Girl Asd and puberty

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Hi everyone. I have a question about hair removal. My daughter is starting to go through puberty and she understands to shave but is scared of razors so she never shaves. I was wondering what products (if any) are good to remove hair like underarms besides a razor? I don't know if she will leave Nair on for awhile like it needs to be. Thank you for any help

I think the other methods might be worse from a sensory standpoint.

I have never used one---but maybe an electric razor is safer and would give her a safer feeling than manual shaving?

Another thing to consider (if you want) is maybe asking a mod to move this thread to the women's sub-board. It isn't that we can't give answers here, and many of the female parents on here are spectrumy/spectrumish, but i wonder if the women's area might have more women with Asperger's who could relate to your daughter and maybe they have tricks we don't know.

I was curious and I found this near the top of the Women's Discussion board:

viewtopic.php?t=276494

This might be helpful, and you could ask them on that same thread, I bet too.

Sadly the "science" of hair removal hasn't made any great strides, at least that I know of. Basically razors, waxing and creams (like Nair) are it. When my daughter got to the age where this became an issue we talked over the different methods. She chose to go with the razor and I buy her the "top of the line" disposable kind. They are super expensive, but have a lot of sort of padding, and moisturizer strips around the actual razor. She will sometimes nick herself, but overall does okay. Not sure how old your daughter is, but just beware that leg shaving becomes a huge social issue around 6th/7th grade. Girls talking about who does and does not shave, and lots of name calling and teasing for girls who do not shave. At least, it was that way at my daughters school. Wish I had a good solution for you! If anyone else knows of something I'd be interested to hear about it. All the best to you and your daughter!

I don't see any reason for her to shave unless she is excessively hairy and wishes to wear shorts or tank tops.

If she is not going to be exposing those parts of the body regularly, then there is no reason to shave regularly.

She probably has to change in gym class.

And yes, the other girls would notice and be cruel about it.

She can change in a restroom as I did.
Body hair was not an issue to me (I was not aware I should remove it just as I was not aware I should wear a bra) but since other girls were pointing out to me that I am not wearing a bra and boys might see me if they spy on girls changing room I just decided not to change in the changing room. Simple.

I have never shaved, and no one ever commented on it. Not that I'd shave if they did.

I was unclear whether it was a skill the OP cared about or one that was a concern of the daughter, maybe not wanting to be made fun of.

You may find some interesting or useful information on a thread already running on WP
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=276494&p=6483131#p6483131

Maybe try a trimmer instead of a razor off the bat? You won't be able to get a super close shave, but can get rather short. I have very sensitive skin and so I've had to find out other ways to remove unwanted hair. I use the Philips HP6376 for my underarms always and wherever else I have hair to get rid of (besides on my lower legs as my skin there handles it fine, so I'm not 100% how well it'd work for that). I know it's a little on the pricey side at ~$40 (still cheaper than long-term use of a quality razor, though), but I've been using mine for almost two years and it's still working great. Also, just ignore the fact that it's geared towards being a bikini trimmer.

Just wanted to come back and say I agree with other posters, that if it is not an issue/concern for your daughter, then don't push it. I know my daughter hated her "hairy gorilla legs" as she called them and she wanted to shave/remove the hair.

Maybe this is a location or climate specific issue? Where we live girls are in shorts, bathing suits all the time. And believe me they notice, and comment on the hair issue. I had my daughter and several friends in the car recently and they were all teasing one girl because she hadn't shaved her upper leg area. They are all up in each other's business.

I like the clipper idea too, hadn't heard of that option.

There are all sorts of personal shavers on the market these days, many of which are battery powered and can be safely used in a shower. Just do a search and pick your price range and the model that has the features you want.

Shaving sucks. As an adult I'd rather not have to mess with it. But as a teenager I was very concerned about it because other girls are very mean about shaving. You can be ostracized and excluded just because of shaving.

I tried Nair once in high school. I only put on a few spots of it to test it and to make sure I wouldn't react to it negatively and I got big welts from it. So be careful with that stuff. And it's some really strong chemicals that can destroy hair; what is it doing to the skin itself and what is it doing to the internal organs when it soaks into the skin?

Another thing, the shave creams that are all thick and metallic and pillowy and smooth, made for women, actually made it easier for me to cut myself. Using just some cheap conditioner works best for me and reduces the itching attack I have when my legs are freshly shaved. I still regularly knick my knees. I couldn't use lotions after shaving because it burn and all the razor marks and red spots would burn and get really noticeable.

I think shaving can be a sensory assault too. For me, it's like not being able to feel my legs while at the same time being able to feel them. They feel numb without all those hairs there if I wasn't cut and burning or itching like mad. Took some time to get used to that feeling and not feel so self-conscious. I felt like I stuck out even though I didn't because I could feel the absence of the hair so acutely. The thing that really keeps me shaving my armpits is the fact that hair is there to provide more surface area for bacteria and sweat to thrive on to aid in odor dispersal. I don't want to stink.

Skin has finally toughened up on my legs now as an adult that I don't get as many razor burns.

I find that Venus razors with the triple blades or more work best for me. I have very fine, white/clear hairs and they are so soft that razors often miss them. The whole "hair gets stiffer the more you shave" is a myth.

If she's wary of even the women's razors like Venus and such, that come with multi-blades and gel pads on the edge, perhaps you could get her an "electric" (battery/chargeable) razor?

When I was that age, I tried Nair type creams that were very harsh on my skin and smelled terrible, until I asked my mother for an electric thing with the model name of the "Ladyshave." These are prettier version of mens' electric razors.

This was back in the 70s and it plugged into the mains, but these days I believe there are rechargeable versions that are used cordlessly/battery powered. They are less "razory" than an actual razor as there is that protective metal mesh always in front of the powered blades that move and shave off the hair.

Ughh! I hated this pressure. I withstood the pressure to shave my upper legs as a teen and I am VERY glad I did. Yes, I have a bit of hair there, but it is fair and I've 'gotten away' with it. Be sure any girl knows that once you start shaving an area you're kind of 'stuck' with shaving because the quality of hair changes once you start shaving. I really wish I'd never started on my lower legs.