product. We love it. OP, I'd recommend getting it for your DD too!

Ang

 

[DaniB]

I later got electrolysis. I would recommend laser, though. Electrolysis is a long process because they can only remove 1 hair at a time.

What is the difference between laser and electrolysis?

 

[DaniB]

Blows my mind how much everyone spends on the cosmetic crap when a disposable razor and soap lather does the job just fine.
Waxing? No frickin' way...you have to let the hair grow long enough for the wax to work and the burn afterwards? No frickin' way man!
Chemicals? On the tender skin of your upper lip? Goodness no, not to mention that you're breathing in those awful fumes?? Bad health idea!

Get yourselves a good quality disposable razor and shave when you shower. It's a falacy that shaving the upper lip thickens the hair or is bad in any way. It's just not true.

I disagree with that... I started out with a couple little hairs on my chin. So, I figured what's the big deal - just razor them, right?

WRONG! More than a couple hairs in that area now, and it spread to the other side of my chin!

 

[ToddyLu]

I love threading! I have a friend from Nepal who does my eyebrows for me and its incredible! Absolutely no chemicals, wax, or hormones, Totally natural. She literally uses thread to pull out the hairs; my eyebrows have never looked better! Maybe you can look into in your area, lots of salons offer it now. Good Luck

My mother and SIL have both done this and love it. I have a nurse friend who thought it was more painful then they did. I went with my Mom and it was like watching a lawn mower--sorry for the description. It took 15 minutes and her face was as smooth as a baby's bottom. She did say it was very tender around her eyes and lips. My 11 yr old niece and her 16 year old sister have their eyebrows waxed.

 

[DisMN]

I disagree with that... I started out with a couple little hairs on my chin. So, I figured what's the big deal - just razor them, right?

WRONG! More than a couple hairs in that area now, and it spread to the other side of my chin!

You believe shaving spread the hair growth? There are no words.


(and honestly I don't mean to be rude but dang, beauty lies that are pushed on women really really bother me. LOL)

 

[r&kmommy]

Beware of that Hair-Gone buffer thingy... I used it on my legs and all was well... until the next day I had almost razor burn going on. It STUNG!!

Shaving does NOT change the way the hair grows back. What it does is cuts it bluntly at the skin line, and so as it grows back in it grows bluntly in (ie - straight across the top of the hair) whereas if you pluck or wax you are pulling it from the root and when it grows in it grows in thinner at the tip of the hair.

http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/hairgrow.asp
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hair-removal/an00638
http://www.newsweek.com/id/78014

I would not recommend shaving anyway (except legs/underarms/bikini) because it still grows back quicker than if you try and get rid of it at the root (waxing/tweezing/threading)

I recommend this shaver for your daughter -- I use it on my cheeks and mustache. The hair is VERY BLONDE and really only I notice it, which is why I just use this "shaver" once a week or every 10 days or so... I have strays on my chin that I've been just tweezing since like highschool (LOL) and they come and go over time. (I pluck 1x day for like 30 seconds) I use this shaver thing for my eyebrows too! My eyebrow hairs grow very long very fast so I just trim them with the combs that came with it.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-ES2...ef=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1273548078&sr=1-4

 

[DisMN]

If you pluck it definitely takes the hair out beyond the skin line......but gosh darn it as with so many other hair removal ideas the hair has to be long enough to grasp! LOL Hate that! In other words to do the threading, plucking or waxing you have to first GROW that beard!! EEK!

 

[pklein09]

I've got a Sicilian father and an Irish mother.....so I've been blessed with light skin and dark hair! My kids have the same complexion - especially my girls. They were called "Dresden Dolls" as babies. DD14 has been using a depilatory for her upper lip for about 2 years. It's called Sally Hansen Brush-On Hair Remover - Creme for Face. I think she's too young for waxing, especially on the upper lip area. She can use the creme herself. She always tries the shortest amount of time first, but she usually needs a second application. Yes, her skin is red when she's done, but it not nearly as bad a my skin after I've been waxed. She does it after school so it looks fine by the next morning. She doens't have a uni-brow, but I'm sure she will eventually want to wax her eyebrows. DD11 has a slight shadow, but it doesn't seem to bother her. When the time comes, I'll start her with the depilatory first.

