What is Waxing?

Waxing is the process of removing unwanted hair using wax. Every part of the body can be waxed, including brows, under arms, bikini line, legs and many more areas!

Wax is applied with a wooden disposable stick to the area of skin where unwanted hair is growing. A paper or cotton strip is placed over the wax and pressed down firmly, the wax sticks to the strip, and is pulled off in the direction of the hair growth, pulling the hairs which are stuck in the wax out at the  follicle - leaving the skin free of any unwanted hairs

There is also a different type of wax called 'hot wax' which is applied in the same way, with a disposable wooden stick, but left to cool and harden which grips unwanted hair.  However instead of using a strip, the hardened wax itself is pulled off.
This is a little more gentle as oil is applied first, creating a layer between your skin and the wax, so only the hair is removed and not the top layer of your skin.

What is Threading?

A piece of thread, that is specially coated with anti-bacterial wax, is twisted in the hands of the brow artist, to create a mini-lasso.  The thread is moved in such a way to remove hairs directly from the follicle resulting in a well-shaped brow. You will be asked to pull your skin around the eyebrow with your fingers, so the skin is held tight to avoid cuts and easy removal of hair.

Pros

• Easy to define the shape of the brows
• Less irritating as it has little contact with the skin, so a better choice for sensitive skin type
• No chance of burning
• More precise, natural-looking shape

Cons

• It can be painful
• Takes longer than waxing
• It's difficult to remove light/fine hairs
• Holding the skin tightly can be irritating
• Can cause cuts on the skin if it’s not pulled tightly enough
• It may cause redness on the skin
• It's tough work for the client to keep the skin pulled so tight each time - you can nick the skin and cut it if the skin is not pulled tight enough!
• Depending on your eye and nose shape, some areas can be difficult to thread and may need additional tweezing to perfect.
  

What lasts longer: waxing or threading?

In reality, results from waxing and eyebrow threading both last the same amount of time due to the hairs being removed from the follicles.  The average is 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how fast your hair grows. 

Does waxing or threading hurt more?

Ultimately, pain level varies by person to person.

Waxing happens all at once, so it is quicker, but your brows may be more tender for a couple of hours after your wax. With threading, the procedure takes longer, so you may be more uncomfortable during the procedure, but have little to no pain after you leave the salon. 

If you are concerned about pain when it comes to waxing or threading, talk to your brow artist about which method is best for you. A soothing oil, normally containing aloe vera, is applied after hair removal which helps calm the pain.

What should I do before getting my eyebrows waxed or threaded?

Whether it’s threading or waxing, it’s a good idea to have cleaned your skin beforehand, removing any traces of make-up. Having your eyebrows threaded or waxed when there is dirt or oil build-up can lead to post-treatment pimples. A trained beautician will ensure your skin is clean before starting.

Don’t apply make-up or products immediately afterwards, as this can easily get into and clog the opened follicles.

We also usually advise that you avoid the sun or sunbeds for a day before plucking, waxing or threading, as well as the day afterwards. Sun exposure can make your skin more sensitive.

Some women also find that it’s worth avoiding eyebrow sessions around their period because the hormones can make their skin more sensitive.

Is threading or waxing safer for your brows?

Threading and waxing are both safe for your brows as long as the brow artist uses the correct technique. In both methods, the beauty therapist pulls hair directly from the root, compared to shaving which cuts the hair at the skin’s surface. This means the main risk for your brows with both waxing and threading is the risk of ingrowing hairs. This is a possibility with either method if done incorrectly. To avoid this, ensure you follow aftercare. 

Waxing Vs Threading - The Verdict

Waxing is perfect to achieve a sharp shape, and is quick and instant.  Its also great for people with fine, fluffy hair as it will remove even super light hairs.

Threading is great if you have strong, thick dark hair, or if you have sensitive skin or recently had skin peels or on medication that would prevent you from having waxing.

Choosing between the two is really about personal preference as both provide fantastic results.

You can try both and see which you prefer.

What about other alternatives?

There are many other hair removal alternatives to these two methods. They all have their pros and cons as well, but it ultimately depends on your personal preference. 

Shaving / Dermaplaning

The area of skin underneath the brow is more sensitive than other areas we usually shave, since it’s thinner and lies directly on the brow bone. This means there’s an increased risk of nicks, cuts, and bleeding.

Using a blade, you’re cutting the hair at the surface where it breaks through the skin. You’ll see stubble very quickly, because you’re not removing the hair in its entirety, the hairs are likely to be spiky and grow directly out of the skin, instead of laying flat, which may cause an unnatural look.

Unshaven hair also has a finer, blunter tip. So, when you experience hair regrowth, you usually see the coarser base.  However you are not damaging the hair follicle, so they will grow back quickly for a short term re-shape.

Laser hair removal

A light pulses down the hair shaft that destroys the hair follicle and root so hair can no longer grow in the area. It requires 6-10 sessions over several months, then regular top up sessions and doesn't guarantee total hair removal but you should see a significant reduction in hair growth.  It is much more beneficial for fair skin and darker hair.  You should also remove hair from the root during the sessions, so are limited to shaving throughout the duration of your laser hair removal sessions.

Tweezing

Tweezing is the process of removing single hairs from the root one at a time. Pros to this method include the fact that it is low-cost and can be done from home. The process can, however, be long and painful, especially if not done correctly.

DIY or Pro?

You can certainly remove brow hair yourself, but if you do, try and only remove hair once every few weeks, instead of a few each day or when you notice them. The reason for this is because it can cause the hair to continually grow at different times, causing a constantly untidy brow and risk over plucking and not achieving the eyebrow shape you intended. 

A beauty therapist specialising in brow artistry will also be much more skilled and realistic on helping you achieve the most out of your brows to suit your face shape.