This weekend we packed it up and went to the mall. There really isn’t much to do there. Hell, there isn’t even a Gymboree. Its like a wasted plot of land with crappy Alabama shops. If it didn’t have a Starbucks, it would be more like an indoor flea market.
So as I was walking back from the book store, I passed a little kiosk with about 12 people milling around staring at something. Anytime there is that big of a crowd, it makes me want to look too.
Could be something awesome like a dead body.
Or a hoedown.
As I approach I realize that they were surrounding two Indian women (as in from India, not American Indian) who were ‘threading’ someone’s eyebrows.
Now I understood the crowd. This was fascinating. They were taking normal thread off a spool and seamlessly removing hair. No wax, no drip, no plucking. Just thread. Even more spectacular, I couldn’t even see anyone wincing in pain as the hair is being removed. They were doing eyebrows, upper lip, nose.
NOSE for goodness sakes!!
(note to self: Thank God I don’t have nose hair)
Curiosity got the better of me and I thought “I haven’t gotten my eyebrows done in at least…..9 months….so I am going to do this”. It cannot be that bad.
If you don’t know what threading is, its an Indian created/perfected technique that combines two pieces of thread that pulls hair out of your face in one line. Its supposed to last several weeks longer than waxing and easier to shape your eyebrows since its done at one time, instead of in separate pieces. It also doesn’t leave you red or with ingrown hairs, etc.
Youtube it.
As I am sitting there waiting for my turn, the girl in front of me manages to lean up a little bit from her chair and MOUTH’S to me “THIS HURTS”.
Then she wipes a tear from her eye.
A TEAR.
That should have been some internal sign to RUN. I stayed. Apparently I am a glutton for punishment. Or stubborn. Probably both.
I have birthed a child, burned myself on a curling iron, gotten a paper cut. Surely I can handle this. I laugh at the face of Pain.
HA HA HA.
And judging from the hair under the pits of this girl, maybe she has thick coarse eyebrows. Speaking of that, seriously, shave your pits. I get if you missed a day or two, but one of the great freedoms of this country is to be hairless. Take advantage.
So the girl gets up, pays, and is on her way. I don’t get a chance to talk to her but her eyebrows look great. That’s enough convincing for me.
They gesture to the chair and I sit down and lean back. Some baby powder get soothed on my eyebrows.
So far so good.
Then she has me put one of my hands up to stretch my skin from the eyebrow line on the top and the other hand on the bottom. Basically I am pulling my own skin for her while she threads.
Then it starts.
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD.
Every piece of hair I can feel one by one ripping out from the follicle. Every piece.
Rip. Rip. Rip.
Pain is laughing at the face of me now.
Am I paying for this? Why did no one wince, scream out for mercy? I think they were possibly stunned into silence. And of course, here am I holding my skin in place for her to do it.
It’s like extra special pain when you are part of the torturing procedure.
Just when I thought this cannot possibly get worse, she starts threading my FOREHEAD. Do I have hair there? Why yes, yes I do. I can FEEL it being RIPPED out.
Crap, is it going to grow back BLACK now?
Chris said you can see the empty holes in my face where my hair used to be. I now know why it lasts longer…cause the hair is afraid to grow back.
The worst part of the whole thing is that they look great. Which means I can look forward to this every few months.
Fab.
I should have been a man.
~Trisha
It really does hurt – but I love the arch I get from threading that waxing just doesn’t do.
I have always wondered about this. It doesn’t look like it hurts but I thought I had heard that it does. I am glad I read your post so if I ever get brave enough to do it I will be prepared for the pain!
OMG I had this done like 3 weeks ago It didn’t hurt that bad but I am not so sure if i want to deal with it again LOL! I also got my upper lip done Now that shit hurt! The part i didnt like was EVERYONE would just stop and watch and come all up like they were crazy! They really need to get a more private location then Right in the middle of the mall LOL
You’re one brave gal from the description!
I’ve heard of this before, but never really looked into it.My eyebrow have basically disappeared from overplucking since I was a teen – therefore, I won’t have the opportunity to experience this great sensation!
Best Post EVER!!!!!!!!! OMG!! This is SOO funny, I JUST closed out of an email from my mom about this & then opened MomDot to see this!! LOL
I am dying, this was a perfect end to my night!!! I hope it was worth it, give an update with the regrowth/time it takes to heal, lol!
This reminds me of the Epilady. When I was in high school I begged my mom to get me one. I had a friend who had one and said it wasn’t so bad. By the time I did get one another friend & her brother (my boyfriend at the time) had told me how it worked and had me terrified. I never used it. I have been wanting to try threading and almost wish I hadn’t read your post. But it does explain why I never see anyone at those kiosks anymore. I may try it anyway. I birthed 3 kids, got my belly pierced twice (don’t ask), and have a tattoo, surely I can handle this. Maybe.
Just recently tried threading, and i am so scared to go back…but my eyebrows never looked better. The woes of being a woman!
I had this done in England. My friend told me it hurt less than waxing. We headed to the local mall and I sat down~~ugh if only I had known!!!! The first words out of my mouth as I got out of the chair were, “YOU are such a liar!!!
I am not sure what waxing experiences she had had, but they MUST have been bad if threading was less painful.
Tammy
I have done it before and it hurt so bad! I cried it hurt so much. It sounds painless but it’s not it is extremely painful! Never again!
OMG! I was totally going to do this today while at the mall with my 3 yr old. I saw your post but hadn’t read it yet. Good thing I didn’t do this while my daughter watched me cringe in pain! LOL
oh yeah, not for 3 year olds.
I LOVE this post – i was always curious as to whether threading was painless or pain-FUL…now i know! no shortcuts I guess… :sigh:
more like pick your poison!
Good Lord, I got my upper lip threaded and I thought I was going to DIE. It certainly made me cry.
ooh, that sounds terrible !!!!!!!!
I have VERY thick course eyebrow, that I have to pluck every day or two. Threading is the best for me, and lasts several weeks. Waxing only last a few days. I’ll take the few minutes of pain, compared to the annoying daily plucks.
yes, i see where you are coming from on this one.
Because I am a total moron, I posted a second comment (this is now my third). The first one completely disappeared or at least I thought it did.
it just went into moderation for some reason