Chin waxing. How do you know if it's still safe?

OMG!!! This is hilarious! I know it's an old thread but it's exactly what I needed after having a sad visit with mom - not much time left, I think. But I have to add my story. My mom has always been chin hair obsessed. In the past six months she's pretty much let it go. Then a couple of weeks ago hubby and I were visiting and mom says to me " I have this long hair on my chin that is bothering me - could you pluck it"? I was suddenly 12 years old! Eewweewe - gross! So I say "no mom, I don't have my glasses with me, I wouldn't be able to see what I'm doing". So without missing a beat she looks at my husband and says "do you think you could do it"? I swear he turned pale on the spot and actually started to gag! I was still laughing my ass off when he bolted from the room! I can hardly wait to go tell him one of you is such a tough chick you practically give your mom a Brazilian! Soooo funny!

By electric razors, do you mean those electric yanking things that pluck the hair in great gobs? I have one and I love it. I have a new one with a gentle setting. (Not that I now have gobs of hair to pluck or anything.) And just FYI, plucking doesn't make the hair grow back stronger. In fact, over time, it weakens the root.

Remember those 30s movie stars who plucked all their eyebrow hair and then discovered to their horror that, when that fad changed [[gasp!]], they'd have to draw their eyebrows on forever? I feel as if underarm hair ever came back into style I'd have to by little wigs or something, as years of waxing have made me completely bald there. Ah dignity!

Ah yes, dignity comes first!

daredtocare, I was also told the same advice when I had electrolysis. It took me a year of visits because I had plucked and used Nair cream causing it to come back stiffer each time. Shaving is best because it doesnt upset the root and cause it to come back like prickers! haha. The more you pluck or wax the stronger the hair returns, like metal spikes! I had a neighbor across the street who asked me where I went and then she had electrolysis too. Because she never plucked, she only bleached her moustache, she was done in like 6 visits!
Countrymouse, I have a remington mens shaver for my Mom. I plug it in to charge it at night and use it for her every morning. It has 3 round shaver blades on it. I use a real (dull) razor on her bumcrak, lol. Lovely conversation huh.

Dared it's the rogue whiskers that get to me. There you are, all made up (ok not often but…) and feeling a million dollars, then you get home and realise people have been gazing in fascination not at your exceptional good looks but at the wiggly worm that has taken up residence on your chin or (aarggh) upper lip. I have one that I SWEAR grows from 0 to 1 inch in a day, Fu Manchu style, just under the point of my chin. Humph. I blame the mother…

Shaving, eh? What, blade or electric? All other tips welcome too!

My mother hadn't ever asked me to pluck her brows or shave her. Now I am feeling guilty...
I do buy her nice clothes, and I just got her a new wig that looks lovely...but we never go anywhere except to the Dr. and we can barely make it there.
Should I be doing more?

(Looks at my own horrid bleachwater hands:(

I have a girldriend who is an aesthetician in N.Y. Five hundred dollar facial kind of gal. I was shcoked when she told me they actually shave their clients routinely. The apparatus looks more like a straight razor. She mentioned what a taboo women consider shaving their face to be. And also the myth that shaving makes hair grow back thicker or more bristly.
She said shaving is not only the simplest way to get rid of unwanted facial hair but serves as an excellet exfoliation process. Ever notice how much better a man looks just after a fresh shave?
This was by far the best beauty secret she has given me, and there have been quite a few.

Of course eyebrows have to be plucked or waxed, but for the rest just shave it. I mean assuming it is safe for your moms skin. I know how frail they can be:/

I have been shaving (yes, my face, ssshhhhhh:) instead of waxing, for months now. I can't believe how well it is working out.
Really, what is it with the face fuzz after menopause? Grrrr.

Countrymouse, yes, the nurses/aides should know better, and about a lot of things too, they just are in such a hurry all the time I think they grow cold with time, I really do. Hope all goes well, what a journey we are on.

RR if she hadn't looked so guilt-stricken already I might have slapped her (and been frog-marched straight out of the department, I suppose…) - but why oh why don't they warn nurses about this DURING their training???

Hmm, good point about making hygiene much easier. Can't wait for THAT phase…!

