When is the right time to let your daughter start waxing? If you’ve ever wondered this, let’s talk about it.
Thoughts and concerns surrounding waxing at a young age.
There has been lots of controversy across social media over how soon is too soon to start waxing. Many people are speculating if there is an appropriate age, if it’s safe, or even necessary.
This is a widespread discussion that started because more and more parents are noticing early puberty in their children, an increase in need for hair removal and sharing concerns around the ineffectiveness of shaving.
The truth is, there are many factors that can contribute to the interest of early childhood waxing and deferring routine removal may cause more harm than good.
Why Is Waxing A Hot Topic?
Let’s get this out the way. There is nothing wrong with wanting smooth, hairless skin. In today’s society, there are many societal pressures that many look to avoid.
The Internet and Social Media can often lead to an increase in social pressure of wanting to have smooth, hairless skin. From the filtered photos on Instagram, aesthetically pleasing videos made by beauty bloggers and Pinterest creators, it’s no wonder the younger demographic and adults alike have taking a liking into waxing.
But despite having a desire for it, what about those who are genuinely concerned for the social anxieties that their children face when dealing with people passing judgement?
Leah Garcia, a viral Tiktoker, took to social media sharing a special moment where she is seen waxing her 3-year-old daughter’s eyebrows to remove what she classifies as a unibrow.
Within 3 days, this viral Tiktok video has racked up over 32,000 comments from parents all over the world rallying in support, and others providing harsh criticism.
Garcia responded to the backlash of the naysayers letting them know that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but hate will not be tolerated. She says if you are a hairy person, you’ll understand her decision to wax her daughter’s unibrow and that her children are not forced to do so if they truly don’t want to.
She explains the differences between shaving and waxing and says shaving isn’t as effective because when she would shave as a kid, the hair would grow right back within a couple of days and you could still see the stubble after shaving.
This is one of the reasons why many people choose waxing as a means of hair removal because when shaving, the razor doesn’t remove the hair at the root. It only removes the hair that’s on the surface of the skin whereas waxing removes the complete hair follicle resulting in smooth, hairless skin. When waxing eventually overtime the hair grows back visibly thinner and less and less.
Garcia explains that having thick coarse hair growing up made it difficult to use razors and waxing was a much better choice.
This viral video has made it’s rounds to parents all over the world and they are asking if waxing is safe for her to continue to do.
Is Waxing Safe?
Dr. Amna Husain, a Pediatrician and AAP Media spokesperson weighed in with her thoughts on waxing at an early age.
She says, “As a pediatrician, and someone of color who grows a ton of hair, I want to weigh in on this.”
“I’m a girl mom and remember myself as a teenager feeling bullied.”
She points out that bullying is such a very real concept and her generation recognizes that they don’t want to “necessarily shape their children’s identity by changing what they look like on the outside, but if we can help them not get bullied in some ways that can really break down their self esteem then we’d like to do so,” Dr. Husain said.
She points out that young girls who feel any type of shame or embarrassment with their hair could “likely end up shaving themselves and getting hurt or trying to Nair and causing themselves to have chemical burns”, or the last and best option is to approach the topic in an open and educational way and assist with waxing.
She recommends that if you’re looking at laser hair removal as an option to make sure your child has gone through puberty, otherwise waxing is safe and she considers it to be a family decision.
Anti-Bullying Perspective
It’s no secret that we are living in a world where beauty standards are constantly being put under a microscope, especially as we age in this digital era.
It’s extremely important to highlight the bullying on both ends of the spectrum. 1. The child being bullied by their peers and 2. the parent being shamed for making a decision to help alleviate those social pressures for their child in some ways.
Medical professionals have deemed waxing as safe and there are tons of estheticians who are seeing their clientele shift into younger ages.
So what’s the true concern here? Shame, age, or technique?
How soon is too soon to start waxing?
Though the consensus for an appropriate waxing age ranges from 13 – 15 years old, some waxing professionals are beginning to service clients as young as 3 years old.
As seen in the viral Tiktok video, there are plenty of parents who support waxing techniques for younger children.
Seeing the outpour of support suggests that there is no right or wrong age, but simply emphasizing safety and self-love.
We could question is shaving would be more accepted over waxing, but the facts are this.
Shaving offers a more temporary hair removal option, which removes hair at the base of the skin and results in hair growth to reoccur within days of removal.
Waxing however offers a more semi-permanent hair removal option resulting in hair being removed at the follicle, underneath the skin, leaving smooth, hairless skin for 2-4 weeks.
The waxing technique has grown in popular for many people as it allows for even young adolescents to have boosted confidence, remove social pressures around having hairy skin, and have lower routine maintenance as the need to remove the hair gradually becomes less and less often.
Ultimately, the choice is yours. That said, how do you feel about waxing at a younger age? Let us know in the comments below.
