Threading For Perfectly Groomed Eyebrows
Before threading.
So for the past week, I’ve been meaning to get my face threaded (if you don’t know what that is–just keep reading!), and I finally got around to it yesterday. I found the lovely woman who did the job through Yelp!, based on the fact that there were few in the area, and she had an insane amount of positive reviews (like 170+). Essentially, threading is a hair removal technique. Threading uses a cotton thread, tied in a loop, held between your two hands, and then twisted. If you search for “threading” on YouTube, you’re bound to see a few tutorials. Yes, you can do it at home, and while I attempted it many moons ago, it wasn’t something I could do well right away. Now that I’ve had it done “professionally,” I may try working on getting better at doing it myself.
Read about my experience and see some after photos!
After threading.
I opted to get my whole face done, because while I’m not exactly a wildebeest, I’m naturally dark haired, so even subtle hairs can show up. I was pleased with the outcome, and I didn’t mind the price ($30 + $5 tip) — of course, lower is always better 😉 I expect it’ll take four weeks or so before I would need another full-face session, but we’ll see if I can stretch it out more. I had eyebrows done along with my face, and I love how they turned out! They look so well-groomed and polished without me having to do anything. So fantastic. I can come back whenever I need to have those done (and of course, faster and will cost less than the full face). I am pretty good at maintaining a shape once I have it, so you can bet I’ll continue to tweeze until I need some shaping/trimming done.
Threading doesn’t involve much pain, and for the most part, I had zero to little pain. The only part that really hurt was the sideburns, so it may be worth waxing those if only because the pain is just one quick zip rather than row by row. I don’t know if it’s because my sideburns had grown out a bit, so the roots were deeper/stronger, but yeah, those caused a few tears to slip out! My sideburns never seem to be able to grow out long enough to tuck behind my ears, so then I trim or shave them, but then they grow back so fast (just never long enough).
I highly recommend treading, because it’s quick (twenty minutes for the entire face), easy, and doesn’t involve much pain.
Threaded AND filled in.
Hey!
It looks great! I was wondering where you got it done? I live in NYC, and there are so many places here that do threading and I really want to try it. If you got it done around here and could recommend the place that would be awesome!
Hey GJ! I had mine done in California, so far, far from NYC. Try checking out Yelp.com for reviews – it’s usually helpful 🙂
When I was in the tri-state area, I went to Eyebrow Express on 32nd and Broadway ( I think?) it’s right near K-town and cat-a cornered from Manhattan Mall.
i’ve always had my brows and upper lip threaded every couple weeks but never tried getting the face done. does that hurt? i know depending on who you get (when you go to the east indian places), threading can really hurt!
The sideburns hurt for me, but the rest was fine. If you can take the upper lip, the rest of the face is similar or less than that.
i kinda want to try the face but i’m thinking…once i start, i won’t be able to stop! LOL
this post reminds me that i have to get my brows threaded today. the place i usually go to was packed yesterday.
LOL! It does kind of spoil you 😉
I have to agree, threading is where it’s at! I used to tweeze on my own … moved on to waxing (just because I’d never tried it) … and after having tried to trim my own brows and butchering one of them nicely, I went to an Indian salon to have them threaded and shaped (I figure, if Bollywood actresses have such incredible brows, surely someone could help ME lol).
Not only did I get the best shaping of my life, but the threader managed to manipulate my botched brow into appearing as though I hadn’t done a thing to it! Perfection!
FYI — look around for salons who do it — mine cost me only $5.00 for brows alone (!!!), so I throw a $5.00 tip in, and it’s STILL cheaper than waxing!
Hey Christine!
I’ve never waxed, but I definitely will stick with the threading. Seems easier AND way cheaper. 🙂
So glad yours worked out well!
I prefer threading over waxing ANY day. I’ve only ever had my eyebrows and upper lip done, but I used to go regularly to get my brows done. The shape always looked awesome! Now, I only go every few months to get them reshaped since I can tweeze to maintain the shape for awhile…
Good to see so many threading fans 🙂
I’m hoping I can maintain the shape pretty well so I don’t have to go in too often.
