Should Mom Pluck Her Young Daughter's Unibrow?

I'd keep it till she decides it needs to go. sorta like shaving legs and underarms. She'll ask one day after someone mentions it. She's young and if no one has said anything to her about it then it's not a big deal yet. What if unibrows become really popular one day? Her brow makes her stand out as an individual as well, it might actually even be attractive. Anyway, I'd teach her how to do it when SHE decides she wants it gone otherwise you are already telling her she looks unacceptable socially and that is a very bad esteem message to give to a youngster.

I would WAX it right off! Lol! I teased my daughter and ask her if I can pluck her eyebrows. She squeals and says no. But, if she had a unibrow, I would just do it.

Has SHE said anything about it? It is difficult because times are different now then when I was growing up. Now it's normal for little girls to get mani's and pedi's, which we never did! I would say to wait. Why make her think about her appearance of something so trivial at this point. If she starts voicing concern I would talk to her about it and take it from there. Good luck

I think there are bigger fish to fry than eyebrows. I think if she gets teased, this is an opportunity to teach her that beauty is more than skin deep. If you're putting so much emphasis on a little eyebrow hair, then what message does that send?

My mother was all about body image when I was growing up. I used to sit for HOURS in front of the mirror, even at 7 and dissect every little thing that was wrong with every hair on my head, ever pore on my face. It took me YEARS to get to a point where I realized that not everyone was seeing me in the negative light I was.

I don't care what society thinks of me, and yet I still get plenty of comments from friends and family telling me I look pretty... but I don't even care anymore. I do the hygienic things, but I don't go to a salon or get manis and pedis, or spend time in front of a mirror, or talk about weight issues, or wear the latest fashions (or even, gasp!, go to a mall- ever.)

My girls don't pose in front of the mirror or care about "doing" their hair- they are 10 and 3 and they don't paint their nails or get haircuts in a salon or know what a name brand is for clothes. They DO play pretend, read tons of books, dig in the dirt in the garden and spread lots of love and cheer while being kids.

If there is something physically different about my children, I celebrate that because it is THEIRS and unique to them. There is hair on our bodies for a reason, no matter what society tells us to do to spend our hard-earned money, be sheeple and try to eliminate it at all cost (including danger of infection, pain, etc.)

The view of herself that she will have starts with what you teach her, and your view of her.

I would ignore it and teach her that she is perfect just the way she is.

Please I beg you to yes, pluck, wax or shave it.. Kids can be so cruel. I remember having hair on my lip and my mother would not let me do anything about it and I was teased all of the time. .

If you pluck, you can make her skin less sensitive with ice or with orajel, and then pluck,, Make sure to pluck in the direction of the hair..

We now know it is fine to take care of these things on our children..

I would honestly leave it. I know times are different now than they were 20+ years ago, but I don't remember anyone even in high school grooming their eyebrows. We even joke now when we look at old pics that someone really should have told us about plucking...but it didn't matter because none of us did. Anyway, I this is one of those things sort of like shaving legs, let it lie until it starts to bother her. If she mentions it, talk to her about it and figure out hwo she really feels about it and make a decision then on how to handle it.

She's 7. Let her be a child. There are a TON of wee ones with unibrows. Once you start this, you're going to have to continue non stop. It's going to be a weekly thing for her and why put a 7 yr old through the pain of plucking/waxing?

I would consider this as part of grooming. Just like your fingernails, if your eyebrows are getting too long or bushy, it should be okay to trim them. My suggestion would be to take her to a salon have have someone with a lot of training shape her eyebrows. They should know how to shape and trim them without giving her a "mature" look. It's really not that expensive and your daughter may really enjoy the salon experience.

She is still so young..I would definitely wait. Plucking will hurt her and also make her feel bad about it. And if the time does come you don't have to pluck..they make these little mini shavers that I use for the middle. You can find them in the drugstore near the nail care tools.

I would wait. If you start now, you're sending her the message that you don't like it. If you wait, she has a much better chance of developing a good enough self esteem to make the decision independent of other kids' attitudes. (Assuming you do other things to help build her self esteem).

If it was my child and she had a unibrow i wouldnt pluck it since that hurts to much i would just go and take her to get it waxed since that doesnt hurt as bad. There is no need to let her get made fun of then take her to get it done. She will be hurt and i def. wouldnt want my daughter to get hurt over something that can be fixed.

