Threading (epilation)

In threading, a thin cotton or polyester thread is doubled, then twisted. It is then rolled over areas of unwanted hair, plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing, where single hairs are pulled out one at a time, threading can remove short rows of hair.

Advantages cited for eyebrow threading, as opposed to eyebrow waxing, include that it provides more precise control in shaping eyebrows, and that it is gentler on the skin. A disadvantage is that it can be painful, as several hairs are removed at once; however, it can be minimized if done correctly, i.e. with the right pressure.{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/sep/25/fashion.beauty1?INTCMP=SRCH | title=Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion | publisher=The Guardian | work=Does it work? Vaishaly Patel's eyebrow threading | date=25 September 2004 | access-date=December 10, 2011 | author=Cartner-Morley, Jess}}

File:Man having his eyebrows threaded for the first time.webm

There are different techniques for threading: the hand method, mouth method, and neck method. Each technique has advantages and disadvantages; however, the mouth method is the fastest and most precise.{{Cite news|url=https://www.browsbyval.com/ultimate-guide-eyebrow-threading|title=The Complete Guide to Eyebrow Threading|work=Brows by Val|access-date=2018-11-17|language=en-US}}

Threading allows for a more defined and precise shape and can create better definition for eyebrows. It is also used as a method of removing unwanted hair on the entire face and upper lip area. Threading is not a good method for removing hair on arms or legs, as the hair in those regions is typically quite coarse and there is too much to remove.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Eyebrow threading is a centuries-old technique that began in the Middle East and South Asia.{{Cite news |last=Afshar |first=Paradise |title=Eyebrow threading holds cultural significance for South Asians, Middle Easterners |language=English |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/eyebrow-threading-holds-cultural-significance-for-south-asians-middle-easterners/5Q627KYPYJAVJMCSTKOBWOAGFA/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |issn=1539-7459}}{{Cite web |date=2022-08-23 |title=OK, So Brow Threading Actually Isn't *That* Painful |url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/a40910061/what-is-eyebrow-threading/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=Women's Health |language=en-us}} In some countries, it signified rites of passages such as preparation for marriage.{{Cite web |last=Molvi |first=Fareeha |date=2021-05-08 |title=How South Asian-owned threading salons in the US became a space for community |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/threading-salons-south-asian-americans-hyphenated/index.html |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=CNN |language=en}}

Threading became popular in the United States beginning in the late 1980s, when immigrants from these countries began setting up threading studios in large American cities. It has increased in popularity since then.{{Cite journal |last1=Litak |first1=Jason |last2=Krunic |first2=Aleksandar L. |last3=Antonijevic |first3=Sasha |last4=Pouryazdanparast |first4=Pedram |last5=Gerami |first5=Pedram |date=2011-06-28 |title=Eyebrow Epilation by Threading: An Increasingly Popular Procedure With Some Less-Popular Outcomes—A Comprehensive Review |url=https://journals.lww.com/dermatologicsurgery/Abstract/2011/06280/Eyebrow_Epilation_by_Threading__An_Increasingly.26.aspx |journal=Dermatologic Surgery |language=en-US |volume=37 |issue=7 |pages=1051–1054 |doi=10.1111/j.1524-4725.2011.02016.x |pmid=21585596 |issn=1076-0512|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite web |last=Aycock |first=Cathi |title=Is threading better than Botox? |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/life/shopping/shopping-diva/2014/05/23/threading-nashville-eyebrow-wax-shopping/9512607/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}} According to The Guardian, in the United Kingdom, online searches for threading services increased by 50% in 2015.{{Cite web |last=Cochrane |first=Lauren |date=2016-09-27 |title=How brows became the beauty obsession of the decade |url=http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/sep/27/brows-beauty-obsession-eyebrow-grooming-cara-delevingne |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite journal | last1 = Verma | first1 = S. B. | title = Eyebrow threading: A popular hair-removal procedure and its seldom-discussed complications | doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2008.02920.x | journal = Clinical and Experimental Dermatology | volume = 34 | issue = 3 | pages = 363–365 | year = 2009 | pmid = 19021633| s2cid = 29042041 }}
• {{Cite journal | last1 = Litak | first1 = J. | last2 = Krunic | first2 = A. L. | last3 = Antonijevic | first3 = S. | last4 = Pouryazdanparast | first4 = P. | last5 = Gerami | first5 = P. | title = Eyebrow Epilation by Threading: An Increasingly Popular Procedure with Some Less-Popular Outcomes—A Comprehensive Review | doi = 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2011.02016.x | journal = Dermatologic Surgery | volume = 37 | issue = 7 | pages = 1051–1054 | year = 2011 | pmid = 21585596}}
• {{Cite journal | last1 = Abdel-Gawad | first1 = M. | last2 = Abdel-Hamid | first2 = I. | last3 = Wagner | first3 = R. | doi = 10.1046/j.1365-4362.1997.00189.x | title = Khite: A non-Western technique for temporary hair removal | journal = International Journal of Dermatology | volume = 36 | issue = 3 | pages = 217 | year = 1997 | pmid = 9159010| s2cid = 38808124 }}

• [https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/threading-salons-south-asian-americans-hyphenated/index.html How South Asian-owned threading salons in the US became a space for community], CNN, 2021

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Category:Hair removal