Can Threading Get Rid of Facial Hair?

There are several ways to remove unwanted facial hair. One of the ways that have become popular over the past decade in the West to remove facial hair has been threading.

Does threading work to get rid of facial hair?

So, threading DOES work to remove facial hair. However, there are several factors you must be aware of if you go down this route.

Is Facial Hair really a Problem?

Excessive facial hair becomes a problem if it is causing you to be self-conscious about your appearance. If this is the case, you will probably decide that your unwanted facial hair needs to be removed to restore your confidence.

Male and Female Facial Hair

Men and women share the same problem. But for women, having excessive facial hair, especially in places associated with masculine hair growth, may be highly undesirable.  Some of these places may be the upper and lower lip and sideburns. It is usually caused by either hereditary or hormonal factors.

Causes of excessive hair: hereditary or hormonal.

There are two causes for excessive hair growth on your face or other body parts, e.g., arms, chest, and back. It is either hereditary or hormonal.

Hereditary Factors of Facial Hair Growth

Hereditary factors are traits you are born with, i.e., your excessive hair growth is normal for people from your family.

Hormonal Factors of Facial Hair Growth

Hormonal factors, on the other hand, are triggered by drastic changes inside your body, e.g., ovaries or adrenal glands, resulting in hormonal imbalance. This may need the attention of a doctor.

In cases where excessive hair growth is caused by hormonal imbalance, your doctor must determine what is causing the imbalance.

In women approaching menopause, hair growth often happens due to the lack of estrogen (a.k.a. the female hormone). Estrogen is primarily produced in the ovaries.

During menopause and perimenopause, the ovaries produce less and less estrogen, and often in an irregular pattern. This results in a hormonal imbalance where androgen (male hormones) activity becomes stronger, often resulting in masculine hair growths and causing this excess and unwanted hair.

Important Warning About Hormonal Imbalance

If the hormonal imbalance is being caused by certain obstructions, then immediate action needs to be taken to deal with the obstructions. This may be growths or tumors in the ovaries or adrenal glands. Your excessive and unwanted facial hair is just a symptom of a more severe problem.

If your excessive facial hair is hereditary, either you live with it or get rid of it. Getting rid of it changes your outward appearance but will not change who you are by birth. Hair Removal is a decision you make to look better and feel better about your appearance. Or to satisfy your need for approval from friends and peers.

There are (at least) 6 popular methods to get rid of facial hair:

Shaving Facial Hair

Shaving is easy, practical, and very affordable. It involves a metal blade that cuts hair growth off of your skin. It can be done regularly with a great deal of success. The only risk associated with shaving is nicking or cutting your skin, which would expose you to infection.

Waxing Facial Hair

Waxing uses an adhesive (wax) applied on the patch of skin where the hair is to be removed. Before the adhesive dries up and completely hardens, it is pulled from the surface with another medium (e.g., paper or cloth), pulling out the unwanted hair. Waxing is a semi-permanent method of hair removal.

Threading for Facial Hair Removal

Threading involves the use of the manipulation of cotton threads to pull out facial hair from the skin.

Plucking Facial Hair

Plucking often involves the use of tweezers. It is also practical and very inexpensive, you can do it at home, and all you need are a pair of finger-operated tweezers.

Plucking is time-consuming since you need to uproot individual hair strands, one at a time. Also, it is painful. There is the problem of the hair strand breaking without getting uprooted, which could result in ingrowth.

Chemicals (depilatories)

Depilatories often come in cream. The cream is applied to the unwanted hair, and it dissolves the hair. Its action is limited only to the segment of hair growing above the skin, so hair regrowth appears 1 – 3 days afterward.

Laser (permanent) Hair Removal

Three laser treatment methods are considered permanent, including laser, IPL, and electrolytes. These methods attack the root or follicle growth and disable it, limiting hair growth to a very minimal and unnoticeable level.

Threading and how it is done.

Although threading has gained particular popularity over the past few decades, it is an ancient practice that originated in Turkey, India, and the Middle East. Women have been using this age-old method of removing unwanted hair for thousands of years before the practice was first known in the Western World in the 1980s.

Threading is a method of removing facial hair using a length of cotton thread (e.g., 2 – 3 ft) tied together at the ends to form a loop. The loop is held in tension by both hands and twisted several times. This creates a single twisted segment at the center of the loop. This then forms a sideways figure 8 (or infinity symbol.

This twisted segment slides left to right as the loop is manipulated on each side by the thumb and forefingers of the threading technician. This is similar to the open-close action of the thumb and forefinger when using scissors.

Sometimes the threading technician uses her/his mouth to hold the other end of the loop.

When the technician opens her right thumb and forefinger, the twisted segment (cutter) slides left. When she opens her left thumb and forefinger, the twisted part (cutter) slides right. When the technician passes (rolls) the twisted segment over hair strands, the hair strands get caught and get intertwined with the thread, yanking them off the skin.

This twisted segment pulls strands of hair from its follicles in quick action as it moves left to right or right to left. The threading technician guides the loop of thread carefully over your skin. In this way, he will remove line after line of hair until all the unwanted hair is removed or the desired shape is achieved.

Threading is one of the safest natural ways to eliminate unwanted facial hair.

