Eyebrows - Waxing vs Threading

WAXING VS THREADING

 In the West, it is normal to get your eyebrows waxed and all salons offer this treatment right? In the East it is very unlikely to even have eyebrow waxing as an option on a treatment list. It will always be Threading!

So I have put together a list of why I think Threading is FAR SUPERIOR to Waxing.

Waxing is:

1) More painful – Waxing is more painful than threading. Since threading only targets individual hairs, skin irritation is kept to a minimum, unlike waxing, which often causes unnecessary stretching and removal of the skin’s delicate top layers.

2) Not Perfect – Threading is very precise and allows to have a greater control than waxing, resulting in a better brow shape.

3) Not Natural – Threading is 100% natural; no artificial waxes, chemicals, or invasive techniques are used.

4) Anti-Acne – The majority of individuals that breakout from waxing tend to not to suffer the same effect from threading. Also, threading can be used for individuals who are currently using medications for acne-based skin conditions.

5) Harmful to the skin – Waxing can pull, stretch, and even remove the delicate skin on your face; eventually facilitating in the development of wrinkles! Threading does none of this!

6) Less safe - Threading is better for your skin. When you wax you not only pull the hair but also pull on the skin which is very delicate and after a while it will become'saggy'

7) Redness and no proper shape-Unlike threading, waxing makes the eye area red afterwards (for a longer period of time)and its painful and shaping is not as accurate. 

So, do you still want your eyebrows waxed? If you haven't tried Threading before, now would be a great time to start!

I have been shaping my own eyebrows since I was a teenager and waxing was NEVER an option to me!

Unwanted Facial Hair in Menopause

Unwanted facial hair will be different for every woman, e.g. a few hairs on the chin, growth on the upper lip or heavy and beard like. An increase in facial hair in Menopause is due to hormonal changes; namely the levels of Oestrogen and Testosterone. Some medications (and certain hormone replacement products) can also cause of the increased degree of facial hair.

However, you don't have to suffer in silence. As a woman ages, she will unfortunately find coarse, dark hairs emerging on areas of the face she never did before. In the past, waxing and plucking have been the method of choice for the removal of these unwanted hairs. However, waxing can increase the rate of ageing of the skin (which is the last thing you want!), and plucking can lead to hairs growing back thicker and can often lead to in-grown hairs.

As a result, many women are turning to techniques such as Threading as it is by far the safest and most effective way of removing unwanted hairs. It does not damage the skin as the hairs are removed and in time can often make the hair finer and more bearable (and less noticeable!). 

In my experience, threading is a safe, effective and a natural way of removing unwanted hair - regardless of age!

 

Getting Hairy in Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an amazing experience. The most noticeable difference (aside from your growing belly and bust!) is how your hair looks so healthy, shiny and fuller. For some though there is also a traumatic side to this new phenomenon; hair starts growing in places where you never had hair before!

The unwanted hair normally presents itself on: chin, upper lip, cheeks, neck, abdomen, breasts, and back. Never fear though... this hair usually disappears or greatly reduces once the baby is born. So why do you get more hairy? The main reason for this is hormones related to pregnancy. Androgens (aka sex hormones) and cortisone levels are increased in pregnancy. Pregnancy hormones rise sharply in the first trimester; which is probably when you will first start to notice the 'new' hair.

The hair is more noticeable in darker haired ladies and less so in fair haired ladies however, how self conscious one feels about this is individual. Most advise against the use of hair removal creams and bleaching agents during pregnancy - so threading the hair can be a great way to remove this unwanted hair - especially on your face as you can hide the rest! It is also important to note that during pregnancy, there is increased blood flow which generally means hair will grow back sooner and you may be more 'sensitive' to the sensation of hair removal.

Again, if threading is an option you are considering for removing this unwanted hair, it is well worth visiting a threading professional who has plenty of experience and preferably has had previous experience of threading pregnant ladies.

Threading and Wedding

It's been some weeks since my last post. Having been busy threading many bride and groom-to-be's and also having been to two wonderful weddings myself, I am going to keep with the wedding theme this blog.

Your wedding day is one of the single most important days of your  life. Particularly so for the bride. It's alot of pressure actually (having once been a bride myself) where you know as the bride, you will be the centre of attention the whole day as well as the talk of the entire wedding; both during and a long time after. So no wonder you want to look your best.

Since about April of this year, I have had an influx of 2011 bride/ groom-to-be's who want to 'sort out' their eyebrows and/or remove the unwanted facial hair in preparation for the big day. Some have never tried Threading before visiting me, and unsurprisingly, they are hooked after their first treatment! Many of them then refer their mothers, bridesmaids and other friends as a result - gosh what a compliment.

In my opinion, it's always good to start threading some months ahead of the big day - especially if you want to get a great shape to your eyebrows. Also, hair growth becomes finer with time, therefore you may find that where you were waxing/ plucking every 2 weeks, with long term threading, you may not need threading for 3-4-5 weeks or even longer (depending on the individual) - so you have lovely eyebrows and no noticeable facial hair during the honeymoon!

