What to Know Before You Get Your Eyebrows Threaded

I was 15 years old when I first started waxing my eyebrows.

Although they were never horrific, the space between my two brows would grow in fairly quickly, they were a little bushy and imposing on my small face, and they were definitely lacking any kind of shape. I have very fine hairs, so plucking was not only futile most of the time, it was also incredibly painful. At 15, my mom finally agreed to let me wax my eyebrows, and I've been going every four weeks since.

However, just recently I started using a new medication for my face that makes your skin super sensitive. The gel causes your top layer of skin to become thinner and more prone to damage, and it also increases the risks of scarring and discoloration. Under this medication, waxing is strictly prohibited, as it can lead to all kinds of unfixable problems.

At this point, I've been waxing my eyebrows once a month for eight years—I can notice the difference. Whether it's in my head or not, well-groomed eyebrows affect my entire opinion of my face on any given day, so just letting them grow into a wild mess was also out of the question. Since I still harbor my resentment for plucking, I decided to give threading a try.

And it was definitely something new. Keep reading for what you need to know before you get your eyebrows threaded, based on my experience.

It's Similar to Tweezing

Though it might sound new and scary here in America, threading is actually a very common practice in Eastern countries like Egypt and India. It basically consists of using a cotton thread to pull out the hair follicle in one easy twisting motion. Unlike waxing, it removes small areas of hair with each twist, rather than one huge strip in an instant. But it also removes the entire follicle, which waxing can't always promise. With the smaller patches of hair and the ability to remove the entire follicle, threading has many similarities to tweezing, which was particularly nerve-racking for me.

The Pain Isn't That Bad

When I walked into the threading salon for my first appointment, I was absolutely terrified about the pain levels. I'd heard from a lot of people that it was nearly unbearable and definitely a million times worse than waxing. Although waxing is accompanied by a small sting, I got used to the minor pain. Plus, waxing removes the hair in one swoop, rather than forcing you to sit there as each and every hair is picked out.

But it really wasn't that bad. Honestly, the only way I can think to describe the sensation is that it was simply weird. At first, it was definitely a little painful. But as my brow expert continued to swipe away at my hairs, I quickly got used to it. It's like tiny little jabs over your skin, but it's not a sensation I would describe as "painful" per se. Also, the pain levels decrease once the first few hairs are pulled, and after that, you feel almost nothing, as the finer, smaller hairs are cleaned up.

 

You Get to Help

While waxing usually requires sitting still as someone rubs various products on your face, threading demands a little help from the customer. Your brow expert will likely ask you to pull your eyelids in opposing directions, thereby stretching the skin slightly and allowing them to pull the hairs more easily. It's not at all hard or taxing, and it gives you a little something to do instead of just sitting there in silence.

 

It's Incredibly Precise

Although I like clean brows, I'm not someone who obsesses over every tiny hair. That said, I was absolutely shocked at the incredibly precise and clean lines of my brows following threading. Every single hair, no matter how small, had been picked away at, leaving no lingering fuzz to ruin my brow shape. Though I was usually very happy after waxing my brows, the small but noticeable difference in the precision of threading made me realize how often waxing left annoying little hairs behind.

 

No Products Are Applied to Your Face

As someone who has incredibly sensitive, acne-prone skin, I've never been a huge fan of all the products applied to your face during waxing. Not only do you have the various chemicals in the wax itself,  but you also have the lotions and serums that are applied afterward to sooth your torn-up skin. The piled up products on my face left me feeling greasy and anxious, and I would often rush home to clean them off with my own products and hopefully avoid any annoying side effects.

Threading, on the other hand, doesn't require any extra products applied to your face. You only need a cotton thread, which is thrown away after every use. Not only does this make the process more sanitary,  it also keeps your skin regimen from being interrupted every few weeks by a rush of new products. I like having a lot of control over what's put on my face, so I definitely enjoyed the absence of products that I had no knowledge about.

 

You Have to Specify What You Want

Unlike waxing, threading experts don't always take the time to ask about your desired brow shape. In my appointment, I sat down and she immediately went to work, mostly using her own instinct to clean up the messy growth around my brows. Since that's all I wanted anyway, I was totally fine with her process. However, if you're looking to thicken your eyebrows, slowly adjust your shape or make any changes to your natural brow line, make sure you specify that. The brow experts will be sure to do whatever you want, you just have to ask for it first.

 

Still working on shaping your own brows? Click HERE to see how to get the perfect shape every time, according to Instagram.