Mum wants to know if her daughter is too young to start shaving

A mum has taken to the internet to ask whether her daughter is too young to start removing her body hair.

The woman said that her six-year-old daughter has started asking why her body hair is darker and thicker than some of the other girls she goes to school with. She said she has tried to distract her daughter but that the girl has become self conscious about the hair and asking if she can remove it. Writing on parenting forum Mumsnet, the mother wrote:

"A big part of me knows this is ridiculous but there's another part that wants (my daughter) to make her own choices. "(She) has just turned 6. She has and always has had very hairy legs and a hairy lower back. I presumed it was baby down and would go away in time but it hasn't and it's gone darker as she's gotten older."

The mum went on to say that she explained to her daughter that everybody's bodies are "different" but that now, the six-year-old has started getting upset when she goes swimming because the hair is more prominent. She finished by saying there was "no way" she would let her daughter use hair removal cream, but that she also wanted to help if she was struggling. Many in the thread sympathised with the young girl, saying that it must be hard for her being so self conscious. One mum suggested a hair removal cream that wouldn't irritate the six-year-old's skin, and another urged the worried mum to do a patch test before using any sort of product. Others suggested mitts that would "buff" the hair away, or for the mum to help her daughter trim the hair in a safe way. The mum said that if she was going to help her daughter, she would prefer to shave the hair herself rather than using a potential sensitive cream. So what do you think she should do?