Let’s face it– we all have unwanted facial hair. While this topic may seem uncomfortable to talk about, as an Indian girl who has been chastised for facial hair since age 12, hair removal has been a part of my life for a long time. I have truly tried everything and like to think of myself as a residential expert. So, let me take you through the most common forms of facial hair removal and explain why threading is your best option.
There are two types of hair removal– permanent and temporary. For permanent, laser hair removal is one of the only options right now. While lasering seems to be all the rage, there are a couple of important drawbacks which explain why it is inferior. For starters, lasering is very expensive. This is out of most college students’ budget, making it impractical. Additionally, lasering usually lightens hair and reduces hair growth over time, but it does not work for everyone. If you are shelling out this kind of cash for no results, this can be incredibly frustrating. And, if you have darker skin with darker hair, forget about it. The laser can have trouble telling the difference between the two and, as you can probably imagine, the results can be frightening.
Now, let’s move to the more common forms of temporary facial hair removal. Waxing and sugaring are relatively similar, although sugaring claims to be better due to the usage of ‘natural’ ingredients. That being said, it is still ripping the hair out of your body, so keep that in mind. Additionally, if you are using any products that have retinol (a common ingredient used to treat acne), waxing or sugaring will severely burn your face. My sister has made the mistake of not reading her product list before a wax appointment and, let’s just say… it was not pretty.
Depilatory creams are also another form of temporary facial hair removal. While some burn off the hair, others just chemically lighten it. For obvious reasons, the chemicals in those creams are very bad for your skin and if you have acne prone skin (like me), they can wreak havoc on your face. Additionally, while waxing, sugaring, and threading completely remove the entire hair strand, creams just burn or lighten the top of the hair strand above the surface. Overall, this is an option I would completely stay away from. In general, putting strong chemicals on your face is a no-go.
While it is less common for women to shave their faces, I do know women who do. I would stay away from this option for two reasons. One, shaving only removes the top layer of the hair strand rather than taking the entire hair strand out. Second, as you might know, if you shave another part of your body, shaving creates stubble which can be relatively unattractive on your face, depending on who you talk to.
I would argue that plucking is the second-best form of facial hair removal. It completely removes the hair strand, which prevents ingrown hairs. It is better for those who have acne-prone skin and it is inexpensive, especially if you do it yourself. So, what’s the problem? Well, if you have very thick hair (like I do) or do not want to spend hours picking at your face, I would not recommend. Plucking is tedious and I am a busy woman who doesn’t have time for it! So plucking, I give you props, but threading is still better.
Now, time for the holy grail of hair removal: threading. Think of threading like a rapid-fire version of plucking. While it is more expensive than plucking, it saves time and as my mother always said, “Time is Money.” Additionally, you can get threading done if you are using retinol products which is amazing. Also, threading completely removes the hair strand, and is good for acne-prone skin.
I switched from waxing to threading 3 years ago when my dermatologist prescribed me products which had retinol in them, and have not regretted my decision since. While threading can be a bit painful, beauty is pain my lovelies. If you want eyebrows so sharp they could cut someone, threading should be your go-to.
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