Eyebrow Threading vs Waxing: How to Choose for Your Brows
Eyebrow threading and waxing both pull hair out at the root, and either one keeps brows tidy for about the same few weeks. The difference between them shows up on the skin and in the skin care routine.
Threading is the easier start for anyone on retinol or a prescription retinoid, or for skin that has gone red after wax before. Wax makes sense when time is short and the skin handles it without a fuss. Plan on 3-4 weeks between visits with either one.
How threading and waxing remove brow hair
Threading came to US studios in the late 1980s from South Asia and the Middle East. A specialist doubles a cotton thread, twists it and rolls the twist along the brow line. Each pass lifts a short row of hairs from the follicle. Nothing at all goes on the skin. Because the thread takes small rows instead of a whole patch, the specialist can follow the shape of the brow closely.
Wax takes a whole patch of hair at once. It needs some growth to grip, so when brows grow out unevenly, the shortest hairs stay put until next time.
Which one lasts longer?
Threading and waxing last about the same, because your own hair growth sets the schedule. With fast-growing brows you’ll be back for a tidy-up sooner either way. Wax adds one limit of its own. The hairs need to be back to at least 1/4 inch before it can grip them, so you can’t come in early to clean up a few strays.
Does threading hurt more than waxing?
How much either one hurts depends more on who’s doing it than on the method. Wax is one sharp pull. With thread you feel a quick series of small tugs as a few hairs come out at a time. A threader keeps the skin around the brow taut, which helps the hairs come out and may take some of the sting away. If a spot feels sharp, say so, and the specialist can ease the pressure.
Retinoids and other reasons to skip wax
Check retinoids before booking a face wax, and that includes over-the-counter retinol as well as prescription retinoids. Retinol leaves the skin barrier more delicate. A wax can then pull skin off along with the hair. That can leave abrasions, and in some cases infection or scarring. The American Academy of Dermatology advises stopping retinoids 2-5 days before a facial wax. After isotretinoin for acne, the advice is no wax for 6 months, and the same goes for very sensitive skin.
Thread has no adhesive, and nothing grips the skin while it works. The retinoid break is advice written for wax. Thread also tends to irritate less than other ways of removing hair, which makes it worth a look for skin that breaks out easily. Whichever you choose, tell your specialist about any prescription treatment.
Wax is quicker and covers more ground
Wax is faster, since thread has to work along the brow row by row. The rest of the face, upper lip included, is fair game for a threading specialist too, but the coarse hair on arms and legs isn’t a good match for thread. At South Miami Beach the wax menu runs from brows and lip down to underarms and full legs. If your skin stays calm after wax and you don’t use retinoids, go with whichever fits your schedule.
What to ask before either appointment
Ask whether there’s a new thread for every client. Dermatologists have written up warts and molluscum contagiosum (small, contagious skin bumps) spreading through salon threading. One report covered 8 people who developed molluscum around their brows.
Point out any warts you have before a threading session, too. In one reported case, a wart spread to the threaded area from another spot on the client’s own body. At MUSE we use a fresh single-use thread for every client.
With wax, ask how the temperature gets checked before it touches the brow. It should feel warm, and it shouldn’t hurt or burn.
Some brief redness can follow either method. The skin can also stay a little swollen or irritated for a while after wax. Redness or swelling after a wax that lasts more than 2 days is a reason to see a board-certified dermatologist, according to the AAD.
Brow appointments around Miami beach days
If a beach weekend ends in a sunburn, a brow wax booked for Monday will have to wait until the skin has healed.
Threading and the women’s brow wax are both on the menu at our beach salon on Collins Avenue. In Doral we do brow shaping and tinting. A brow shaping session takes 15-30 minutes, and our eyebrow threading page has the details by location.
Eyebrow threading in Miami
See the serviceQuestions we get asked
Can I thread or wax my brows while I'm using retinol?
Count back from your wax appointment and stop retinol early enough that the whole break falls before it, and mention any prescription treatment at reception.
Does threading catch fine, light hairs?
The soft, pale hairs around the brow come out with the thread too.
What are the red bumps after threading?
Those bumps can be irritated hair follicles. That's called folliculitis, and it's on the known list of threading side effects along with redness and changes in skin color. The same bumps can show up after wax. Both methods can also leave ingrown hairs, thread mostly when the technique is off. If the irritation doesn't settle, see a doctor.
Will my brows grow back thinner?
Tell your specialist before they start if you're growing your brows out, because wax can leave regrowth thinner over time.
Can men book a brow wax at MUSE?
Our South Miami Beach barbershop lists eyebrow waxing, plus nose and ear waxing. Ask when you book if you'd rather have your brows threaded.