All my kids had a unibrow (thanks, DH :) and I just let them tell me when it was time to trim it -- usually around age 10 to 12. Yes, I was itching to trim it before that but I let them take the lead :)

i would make it a "fun day at the eyebrow bar", maybe followed by ice cream. She WILL get teased, you are right about that, she will most likely try to tweeze it herself, which could be disasterous. I dont think it would be like telling her shes not pretty to get it done, if she had armpit hair then it would make sense to start shaving. Women have to learn someday how to tame our unwanted hair. Be sure to get yours done too, make it no big deal, but if she doesnt want to do it dont push.

Why don't u have a mom and daughter day go get a manicure and have them shape brows with wax. I was teased as a kid..kids can be mean.

I would get rid of it! At some point she'll either be made fun of for it or she'll just hate it herself and want to get rid of it. She's going to probably hate the plucking though. Put it to her as just one of those things we "take care of" when it comes to appearance. Most women shave or pluck/wax their brows. My mother started shaving my legs for me when I was 7. I didn't even have unusually hairy legs -they just bothered her! There was a little girl in my oldest son's playgroup when they were two with a horrible unibrow! If I had been her mother, I would have shaved it or plucked it then because it really detracted from her looks.

My daughter is 9 and has a unibrow.
Wait.
If you start getting rid of it now she will have a bad image of herself.
She needs to know it's ok to be who she is and right now she a little girl with a unibrow.
I have a unibrow and never got teased as a child about it, even in Jr or High school.
My daughter actually likes her she says it makes her look like Bert from sesame street when she's mad.

My 5 year old has mini versions of Brooke Shield's famous eyebrows without a unibrow. It fits her dramatic personality and high forehead. My Mother on the other hand kept on telling my little girl she looked like a boy and she'll pluck them for her. It gave my daughter a complex that took 3 months to overcome. For weeks she'd obsess in front of a mirror, brushing her eyebrows - asking me if she looked like a boy because of her big eyebrows.

Needless to say I told my Mother to shut her damn mouth and to never talk about my daughter's looks to her like that again. My Mom always says how beautiful my daughter is and if she had thinner brows she'd be more beautiful still. It was a very ugly argument - but as the Mother I won.

I had one as a kid too and hated it. I never asked my mom about it because I was embarrassed about it! I also didn't have a very close relationship with her, I guess. I now go often to get my eyebrows done, and I announce it to the family. My daughter is too young to even have grown one yet, but when she's old enough, I'll make sure she knows that I go to the eyebrow lady and can join me when/if she wants to! If she hasn't mentioned it to you, that doesn't mean she doesn't know about it or hasn't been teased yet. Maybe you can take her for a mom/daughter "day" of pampering and get your nails done as well as brows. Then you don't have to specifically point it out, just get excited that after your day you'll both have beautiful nails and brows!

Definately do something about her unibrow! She will DEFINATELY get made fun of, and at her tender age, that will probably destroy her self esteem. I think you should take care of this permanently, so plucking won't work. Plucking is a very temporary fix. You will be plucking her unibrow once a week until she is old enough to do it herself. That is a huge pain/project. Instead of plucking, I suggest laser hair removal. That is a permanent solution. If you are worried about the pain, it shouldn't be too bad since it is such a small area. Also, they can apply numbing cream AND ice gel, and I promise she will barely feel anything. Plucking will hurt more than her laser hair removal (if using numbing cream and ice gel). Now go save your daughter's self esteem and repuation and go get her laser hair removal! One more thing - please do NOT take Beth and Mallory's advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait.
until she mentions it. I'd rather have her think other kids think there is something wrong with, not that her mom thinks her mom thinks there is something wrong with her.
This is a whole body image thing, you wouldn't want her to think her mom thinks she is less than perfect.

This is a really tough decision to make. You don't want her to get picked on but at the same time, if she's not getting picked on and you bring it up then she will feel like there is something wrong with her. You know your daughter the best though. I will say that I started getting picked on by peers around 12 for having hair on my upper lip and this was very damaging to my self esteem.

Whatever you do please keep in mind that a child's skin is much more sensitive than ours. I would NOT bleach, pluck, hot wax or use laser hair removal because her skin is most likely much more sensitive than ours is. Also, waxing can cause skin (over time) to get bumpy, mine has as I have been waxing for years. Doesn't mean it will for sure, but it is a possibility. Mine only has on my chin where my hair is the worst and not on my upper lip or eyebrows. also if you do a pro- wax the wax could burn her.

If she does start complaining about it, I would try shaving it off like someone suggested with the little razors. despite what I said above about waxing, it doesn't hurt at all for me to do between my eyebrows... I use the cold wax strips you buy in the stores. If it is not very thick but still bothering her you might be able to do that.