I LOVE getting my eyebrows threaded!!! Too bad I can’t find a place that does it in Japan. =(
Aww, that really sucks that you can’t find a place in Japan 🙁
what a coincidence i just went on tuesday and got my eyebrows threaded for the first time. i went to a cosmetic store call FACES in the mall. it only cost $15 and i threw in a $5 tip also.my first experience was ok , it hurt a little but i will try it again.
How did you like the results, though? I found my eyebrows to not be painful at ALL, but I don’t mind tweezing while I know others find it can hurt.
Wow, they came out really great. I wanna try it! I wonder if you’d even need to fill them in when you do “work safe”/day looks, as they look pleasantly dramatic on their own? lucky. SO nice!
Hey Carrie!
They look pretty good on their own now – definitely look at least semi-groomed without filling them in. I’ve always liked a filled in brow, so I tend to do that even on my low-key days. But I LOVE that I don’t feel compelled to fill them in now!
Great result! For your brows, does the person trim them too? Or only thread the edges? I’m just curious bc if that result was only from threading, I’m impressed, I didn’t know threading could give such precise results! You look perfect!
Hey Kella! I believe she trimmed a little bit, but maybe only one or two snips total.
Thanks!
Hey, I have been getting my face threaded twice a month (when i can afford it, of course!) for the past 4+ years, and I love it! The sideburns definitely do hurt like hell, but the outcome is so great that I can’t stop doing it. makeup definitely goes on nicer with a threaded face, that’s for sure! By the way, I think it hurts less when the hairs are shorter (but still long enough to thread off).
Hey Claudia!
That’s what I was thinking – if I go in when the sideburns are just coming in, it may not hurt as much, LOL.
i love your eyebrows now, they look a slightly thicker at the ends, looks so natural and beautiful. i just love natural brows. i’ve never tried threading but i think i could try that than waxing, waxing seems to make the area that was waxed like 2 to 3 shades lighter, looked so weird on me. tried it once, never want to do that again that’s why i tweeze.
Hey Victoria!
Thanks! I’ve always tweezed, too, and for the most part, I’ll continue to do so. Now that I have the shape I want, it should be easier to keep up with it!
Very nice. I’ve never been threaded, but now I see what all of the fuss is about.
Thanks!
I’ve always liked the look, and I feel like I belong to a club of groomed ‘brows now, LOL.
Everytime I get my eyebrows threaded, I immidiately get compliments, from family/friends, at work, even while shopping. I looove it!
YES, that happened to me, too 😀
I’ve been threading since a couple of months ago and I love it! Is the best thing I’ve done to my brows.. It doesn’t hurt that much and is faster and cleaner that waxing.
LOVE IT! I recommend it to everybody.
Nice! 😀 Do you thread the whole face or just a few places?
Here in the UK, threading is the norm and is the best way to get your eyebrows done
Lucky! You must have dozens of places that do it!
Heyy Christine!!! Its good that you tried threading. It’s an awesome method for hair removal!! And your eye-brows look perfect!
I’m used to threading since I was 16 or even before but my friend, who’s an Arab, tells me that if you have a sensitive skin it’s always safer not to do your sideburns because you’ll break out in that area!! Please tell me your findings!!
Hey Ashley! You know, I found I did break out a bit on my cheeks, though not my sideburns. Not sure what I’m going to do about that – might have to skip full-face threading and just do upper lip and brows.
Where did you get them done? I’ve always been skeptical about having people touch my brows but your were done perfectly.
I’m in California, too. Bay Area.
Definitely go to M&M in Berkeley. It’s on University, right below Milvia. Super cheap, super clean … it’s a great thread salon!
Thank you so much
Aw, wish it was closer!
Deepa the Threading Queen – if you google it, it should come up!
I love getting my brows threaded too!
At times, I have the lady doing it thread the entire face coz of the tiny fine baby hairs I have around the sideurn and upper lip areas.
Thing is this, 3-4 days post threading, the entire face except for the brows breakout. I have sensitive skin. Any creams, solutions that anyone might have to prevent this?
