Threading (grooming)

From Susan's Place Transgender Wiki

Threading is an ancient hair removal process that is in wide use today especially in the Middle east and Asia. It is called khite in Arabic and fatlah in Egyptian. The procedure is less commonplace in Western nations. Threading removes hair at the root and is primarily used on facial hair. As threading is widely used by both men and women it appears to be free of any gender bias.

A professional threading procedure in the west costs approximately $40 for a full face, $15 for the upper lip, and as low as $5 for eyebrows.

[edit] Historical use

The origins of threading are unclear with various claims of origination being made from Egypt to China and all points in between. The practice is still common throughout in the Middle East and India, where it has been a standard method of facial hair removal for centuries and is still in widespread use today.

[edit] Advantages

Fast
Neat
Less painful than some other hair removal methods
Results can last up to two to four weeks
Good for eyebrows and facial hair
Inexpensive
The top layers of skin are not traumatized

Threading is a great option for those using Retin-A, Accutane, and similar products which is contraindicated by many other hair removal methods

[edit] Disadvantages

It can hard to find a professional practitioner outside large cities
Threading can be painful
Can cause skin irritation especially with severe acne
Skin often itches after a threading session
Side effects can include folliculitis, a bacterial infection in the hair follicles
Can cause changes in skin pigmentation

[edit] Method

The practitioner holds one end of the cotton thread their teeth and holds the other generally in their left hand. The middle is looped through the index and middle fingers of the right hand. They then use the loop to trap unwanted hairs and pull them from the skin. There are devices that can be purchased which are used to hold the thread.

[edit] A personal experience

The very first time I had threading done on my face was when I was preparing for my wedding day. There was the final dress fitting, choosing the flowers for my wedding bouquet, choosing the kind of makeup, picking a hair style and all the many, many things that a bride needed to prepare for the big day. At the beauty salon, the hair stylist/makeup artist recommended that I had my whole face threaded so that the makeup would stay on better. In spite of being an Asian, it was the first time I’ve heard of threading. At this time, I really did not have much facial hair to speak of, but I gave it a try. The makeup artist pulled out a length of cotton thread, and started to twist it around her fingers and held one end with her teeth! Then she started to twist the thread over my face. I felt the thread running back and forth over my face, pulling out whatever peach fuzz I may have had. I did not think it was painful at all. It was the one and only time I had my face threaded.

Since then, I have had my upper lip waxed at a salon, as well as using home kits. I’ve bleached, plucked and tweezed. I’ve even used depilatory creams. All of these methods have been successful up to a point. With waxing, it does not pull out every strand of hair. Sometimes, a couple needed to be plucked or tweezed. Depilatory creams and bleaches were painful for me as I could feel them burning on my skin, leaving me red and raw. Now twenty years later, I started to look into threading again. But not for myself, rather for my pre-adolescent daughter who was starting to be conscious of what little facial hair she had. She wanted it bleached, or waxed or to use a depilatory cream. Knowing that her skin is super sensitive because of her age, I did not want to subject her skin to any harsh chemicals. A friend from India suggested that I had her face threaded. This friend came over to our house and threaded my daughter’s upper lip. I was able to see for myself how threading works. As the thread was twisted and pulled along my daughter’s upper lip, I saw how each hair was snagged in the crisscross of the threads and lifted from the roots. I could see tears spring up in my daughter’s eyes. But my daughter bravely put up with the threading and was very, very pleased with the result. Threading removed the hairs from the roots, and did not harm her skin at all. She was only a little red for a few minutes.

by Christina Tsu-Roberts

[edit] Government regulation

Many places require a commercial practitioner to have a cosmetologist or aesthetician's license in order to offer hair removal services. These requirements often include threading.

[edit] External links

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