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My mom does not have underarm or leg hair, and she claims it's because she never shaved. So when I hit puberty, she forbade me from shaving anything. (She let me use Nair, though...?!?!) Long story short, as soon as my daughter starts needing hair removal, I will do it for her or teach her how to do it, depending on how old she is at the time.

I don't touch my arms or face though. Just pluck my eyebrows.

I know your post says daughter, but this is something that I feel shame for even thinking about. My son is very hairy. I can tell that he is starting to get a unibrow. When I mentioned this to my husband, he told me I was nuts for even thinking about possibly removing it. I know it's superficial, and I try really hard not to be like that, but I don't want him to be the kid with the one eyebrow ya know….ugh

I was also required to wait until X age (13, I think?) and it was mortifying. I wasn't particularly hairy, but I just had REALLY dark, thick hairs, so it was super noticeable.
As soon as any of my children feel embarrassed by their body hair and want to shave/pluck/wax (at a reasonable age, I doubt I would indulge a 5 year old if they pick up the idea from watching me), I will let them.

@Freckles: Personally, if she wanted to know I'd teach her. I guess I'd be kinda sad if she came to me so young because obviously social pressures have gotten to her and I'd probably try to convince her she looks beautiful as is... but ultimately if it was really upsetting her I'd help her out.

@junebugmama: I went to a salon where I saw a boy about in the fifth grade go back with someone and get waxed! He seemed pretty happy.

I know people say they'll wait until their daughter says something, but it also depends on your child's personality. I was super modest and would have never brought something up on my own. When I started to get acne, my mom gently let me know that if I wanted, she would take me to the dermatologist. I was glad she approached it for me!

@Freckles: I think it's something you just have to play by ear. Does your child have visible, potentially embarrassing body hair? Is it the norm at their school/among their friends to already be shaving and whatnot? It's so hard to put a specific age on it. That's why I hated my parents for doing it - my mom always had super blonde, thin hairs - she had no idea what I was going through!

@Freckles: That's honestly true. I still have a scar on my knee from severely cutting myself trying to shave as a kid, before my mom would teach me about it.

My oldest has had her legs 'naired' in the spring/summer since she was 9. She is just shy of 11 now.
She also has her eyebrows maintained, not waxed yet.
Luckily her Step mom is a licensed cosmetologist. So she actually does it all after I give it my Okay.

Not as soon as she asks.
If it is a LOT, I will do if for her even if she doesn't ask.
I say this because. As an Arab, it is very normal for girls of just 7yrs old to have a semi uni-brow. Their moms wax it. I will too.
Other than that, I'll wait until she feels like it's bothering her and then we will sooooo do it.
I do not look at removing body hair as I do wearing makeup for example. Why wait on removing hair?? I don't see any reason to so we won't.
That being said: I am not hairy and my husband is really not (especially for a man), so I don't foresee this being a problem. I think I shaved my legs at 12, whereas it's normal for Arab girls to shave at like 9/10.

I became very self-conscious about my underarm and leg hair in seventh grade when someone in my class made fun of me when I raised my hand in class. My mother never taught me to shave, so I used my dad's razor. I didn't use any cream or soap, so I had horrible razor burn. After my mom saw that, she bought me my own razor and shaving cream.

I will let her shave when she asks for it, or at least before middle school if she hasn't asked. I'll probably wait longer for make-up.

I would say age 13-14 is good because you can put a definitive "teenager" label on it, unless she is really hairy. I started shaving at about 12 but I didn't really need to. I don't anticipate our children to have hairy arms though because you can barely see mine as it is so fair and DH's is pretty much non existent. DH doesn't have much body hair at all, really, no chest hair and his legs aren't that bad. I love it! I wish I had his eyebrows too, so full but look perfectly manicured! He doesn't do a thing with them. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, teenage years of she asks about it or sooner if it's problematic.

Oh man I hope my LO doesn't have a lot of this early. I'm not very hairy and neither is my husband (for a guy) so hopefully it won't be an issue. But I think if it seemed to be maybe when she started middle school? I don't think I'd ever push the issue-- but more be like "this is what some people do and if you'd like to I'll show you how." I don't want her thinking she has to be hairless to be pretty from 10 years old

Sore subject - spent two years SO EMBARRASSED because my mother wouldn't let me shave. I remember asking when I was 11, and she made this huge deal on how I was so little and didn't need to... well I spent the next two summers wearing JEANS. It was the worst summer ever. Finally just before I turned *14* she let me. I was so mad. I had considered just doing it anyway, but I knew she'd notice.

So if I have a daughter - I would let her one she asks as long as it's not before like age 10 - unless she has hair like her dad haha.

I will follow her lead, my mom bought me an eletric razor to start so I couldn't cut myself, it helped. I was sneaking trying to shave before so I'm glad she helped me!