 

[gisgt]

There are entire websites devoted to urban legends so I'm not gonna touch the shaving makes _____ happen issue... But unless you have a Burt Reynolds thing going on, it works! I wax my eyebrows but just shave the mustache once or twice a month. Never been teased, kicked out of bed or developed a five o'clock shadow. It's free, painless and effective!

 

[skhermsmeyer]

Please don't let her get it waxed!! I had it done in high school and then one time the wax was too hot and it burned me. I still have a scar on my eyebrow from the experience.

Have you thought about threading it? Less painful than waxing and it lasts just as long! I've been getting my eyebrows and upper lip waxed for 3-4 years now. Granted, I don't have that much hair on my upper lip, but I've got "bushy" eyebrows or caterpillars as my sister calls them.

My sister gets a little hand held hair buffer from Sally's. She just buffs it off whenever it starts to grow out. There's no pulling out of the hair and it's easy for her to do. (she gets hair on her cheeks, upper lip, and chin). Yay for our Greek heritage! I can get the name of the product if you need it. She gets multiple uses out of it before she has to toss it in the trash
I have the smooth away (I think that's the name) from walmart, but it doesn't work as well.

Hope you find something she's comfortable with!

 

[CinRell]

Hi

I can't believe no one has suggested Vaniqa. I am a 46 year old woman who has had this problem forever and tried everything. I always to seemed to have a shadow no matter what method I tried. Finally got a prescription for Vaniqa cream about 4 years ago. Works great, no irritation and only need to use once a day. It is kind of expensive, about $70 a tube but last 6 months or so. Also, first time you get prescription go to website and get a discount for filling it. I have PCOS which makes the facial hair a real issue and this is the only thing that has gotten rid of all the hair and the shadow and stubble. No regrowth issues or waiting to grow in for waxing, etc. Hate to sound like a commercial but I swear by the stuff. Your primary care should be able to give you a prescription.

I second this!!! I have PCOS as well. I spent almost $2,000 for laser treatment and it did NOTHING for my problem areas!!!! A few years back my OBG prescribed Vaniqa and I didn't use it daily as prescribed and it didn't work. Just 2 months ago she had me try it again. I use it religiously... and for the first time in about 20 years I have NO shadow.. nothing! I still pluck and shave on occassion but the hair comes in less and less. You have to ALWAYS use Vaniqa and it takes a few months to COMPLETELY work but it's SO worth it. For the first time EVER I let people touch my face and don't carry a razor with me

 

[RachaelA]

I've got a Sicilian father and an Irish mother.....so I've been blessed with light skin and dark hair! My kids have the same complexion - especially my girls. They were called "Dresden Dolls" as babies. DD14 has been using a depilatory for her upper lip for about 2 years. It's called Sally Hansen Brush-On Hair Remover - Creme for Face. I think she's too young for waxing, especially on the upper lip area. She can use the creme herself. She always tries the shortest amount of time first, but she usually needs a second application. Yes, her skin is red when she's done, but it not nearly as bad a my skin after I've been waxed. She does it after school so it looks fine by the next morning. She doens't have a uni-brow, but I'm sure she will eventually want to wax her eyebrows. DD11 has a slight shadow, but it doesn't seem to bother her. When the time comes, I'll start her with the depilatory first.

I'm Sicilian and Irish/English (pasty white skin and super dark brown hair (including facial hair) and use the Sally Hansen Brush-On Hair Remover Creme for my face. I've been using it since I was 14 (I'm 24). I get my eyebrows waxed, but getting my upper lip waxed was too painful plus it needs to be done more than my eyebrows. It works really well.