With puberty, you'll notice new hair sprouting in all different parts of your body: first in your pubic area, and soon after that, underneath your armpits. You might notice that the hair on your arms and your legs will become thicker as well. What's a girl to do?

The answer is, it's up to you. Within any country there will be girls who chose not to shave their hairy legs or under arms because of cultural or philosophical beliefs. Some girls feel more comfortable getting rid of the hair under their arms and on their legs, and others feel it's not worth the hassle to start shaving because once you start, the texture of your hair can often grow back coarser.

Shaving

If you do want to get rid of the hair on your legs, your underarms, and around your bikini line, the most common way is with a razor. Some tips for shaving: make sure the blade of the razor is new, and use soap and water, or even better, shaving gel. Don't press the razor too hard: it should just glide along the surface of your skin. First, shave in the direction the hair grows. Then, if all of the hair isn't removed, shave against the direction the hair grows.

Waxing

Other ways of getting rid of body hair include waxing, which you can do at home or get done at a salon. The disadvantage of waxing at home is that it can be difficult to do yourself and messy!

Depilatories

There are also depilatories, chemical hair removal creams that you can buy over the counter. Depilatories damage the hair root so that when you wash the cream off, you wash off the hair too. The downside? They can irritate sensitive areas and usually smell pretty bad.

Much more expensive hair removal options include electrolysis and laser hair removal. Talk to your mom about what she does about her body hair.