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- According to this eyebrow expert, threading isn't difficult, it just needs practice.
- If you have sensitive skin, try aloe gel, rose gel, ice or cold water if you turn red while threading.
- Unless you really know what you're doing, don't try this on your face.
With beauty salons across the world currently closed, those who usually trust a professional to thread their eyebrows are finding they have to learn how to do it at home.
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Sabah Feroz, an eyebrow expert, has been threading eyebrows for about 20 years and says it isn't hard, "You just need more practice in shaping brows".
Sabah gives the following guide to threading your brows at home.
What you'll need
Thread: She says you can use any type of thread, she opts for a normal sewing thread.
Brow brush: If you don't have a tamer, i.e., a brow brush, you can also use a toothbrush to brush your brows up, says Sabah, this way you see more of your defined shape to your brows and you know which hair to pull out.
Angled scissors: You do need scissors to trim your brows, she uses slightly angled nail scissors. "A lot of people have really long hair so I suggest they brush their brows and then trim those hairs."
READ MORE: 6 DIY hair and beauty treatment skills you shouldn't be intimidated to master during lockdown
Powder: If your skin is oily or if you're sweaty, it's best to apply powder as it makes it easier to thread the hair and keeps your skin dry.
Brow pencil: You use the pencil not to fill in the brows but to follow your natural shape and outline your brows, this guides you with what area not to touch. Sabah says, "Don't remove any hair close to the shape, especially because we're just learning."
How to hold the thread
The length of the thread depends on how long your fingers are, a general guide is 25 - 30 centimeters.
Tie the ends of the thread in a knot, then have the thread around your hands and twist. Make sure the knot is in between your fingers or in your hands. Then you should be left with an x-shape. For a visual to guide you, watch the video above.
READ MORE: Threading is not just for your eyebrows but for peach fuzz too
Threading technique
Thread the opposite direction of where the hair is facing — if your hair is facing right, then you go left and vice versa. "You put the 'v' in the direction where the hair is facing and then you move your hands like scissors," says Sabah. Start with the obvious hair that is not close to your shape — try not to pull your skin.
After care
"If you have sensitive skin you do tend to get red because your hair is being pulled, so, if you have aloe gel or rose gel or even, if you have none of these stuff, you can also use ice or rinse your face with cold water and the red will go down in [a] few minutes," says Sabah.
A final word from Sabah: "Don't try this on your face unless you really know what you're doing, especially with the threading. Practice on someone before you do your own eyebrows, and if you can't do it stick to tweezing or go to a professional."
Compiled by Phelokazi Mbude
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