| Threading is an ancient form of hair | | | | threaded my daughter's upper lip. I was |
| removal that is still widely practiced | | | | able to see for myself how threading |
| by many people in the Eastern part of | | | | works. As the thread was twisted and |
| the world. The very first time I had | | | | pulled along my daughter's upper lip, I |
| threading done on my face was when I was | | | | saw how each hair was snagged in the |
| preparing for my wedding day. There was | | | | crisscross of the threads and lifted |
| the final dress fitting, choosing the | | | | from the roots. I could see tears |
| flowers for my wedding bouquet, choosing | | | | spring up in my daughter's eyes. But my |
| the kind of makeup, picking a hair style | | | | daughter bravely put up with the |
| and all the many, many things that a | | | | threading and was very, very pleased |
| bride needed to prepare for the big day. | | | | with the result. Threading removed the |
| At the beauty salon, the hair stylist | | | | hairs from the roots, and did not harm |
| makeup artist recommended that I had my | | | | her skin at all. She was only a little |
| whole face threaded so that the makeup | | | | red for a few minutes. |
| would stay on better. In spite of being | | | | In countries such as Taiwan and India, |
| an Asian, it was the first time I've | | | | you can find women sitting on stools at |
| heard of threading. At this time, I | | | | street corners, just like any other |
| really did not have much facial hair to | | | | street vendor, offering threading |
| speak of, but I gave it a try. The | | | | services. Threading is so cheap and |
| makeup artist pulled out a length of | | | | very common there. |
| cotton thread, and started to twist it | | | | Here in the United States, it's not as |
| around her fingers and held one end with | | | | easy to find a beauty salon that offers |
| her teeth! Then she started to twist | | | | hair threading services. Americans are |
| the thread over my face. I felt the | | | | more familiar with waxing, shaving, |
| thread running back and forth over my | | | | bleaching and depilatory creams. Many |
| face, pulling out whatever peach fuzz I | | | | Asians come to the U.S. thinking they |
| may have had. I did not think it was | | | | can find threading in any salon, but |
| painful at all. It was the one and only | | | | find to their surprise and dismay that |
| time I had my face threaded. | | | | threading is almost unheard of. In big |
| Since then, I have had my upper lip | | | | cosmopolitan cities like New York, |
| waxed at a salon, as well as using home | | | | Chicago or LA, you can find some salons |
| kits. I've bleached, plucked and | | | | that offer threading. In smaller |
| tweezed. I've even used depilatory | | | | cities, you're out of luck. |
| creams. All of these methods have been | | | | We live in one of the Midwestern states, |
| successful up to a point. With waxing, | | | | and threading is not easily available |
| it does not pull out every strand of | | | | here. Every time my daughter needed her |
| hair. Sometimes, a couple needed to be | | | | upper lip threaded, I had to call my |
| plucked or tweezed. Depilatory creams | | | | friend. She was very happy to do it for |
| and bleaches were painful for me as I | | | | us, but I still felt that we were |
| could feel them burning on my skin, | | | | imposing on her. So we looked around for |
| leaving me red and raw. Now twenty years | | | | other options and finally found a |
| later, I started to look into threading | | | | product from The product, Epicare, is |
| again. But not for myself, rather for | | | | a pencil-sized device that picks up on |
| my pre-adolescent daughter who was | | | | the same principle of threading. However |
| starting to be conscious of what little | | | | threading expertise is not needed as no |
| facial hair she had. She wanted it | | | | thread is required. It is actually made |
| bleached, or waxed or to use a | | | | up of a spring which pulls hair from the |
| depilatory cream. Knowing that her skin | | | | roots by snagging the hairs in the coils |
| is super sensitive because of her age, I | | | | of the spring. It is very safe and |
| did not want to subject her skin to any | | | | natural as there are no chemicals |
| harsh chemicals. A friend from India | | | | involved and therefore, perfect for my |
| suggested that I had her face threaded. | | | | daughter's sensitive skin. |
| This friend came over to our house and | | | | |