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