For those bride/ groom to-be's that are considering threading, I say - GO FOR IT but make sure you find a Threader who is qualified, insured and of course has a reputation for being good at what they do!

Online Appointment Booking!

I'm very excited to announce a the launch of my new appointment booking system on my website.

New and existing clients can view my availability and book treatments they wish to have using this tool. Of course, the 'Contact Me' page still exists so that those preferring to call or email me can do so. The booking system is ideal for those clients wishing to have a single treatment or a full face option. Those wishing to have multiple treatments e.g. eyebrows and upper lip are still recommended to contact me directly so that I can enter their appointment on to the system directly.

It's a fantastic new tool, which I hope will bode useful to clients.

I love technology!

Threading...Not Just for Women!

Increasingly, I have seen a rise in the number of male clients coming to me for threading. Threading is increasingly becoming a well known hair removal and eyebrow shaping method within female circles but its use is also becoming popular on men.

Threading has widely been used on men in Asia and Arabia for centuries and is now becoming a popular option in the West.

So what are men threading, I hear you ask...

...well... they tend to be areas alot of men secretly or not secretly pluck/ wax anyway!

• Eyebrows - those who have a monobrow and/or to define their exisitng shape to have a cleaner yet natural look (in most cases - there are some who like them highly shaped too!)
• Bridge of Nose - those who have excessive or dark hairs on their nose
• Cheeks - removing the hairs from the cheek area, can give the beard area more definition
• Ears - removal of hair from all areas of the outer ear (i.e. lobe)
• Forehead - usually those who shape their eyebrows will also commonly have the hair on their forehead removed or 'thinned' to give more definition to their eyebrows

Most of my male clients tell me that they often tell no one about the fact that they have threading done - this is often due to fears of being seen as vain, 'unmale' etc. I assure them that this is not the case at all! Infact about 25% of my client base are male! 

Although it is widely accepted for women to have perfectly shaped eyebrows and unwanted facial hair removed, often males who are known to also want the same, tend to face some prejudice.

Perhaps the fact that I am a home-based therapist rather than being on a high street or at a threading bar in the middle of a shopping centre is the reason why male clients feel more comfortable visiting me.

Either way, I just want to let those men who do remove those unwanted hairs (by whatever means they choose) know that, it is perfectly normal and welcome any comments from any male readers out there about the topic!

Unwanted Facial Hair/ Hirsutism

Lately, I have noticed an increase in the number of clients wanting their full face threaded, so I thought this would be a good time to blog about Hirsutism (excessive hair growth) or unwanted facial hair (UFH) in women.  

I am no doctor (ofcourse!) so much of the information below is written based on my own reading around the subject as well as my notes and books from my Homeopathy and Nutrition degrees.

Hirsutism affects approximately 1 in 10 women in the UK and is often embarrassing and distressing to most women; affecting their self esteem and confidence.

Symptoms can vary in their degree of severity, from:

•      A few individual hairs on the chin
•      A light growth on the upper lip
•      Fuzzy hair on the cheeks
•      Development of dark, coarse hair on the body and facial areas (chin, jaw, upperlip, sides of face etc.)

 

Causes:

• Idiopathic hirsutism:
• Genetic.
• Drug-induced hirsutism, e.g. anabolic steroids
• Ovarian causes:
• PCOS
• Menopause
• Some tumours which cause an increased productions of Androgens
• Adrenal causes:
• Adrenal Tumours, CAH, Cushing’s Syndrome
• Other causes include severe insulin resistance, Anorexia Nervosa, Hypothyroidism etc.

Treatments:

Some popular hair removal methods include:

• Plucking/Tweezing
• Waxing
• Shaving
• Threading
• Laser Hair removal
• Electrolysis

How can Threading help?

• It is neat and precise
• It can be used to shape the eyebrow from both the top and bottom
• The same area can be 'gone over' without irritating the skin
• It is kinder to the skin and no heat or chemicals are applied
• The flexibility of the thread allows the removal of hairs facing in different directions and in awkward places on the face
• Regrowth of hair in the threaded areas is finer, smoother and softer
• It is suitable for those with sensitive skin; where waxing is not an option
• It is considered by many to be less painful than other methods of hair removal
• Long term use of waxing can prematurely age and weaken the skin, threading barely touches the skin itself and 'grabs' the hair; pulling it out by the root
• Does not cause ingrown hairs.

Important note!

Facial hair is a very personal and individual issue; whereby hair on the upper-lip can be bothersome for some, may not be bothersome to others; so only You can decide if facial hair is unwanted! 


Useful sites:
http://facialhairremoval.ca/hirsutism/
http://www.hairremovalforum.com/laser-hair-removal-research/hirsutism-causes-treatments/135/
http://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/directory/h/hirsutism