What age did you start shaving and were your parents fine with it?

I started shaving when I was 14 because I had enough of a beard that I was looking scruffy and unkempt. Within about three months I was to the point of shaving every day.

My daughter started shaving when she was in seventh grade, 13 years old, because she was getting a lot of underarm hair and wanted to wear very short sleeve shirts. And she started shaving her legs that summer because she was going swimming. We all have brown hair and it was noticeable.

(I dated a blonde who usually wore pants, she went months without shaving. And my current girlfriend is not all that fastidious about her legs.)

I think 6th grade. I remember being out on the ball field during PE, and somebody mentioned that this other girl never shaved her legs. I figured I’d better start shaving.
My folks never said anything one way or the other.

Also, I couldn’t tell you when my girls started shaving.

With facial hair, at first I had to shave because I went to a Catholic high school. I kept doing it after that just because. I grew it out for “No-shave November” this year but my parents never saw me with facial hair since I shaved it before the holidays.

I’m not sure how they’d respond. They didn’t like the fact that I came home with hair down to my shoulders, but I guess facial hair isn’t as outside of the “Christian norm”, so it’s really a tossup.

I didn’t really start shaving until age 20–21. And I still have almost no facial hair. Late puberty and blond hair ftw. ;)

Male – - facial hair— about 13. I needed it !

I was allowed to, and given an electric shaver, at the age of 11. No self respecting girl would have entered junior high school without shaving their legs. Never had much underarm hair until a few years later. Didn’t care for the electric shaver so bought my own razors and shaved my legs. It was considered disgusting during the 70’s and 80’s if a girl didn’t shave her legs and pits. It still seems rather rustic. Thank goodness, during my early years of peri-menopause, that I have very little body hair to dispose of. Yay! The idea of shaving one’s pubic hair seems unnecessary and silly. Why would any adult woman want to look like a pre-pubescent girl???

I do remember when my son started shaving. I walked in on him in the bathroom, and he jumped like he’d been electrocuted!

Probably around 11 or so…my mom actually initiated it. She said I was getting the age where I should be shaving my legs and showed me how… cringe. I was so not into it. “Moooommm why do I need to do this? I’m not bothered by my leg hair!” lol. I didn’t have armpit hair at the time and I don’t think the scene repeated once that became necessary. I don’t even remember starting shaving my armpits. I guess I just started doing it as soon as I noticed myself getting hair there.

I never even tried shaving my pubic hair until I was probably at least 16 and it wasn’t my cup of tea, I don’t really do that to this day.

I shaved my underarms intermittently at 12 and 13 and all the time by 14. I never shave my legs as the hair is very very light in color and very very light in amount. As far as the bikini area, I have only done that here and there as an adult. I don’t have thick or lots of hair.

@Kardamom I lived in Isla Vista CA in the 70s, with a lot of hippies, and a lot of college girls went hippie/natural and stopped shaving. We called girls that didn’t shave “organic”.

Never I always wanted a beard , but I like it trimmed short and neat looking.
I do a major trim every 2 weeks,and that is a lot better than shaving every day.
And my Parents had no problem with it.

@SQUEEKY2 A trucker with a beard, I bet you have a wardrobe full of check shirts dontcha? :)

12 or 13 I think. Just in time to get the first signs of peach fuzz, it was more instructional than necessary at that point. I hate shaving so I’m usually rocking at least 4–5 days of stubble. Unless I have a meeting or special occasion to go to I don’t shave.

I was 12. My mom showed me how to do it, so she was supportive. Legs were shortly followed by armpits and the plucking of eyebrows. I was pretty hairy, and the only reason I didn’t start shaving/plucking earlier because I was scared to try it. My mom would’ve let me do it earlier.

I didn’t consult my mom before shaving my pubic hair. I was 17 the first time I did it. She now knows I get Brazilian waxes and doesn’t have anything to say about it.

I’ll allow my kids to shave whenever they’re ready. As long as hair is present and they want it gone, I’m fine with it. I’d have an issue if my 12-year-old wanted to shave his/her pubic hair, though. There’s no reason to get rid of it if no one is looking at it and, at 12, no one better be looking at it but them.

I was 11 years old, I started around the same time as I started my period. I told my mum and she just said “be careful”.

Anybody want a tip on how to shave your legs without cutting them?

@Dutchess_III Use shaving cream/gel?

@Dutchess_III Sure, I’ve yet to master it even after all these years. Always cut my knees. I honestly just don’t even shave my legs very often at all (and not at all in the winter) because I’d be freakin’ anemic if I did, haha.

Some tips for shaving:

Use a sharp blade. That translates to don’t keep a razor too long. This is extremely important. Dull razors drag on the hairs and skin.

Shave in the shower or bath when the area has soaked well. Warm to hot water is best.

Shaving cream does reduce the chance of cuts over just using soap.

The biggest thing is don’t lift the razor off of your leg. Instead use kind of a scrubbing motion. It’s when we put the razor on our leg and misjudge the pressure that we get cut. I learned this from and ex nurse about 15 years ago and I haven’t cut myself one time since then.

I just use soap, BTW, and usually shave in the shower.

How do you rinse out the razor during the shaving process if you don’t lift it off your leg?

@anniereborn I was thinking the same thing.

I just use soap too. The consistent pressure is true. Don’t go too fast either if you are getting cut. Shaving takes some practice.

That just hasn’t been a problem. I just rinse it when I’m done with whatever.

@Dutchess_III, I had never heard this tip before. I just tried it and did not cut myself for the first time in who knows how long!! Thank you! (The discarded hair comes out of the razor on the up-strokes!)

Yay! I’ll tell my Dad’s wife, who told it to me! Heh!

That’s something I just hadn’t even thought of. But you mean it comes out on the down stroke, not the up stroke? Thinking about it, yes, yes it does. In fact, I think it comes out more efficiently on the down stroke than it does by rinsing it under water.

Ah I suppose it would be down if you were standing. I was lying in a bathtub :)

@Dutchess_III BEST TIP EVER! Just tried it myself with great results (ie no cuts and a nice clean shave!) It also works on the bikini line for those that shave down there too.

* Feeling good! *

It’s faster too, isn’t it. :D