It seems like I broke out a bit on my cheeks, and I think it might have been from that (I was having several weeks of GOOD skin, so it seemed odd that all of a sudden…). No clue, though, how to fix it 🙁
How odd!!! I just checked the site after a few weeks away and I see this. I had my eyebrows threaded for the first time ever yesterday. I usually get them waxed, but I’m so impressed with my brows I’m definitely switching.
I know people say it hurts less, but it hurt me pretty badly! Not as much as waxing, granted, but it still hurt. I will never look at cotton thread the same way ;-;
Aww!! It can hurt – it’s not a painless hair removal technique, but I’ve always heard people say it hurts less than waxing, so at least there’s that!
I just had my face thread two weeks ago for the first time and I was really happy with the results, the sideburns hurt a lot but aside from that it was rather pain free , no more than waxing and easier on my skin
Awesome! Glad you had a chance to try it. Good to know I’m not the only one who felt sideburns were owwwie!
wow $30! 😐 I don’t know, maybe because there isn’t a lot of people who do it there, but in Toronto the most you pay for full face threading is $12! But then again, there are hundreds of Indian salons who do it here.
Here’s a threading tutorial that can be used on yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q7NoDdPW3Y
Yeah… I didn’t find many places that looked like they did it hear, unfortunately.
Mathusha,
could you recommend a place in Toronto for eyebrow threading? preferably somewhere in the downtown core i.e around Yonge&Bloor/College/Dundas?
I love threading! I use to wax, but threading is so much cleaner and far less painful.
But how did you thread on your own? I’m assuming you didn’t thread your brows, because personal experience tells me that it’s a team effort to pull the skin taut and then slide the thread along.
Lots of threading fans 🙂
Hi Christine. I go up to Northern California at least twice a year for family occasions… do you mind sharing where you got your eyebrows threaded (in the event that I’m up there).. Please share! Thanks
Hi Amy! Look up Deepa the Threading Queen 🙂
I’ve been threading my upper lip for a good 5 years now. my eyebrows since probably around the same time. I can never feel any pain on my upper lips, but my eyebrows HURT!! I also have very fine hair on my face that I have threaded before- but it always makes me break out on my cheeks and everywhere I do it except for my upper lip and my eyebrow.. HUFF!!
My cheeks broke out too 🙁
I had mine done at my local mall here (yes, in Wisconsin) and I must say I’m a lil baby!! On pain level it was FARRRRR from pleasant but I loved my brows afterwards
Hey Valecia! Sorry to hear it was so painful. Does it hurt when you just tweeze your brows?
YOur Brows look well groomed!
Honestly, I tried threading and it didn’t work for me, the lady took way too much hair off the ends. I had to wait for my brows to grow back to get a fresh wax.
B/cos of this experience, I haven’t tried it since then. I’m fearful of trying of it again, not that I wouldn’t but I’m really hesitant as a result.
Oh no! Maybe you should ask around and find someone that’s highly recommended near you. It could have just been someone who wasn’t good at it 🙁
Thanks Christine, Makes perfect sense, I will def. ask around.
i have started threading the past 6months now. I love it…I actually switched due to the sanitary factor but I also heard that waxing repeatly can increase wrinkles in the long run….is that true? I still love threading better anyway. =)
I’m so glad you’re liking threading! I don’t know if waxing causes wrinkles, but anything that stretches and pulls at your skin can.
hi! 30usd for threading?? omg. that’s a rip off! here in singapore, we pay less than 6usd for threading!
Not many places around here do it, so I guess that’s why.
I love getting my eyebrows threaded! I always used to wax them in the past but the “indian Style” really gives you a nice look and I think it’s way more sanitary. I haven’t tried my upper lip but i think i will.
I live in Ny so there are a ton of places and i’ve been seeing alot in the mall lately and in hair salons.
You’re lucky to have so many places near you who do it!
The only down fall is the hair grows faster when threading vs waxing. It’s still worth it though :O)
Does it? I didn’t know that! I thought they would be about the same.