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Eyebrow Shaping: The 411 on Threading

More and more modern salons are offering this centuries-old alternative to tweezing and waxing.

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By Shelley Levitt
WebMD the Magazine - Feature

Reviewed by Karyn Grossman, MD

With thick black eyebrows and a smattering of dark hairs on her cheeks, chin, and upper lip, Stephanie Maier, 43, has been on a decades-long journey, she says, to find the best way to keep her brows tidy and remove unwanted facial hair. "I've tried them all," says the Fort Myers, Fla., political consultant. "Sticky home waxing kits, smelly bleaches, agonizing plucking. Professional waxing seemed to work the best, and that was my standard ritual for years."

Then, in 2004, Maier was working in Afghanistan when she visited a local spa and encountered an eyebrow grooming method new to her: threading. A centuries-old technique with origins in the Middle East and South Asia, threading uses cotton thread to shape brows and whisk hair from other areas of the face. A threader twists a thread into a loop and rolls it against the skin, moving at lightning speed. The loop acts like a tiny lasso, pulling out hair by the roots.

Maier decided to give it a go. "It felt like someone was giving me hundreds of tiny pinches," she says. But the process took only a few minutes and when it was over, Maier had delicately arched brows, with not an errant hair in sight.

Benefits of Threading

Salons offering threading are popping up in cities across the country. If you're less than satisfied with your current method of brow shaping, this all-natural process might be worth a try. With threading, says Shobha Tummala, the owner of three threading studios in New York City, "you get both the expediency of waxing, because threading can remove multiple hairs at one time, and the precision of tweezing, because you can target individual hairs." And the results last about as long as waxing does: two to four weeks.

For people who use topical retinoids or acne medications, threading may be a safer alternative to waxing, which can sometimes take off layers of skin that have been thinned by those drugs, says Ellen Marmur, MD, associate professor and chief of dermatologic and cosmetic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center. She also notes that the hot temperature of wax can lead to hyperpigmentation (dark patches of skin), while tweezing can produce ingrown hairs. However, threading can cause ingrown hairs and small red bumps, too.

Maier now goes to a threading salon in a local mall once a month. "Yes, the first 60 seconds or so are uncomfortable, but you get used to it," she says, "and when it's over your skin is 100% smooth and hair-free."

Threading Tips

Want to give threading a try? Ellen Marmur, MD, and salon owner Shobha Tummala share tips for finding a pro who won't string you along.

String Safety. Choose a licensed cosmetologist, esthetician, or waxer. "Any tearing of skin can make you vulnerable to skin infections," Marmur says.

Speed and Cost. Eyebrow threading can cost anywhere from $5 to $40 and up. Look for someone who will spend at least 10 minutes shaping your brows, even if that means paying a bit more.

Clean Choice. Traditionally, a threader holds the thread between her teeth. In some places, such as California, where threading is regulated, it's illegal to hold thread in the mouth. Regulators deem that unsanitary. Some practitioners tie the thread around their neck. If you're concerned, you may want to look for the latter method.

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