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Should You Wax or Thread? Well, I Tried Both and Here’s What Happened

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCD chapter.

Because I’m always on the quest for amazing eyebrows (mine are the bushy, flat kind) and because #YOLO, I decided to recently try both waxing and, later, threading my eyebrows.

This research experiment, if you will, provided me with pros and cons for both types of hair removal and, yes, even a favorite between the two. So, behold, my (hopefully) helpful guide to waxing and threading:

Waxing

Because I went to get my eyebrows waxed first (and because it was my first hair removal experience ever), I didn’t know what to expect. Luckily, I had a free waxing certificate for a local waxing salon in my hometown, so I knew that if I didn’t like waxing, there wouldn’t be much of a loss for me other than a tip.

My time in the salon was outstanding. Although it took some time, I loved that I had so much time with the person who was waxing me (the waxer?). She was able to talk with me, take her time to style and wax my eyebrows, and to make sure that I was comfortable. Plus, the room was very secluded and Zen (she had Himalayan pink salt rocks and candles lit), which made me feel even more comfortable.

The actual act of her waxing me was barely painful, too! What’s even better? She rubbed soothing oils all around my eyebrows, which made everything nice and soft.

The cons, though? I immediately and HORRIBLY broke out all around my eyebrows and on part of my forehead. I was expecting this a bit because, as I had learned prior to this experience, waxing takes off a small layer of skin along with the hair. Subsequently, any bacteria that gets into the pores often and almost assuredly makes little pimples (because there is very little to protect the skin).

Needless to say, I was conflicted about my first waxing experience. So, I turned to threading.

Threading

I’ll just come out and say it: I loved having my eyebrows threaded!

Sure, it didn’t have the same ambience as when I had gotten a wax (the threading shop had multiple people in one main room), but the process was much shorter, it was about half the price as a normal wax, and I felt that my eyebrows looked much cleaner than they had when I had gotten waxed.

However, it did hurt quite a bit. So if you have a lower pain tolerance, just be aware that your eyes may start watering and that the experience may be a bit more uncomfortable. Plus, when I had gotten my eyebrows threaded, the woman (the threader?) never made sure that I was comfortable. Honestly, she kind of just went for it and didn’t stop until she was done — but, that was also the reason that I was in and out of the chair in about five minutes or less.

In conclusion, I personally prefer getting my eyebrows threaded over being waxed. So, if you’re curious, give it a try! I promise that you’ll be looking fierce AND keep within your budget.

Melissa is currently an English major at the University of California, Davis and, in addition to this, she is pursuing a minor in Economics. Melissa currently has a part-time job on campus in addition to writing for hercampus.com. You can follow her on instagram at melissa_hosking
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