I can't help but thinking we do so many things to avoid being teased (even as adults) that we are giving into bullys...letting them win. I just don't get it! Why can't people just live & let live! I think this is such a sad statement to our society today...not "attacking" you for asking, just saying that the fact that you(& lots of us) have to worry about this for such a young child is sad!
All the best to you!

I would let her guide you, so keep talking with her about all kinds of stuff. Do you color your hair and pluck your eyebrows? If so, let her see you do it. You can take her with you to the drugstore when you peruse make up, and expose her to the many ways people like to pamper themselves and experiment with different looks. Would you like blue hair for a day? There is a spray for that. How about sparkly nails? If you want, you could suggest a mother-daughter visit to a spa, and start with a manicure or pedicure. Many hair dressers have beauticians on staff. If SHE wants to change something, just let her know it is fine with you, but I would not push her to change it.

.

Let her decide when/if it's time for plucking.

I had a unibrow too. I NEVER wished my Mom plucked it early. When I was old enough to care, I did it myself.

If she doesn't care now and you decide to do something, I think you will unintentionally be teaching your daughter that something is wrong with her looks & she should change herself to avoid getting teased. I think that would be MUCH worse for her self-esteem.

Just tell her she's beautiful. Then....if she asks you to pluck it, go ahead.

No. Too young.

If you do it now, you will REALLY send the wrong message, e.g. we need to look a certain way to be accepted.

When she's 11 or 12 maybe, definitely by middle school.

Mommymommy etc. below, said it perfectly.

Wait until SHE says something about it or indicates that it bothers her. A lot of kids have a unibrow. I had one as a child, my Mom never did anything about it or indicated to me that I *COULD* do anything about it, she just told me all the time that I looked like Brooke Shields. You doing something before she has any concern about it could give her a self esteem problem making her think something is wrong with her that Mommy wants to fix it.

When she gets old enough to care, though, surely show her how to pluck and/or take her to have it waxed. I did not learn until I was in college and I had to figure it out on my own.

The summer sun tends to lighten hair color even on eye brows. I wouldn't pluck anything on a child. As she gets to be a teen she'll be more into plucking and shaving.

My son s almost four and I just use the razor and it's over and done. Why allow your child to possibly be teased by other kids when the solution is SO easily fixed and is painless? One swipe and the issue is gone. :)

There's also eyebrow threading and that eventually the hairs regrow slower and thinner. SOOOO much better than waxing!

I'm a stylist and do eyebrows all the time. Really though, I would wait until she starts acting bothered by it, which may not be for another few years. I k now by the time I was 12 or so, I was mortified by my eyebrows, I still look at pictures and cringe! Here are some tips for when she is ready:

Do not use Nair... it can cause blindness if it drips!

I would tweeze maybe just a few, or use a little wax strip, but once she is older like 12 or so, I would take her to a salon and have them show her how to care for her eyebrows... the unibrow part and arch included. Here are some good tips for tweezing and ways you can help ease any pain:
http://www.bodycare.becomegorgeous.com/hair_removal/__tip...

For a pain free and easy way to do her unibrow, use one of those finishing touch mini shavers, you can get them at wal-mart, cvs, walgreens... :
http://www.seenontvproducts.net/finishingtouch/index.html

I'm so glad you askd this question because i've thought the same thing many times. My little girl is 8 and definitely has the unibrow going on. So did I as a kid and I got teased but my mom never did anything about it, just said "you should be flattered, Brook Shields has big eyebrows" like that helped. I am looking forward to hearing what others say because I'm not totaly sure about my path of choice, but what I've thought we would do is wait and if/when someone says something to her about it or she says something, I will take her to get it waxed or teach her to pluck. It hurts the first few times, plus I don't want to make her self-concious, but I also want to help her feel better if and when the time comes. Thanks for posting this!

get it waxed, make a fun day of it (if she wants to)! My 2 year old has a unibrow and as soon as she can make the decision for her self I will ask her if she wants to get it done. I would feel so bad ignoring it and her not knowing what to do. The girl I used to babysit for got hers done around that age, maybe 8 or 9 but she went to the "brow bar" and loved doing it :)

Go to walmart or target or cvs, etc and get a Remington Mini Personal Trimmer (7.99 or so). Just put the battery in and shave off the offending hairs between her eyebrows. Should take you all of 10 seconds. I would NOT use tweezers or wax (too painful). If it bothers you this much, it might be bugging her as well, but, as always, your mileage may vary....

I liked the suggestion from a previous poster about being intentional about having her watch you go thru your "beauty routine" in the morning (making sure it includes plucking your own eyebrows) and ask questions about why you do this or that. Great opportunity to lay some ground work for the growing up and hygiene discussions that are coming in 4th-6th grade.

