Pre-summer camp waxing for tweens and teens? - New York News | NYC Breaking News

Pre-summer camp waxing for tweens and teens?

Sunscreen, bug spray, hair treatment and wax.

Jill Greenspan of Livingston, N.J., plans to take her 11-year-old daughter, Taylor, to Warren-Tricomi's Plaza Hotel salon next week for a $250 hair taming treatment.

Jill and Taylor are among the thousands of parents and tweens skipping their way into salons this time of year to get their kids a wax or hair treatment before summer camp.

Many salon owners and managers say they've seen a surge in the number of teens and tweens getting waxes and hair treatments before camp. Even the show "Toddlers and Tiaras" portrayed prepubescent beauty queens going for a wax.

We're not necessarily talking full-on Brazilian wax. It's usually a little tamer than that.

The reason is usually the same: to make it easier and more comfortable during the summer. No blow-drying the hair and no worries about shaving.

But is this about convenience, image or both?

Most psychologists agree that it's about image: a child just wanting to fit in.

"I think it's a fabulous opportunity for a parent to really have an open dialogue with their child about their self-consciousness about their self-esteem, about different things in their lives that might contribute to self esteem beyond just objectifying the body and focusing on the body," said Nava Silton, an assistant professor of psychology at Marymount Manhattan college.

She said there are dangers taking a very young child in for wax, including infections. So this is still debate about when it's an appropriate age to take a child in for a wax, or hair treatment.