HAHAHA Countrymouse, how'd you like that? You may get through life not doing yourself but it makes a much easier job on your clean ups for Mom, lol.
Just get an electric razor, its soooo simple, I do moms face every morning, it grows so fast. Oh and on those ECG pads, when they did that to mom on one of them, I said "Leave, I will do it!" I was so mad!! I am a huge advocate for her, cant have anything hurt her, or it hurts me too, Hey good luck!

Having self-waxed my bikini line (in my younger days) and just recently tweezing my mom's chin hairs, I have experience with both. I'd definitely go the tweezing route. I tried shaving my mom's mustache a while back (with a regular razor) and she bled, so I'll never try that again. Her skin is very thin (and she's on Coumadin), so I felt badly about that. My mom noticed one big chin hair when I helped her shower recently, so I got her sitting in good light and went to town. No embarrassment on my part, and seemingly none on hers. It's just hair! And since I need a McCulloch chain saw on parts of my own body, it doesn't bother me in the least. :)

PS you've given me an idea for a cautious trial run - I'll put a baby's BandAid on a reasonably robust bit of her and see how well that goes before I book the appointment she's asked for. The skin on her face seems pretty ok - she certainly gives it a fair old going-over when she washes - I suppose it's the pain I'm vicariously afraid of! The skin on her legs, now, I wouldn't touch with anything rougher than a swan's down powder puff - it's those damned ECG pads that the wombats just rip off that get her every time, great chunks off her shins. If I had a quid for each time I've seen the horrified expression on a young nurse's face… You'd think it'd be part of their training, wouldn't you?

RR - REALLY??? You're having me on! Oh good Lord I haven't got round to facing up to that even for myself yet - I was hoping to get through this life without having to...

The two very old ladies I knew best shaved or got shaved with (I assume) electric razors. If it's only 5 or 10 hairs, pluck or use scissors

Embarrassed to do her chin? huhhhh I do my moms privates! You get used to it after a year or so, lol.

I use a mens shaver on my mother's moustache and chin every morning, have for 10 years. It has 3 rotary heads on it so I can get up under her nose good. Her eyebrows grow downward now sticking up and out and down, a mess, I shave them off now also. I also shave her legs monthly with it but use a hand held razor for her peri areas and bum, yes, I do that too , makes clean ups so much easier. My moms 92, I wouldnt dare do a wax, her skin is so fragile on her face, plus what would you do if she started bleeding . I had it done only once and I thought my eye was going to come out, lol, never again! lol I myself got electrolysis and got rid of it permanently. Good Luck, good question!

country mouse, just be careful if she is on Coumadin. That stuff made mom's skin so fragile that she peeled off a bandaid and the skin came with it. Nasty stuff, that rat poison should be banned.

freqflyr, I bought the same one for Mom. It's great! She used to shave until I had to hide the razors. She would come out of the bathroom with blood dripping down, no hairs, and insisting she did NOT shave herself. When I tried to shave her.....she would laugh and giggle, so I couldn't. The electric is great and was only $25 or so. She is obsessed with her chin hair and eyebrows. Unfortunately, she is now shaving those off too!

They make re-chargeable electric razors for women and they work great, even have a delicate setting. Currently I have a Panasonic brand, it comes in white/pink so it doesn't look like a man's electric razor.

You can also try threading. No heat is involved and it doesn't pull the skin as much as waxing.

Brilliant typo! And great idea too, thank you.

Nair not Nairobi

An alternative to waxing is facial Nairobi, works well....just try it on small space to ensure not allergic, it can make the skin a little red, so better to do it the day before.

Or, you can just cut them short.

I'm being a giant wuss. Also I'd rather the beautician hurt her than I did..! And, I suppose, I suppose she should know..? She used to get her eyebrows done, too. I've only ever had my legs and underarms done so I don't know how painful facial waxing is (or how hard it is on the skin?).

My mom still has her eyebrows waxed, no problem. Take her somewhere reputable.
I know my grandma...until age95 used to shave a handful of chin hairs as needed.
I think it is great when elders still care how they look

I don't know whether her delicate skin can handle waxing, but why go looking for trouble if less drastic methods can get the job done.