Then, if SHE asks about when she will be old enuf to do XYZ you can negotiate with her about it. For example, when can I start wearing make-up? What about deodorant? What about my eyebrows? With each question from her you can probe a little deeper and find out how important the need is and if anyone is teasing or talking.

I somehow think the eyebrow plucking is not on her radar yet but if it is...Take her to a salon.

When the time comes, I say, go for the laser. While it's expensive, it is a more permanent solution, and it's such a small area, it shouldn't be that much. You'd have to ask about permanence. I know that hair growth affected by hormones is not as permanent.

I must be honest...I don't know what I would do.

I do have to tell you that I HATE plucking my eyebrows more than anything in the world. I have had 3 c-sections and would rather do that!!!

So, if you must do something, get them waxed. Faster and less pain!

I dont see anything wrong with plucking a few "uni" hairs. One of my daughters has been asking me to do it since she was about 8. She only has a couple so it is not so bad. If it is a lot of hair, maybe plucking is too much. This does not hurt their self esteem. My daughter is now 14 and proudly tells me how beautiful she is. I tell my girls they are pretty and they all say "i know mom"...lol!

I read some answers but here's my two cents: wait until she is bothered by the unibrow. Then take her to a place that has a really good reputation for eyebrow waxing. Tweezing can get out of hand and some people tend to over tweeze. Waxing is a bit easier and gets the hairs all at the same time. It is faster and easier to manage that way. Do not use Nair or other creams that remove hair because there is a possibility of chemical burns. If she starts at an early age on the proper care and handling of these things, then she will make an easier transition into puberty. Like others have said wait until she asks.

I have the same issue with my 8 year old! I am dying to get my hands on her brows! LOL (I am a stylist and I also wax, so I will be doing it for her) But my husband says that she will probably let me wax it once, then once she feels the pain, won't let me do it again!! Hahaha So I am going to wait just a bit longer to do it. I have a 10 year old client that we just starting waxing her uni-brow. She lets me do it, but she doesn't like it! So, I WILL be waxing my daughter, but I will wait a few more years...

you could always bleach it if it really bothers her.

Unfortunately children notice these things at an early age, so as soon as she sees bothered by it or says she is teased, then pluck it. My fourth grade students joke about unibrows, so that's only a couple of years away.

Building her self esteem by letting her know she is perfect the way she is will go a much longer way than shaving off a few offending hairs––which could damage her self esteem for much longer. Let her come to the conclusion on her own that it is bothering her. And let her know that there is something every one would like to change about themselves, so it's not a big deal. And then get rid of it if you both feel it is that important.

Strong self esteem doesn't come from avoiding the ridicule of others, it comes from having a strong sense of yourself and being proud of that person. Then she will be able to hold her head up to whatever difficult situation arises. A unibrow will only be one of many obstacles she'll be tested on.

Good luck.

Leave the child's face alone!
The last thing you want is for her to start obsessing over stupid stuff like body hair at the age of 7!

If you're noticing it and it really is dark just use some Nair, dont cause her pain. My friends daughter is dark skin with dark hair and her fathers family is hairy and at like 3 she had one, before she started K I suggested she Nair it and baby girl was so happy. It bothered her because she noticed no one else had that. Its a quick fix and you dont have to do it often.

She's 7, maybe @ 12 or when she goes to middle school. Both of my girls are hairy. So I will cross this bridge eventually

I don't see anything wrong with doing that, (though plucking so so painful--gentle wax strips would probably be better and get it all in one swoop).

It's not a vanity thing, it's a small thing you can correct before she even has a chance to be self conscious. You wouldn't wait until someone laughed at her for BO before you did anything and this isn't any different.

I come from a long line of unibrows, and my daughter is no exception to the family heritage. I was also afraid to talk to my mom about it, as we were not very close, and as a result at about age 13 I nearly plucked my brows to oblivion! A thin pencil line was about all that was left. (Thankfully they grew back. : ) I love my brows now and though I am fairly fastidious about my own body hair management, (including eliminating the "uni"), I never even remotely suggested that my lovely daughter should do anything about hers. We are definitly closer than my mom and I were when I was growing up, and I figured that eventually she would talk to me about it, and if not, that would be just fine too. And sure enough, just about the time she turned 12, the obsession with her looks began. It made me sad, but I know this is the age when this stuff starts to be important to them, as it was to me. I was glad she came to me, instead of taking matters into her own hands as I did, and now we do a simple wax up the middle with a tiny bit of tweezing underneath and she's happy with it. At 13 she is learning how to do it herself, but at age 7 I really think you should just let your girl be her beautiful self. There is so much time for these things later. Best to you.