  1. Threading does not use chemicals. Many of the store-bought and salon-recommended wax treatments for hair removal contain chemicals that may harm sensitive skin and may be bad for your health. Also, these chemicals might trigger allergic reactions to your skin.
  2. Threading is 100% all-natural, and the possibility of adverse or allergic reactions is quite remote.
  3. Threading is ideal for sensitive skin. Your skin may not only react to the chemicals in the wax but also to the general pulling action involved in waxing. Waxing involves using sticky adhesive (wax) on the area of your skin where the hair is to be removed. If you have thin, sensitive skin, removing the adhesive wax on your skin may remove a layer of skin or irritate it. This could expose your skin to infections.
  4. Although your skin is also touched during threading, only the hair is pulled and not any part of the skin.
  5. Threading lasts a long time. Because of the complete removal of the hair follicles in threading, it takes longer for new growth to appear. Depending on your skin type or other factors, it usually takes 3 – 4 weeks before hair starts regrowing.
  6. Aside from effectively removing facial hair from its follicles, threading naturally exfoliates the skin surrounding the hair strands through the rolling action of the twisted segment of the thread. The topmost layer of your skin is also cleared of dead cells and cleaned.

Disadvantages of threading.

  1. Threading takes skill. Threading is an age-old tradition that is learned through lots of training and experience. It isn’t straightforward to do threading on your own, in the privacy of your home. Although threading is a very efficient natural way of removing unwanted facial hair, it isn’t that easy. It may look easy, but only because threading technicians are highly trained in the art. Don’t try threading your eyebrows at home if you have no training. You might end up ruining them!
  2. Threading requires the skilled hands of a trained technician to be done right, so you have to spend more. This counteracts the inexpensive nature of threading, as it only requires a length of thread to be able to accomplish. But if you think you have the patience and talent to learn to thread, you can go for it. But even then, it’s best to have a skilled technician or practitioner to guide you.
  3. Threading may cause pain and redness. The experience of pain during threading depends on your tolerance for pain. You may experience slight or sharp nipping sensations as your facial hair is yanked from your skin, but that’s about all the pain you’ll experience. The level of intensity of the pain doesn’t increase. Some women say they experience more pain in threading than in waxing. Still, others say the opposite.
  4. Threading will cause redness in the surrounding area where hair was plucked out. This is a normal skin reaction. The redness (sometimes also swelling) will subside in a matter of minutes or hours, depending on your skin’s response. Applying cold creams or ice packs helps ease the redness and swelling.
  5. Threading can be used only in small areas. This is one general disadvantage of threading. Threading is not such an efficient method if you want to get rid of unwanted hair on your legs or all over your body. It removes hair line-by-line, unlike waxing, which can remove unwanted hair from large areas at a time.
  6. Threading is slow. Threading is not recommended if you are in a hurry. Unless you are an expert, threading should be done carefully and precisely, which is hard to do if you are on the go, running late, or under pressure. Threading is not time-efficient. Your threading technician needs to be sure that every line of hair growth has been passed and that no line has been overlooked. This will also ensure that your hair regrowth will come out evenly.
  7. It causes ingrowth. An ingrown hair often results in hair that is not completely pulled out. This will appear as red pimple-like bumps on the skin, where the hair grows sideways or curls inside. If done right, however, threading will not cause ingrowths. But, there is a certain length of hair that is necessary for hair not to break and be plucked out completely by threading, i.e., there is a certain waiting period before which it is not advisable to thread; otherwise, you run the risk of incomplete pulling which may result in ingrowth.
  8. It is not permanent. Threading is only a semi-permanent hair removal method. It uproots your hair strands right down to the hair follicles, but it doesn’t kill the hair roots. This is the reason your unwanted facial hairs will still grow back. Though they may grow finer (according to some hair experts), they will still grow back.

So, can threading get rid of facial hair?

Yes, but not permanently.

The only way to get rid of unwanted hair forever is to undergo the more expensive hair removal methods, like a laser, IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), or electrolysis. These are labeled ‘permanent’ compared to threading because of the minimal occurrence of hair regrowth in areas where they are applied.

Can threading get rid of facial hair?

In conclusion, there is no permanent way to eliminate facial hair completely. Threading can get rid of facial hair, but not permanently. It can get rid of facial hair for a while, long enough for you not to worry about its regrowth too much.

This is good enough for many of us.

This is the reason why threading has gained popularity as a method of getting rid of unwanted facial hair:

It is all-natural, it is efficient, it lasts, and it is safe.

SUMMARY:

  1. Unwanted facial hair is a problem that both men and women face because it makes them self-conscious of their appearance.
  2. Threading, as a method of hair removal, has grown in popularity in the past decade or so in the West.
  3. Two major causes behind excessive and unwanted hair growth are hereditary and hormonal.
  4. There are at least six methods to get rid of facial hair: shaving, waxing, threading, plucking, depilatory cream, and laser (permanent).
  5. Threading is an ancient method of hair removal using cotton thread that is looped and twisted and passed over facial hair to remove them.
  6. Threading is not only 100% natural but also one of the safest methods to get rid of facial hair.
  7. There are disadvantages associated with threading, being an age-old method of hair removal, but these disadvantages can be easily overcome.
  8. Threading can get rid of facial hair, but not permanently.
  9. Threading should be done when the facial hair reaches a particular length for the pulling to be complete and avoid ingrowth.
  10. There is no permanent way to remove facial hair completely, but only to minimize its apparent visible growth.

Female Body Hair Removal

Introduction

All healthy human beings have body hair. Whether it’s an infant or an older person, these hairs are spread throughout the body. What causes a difference in their concentration and causes excessive body hair is age and gender. Both girls and boys normally begin to experience a higher level of concentration at the onset of puberty. However, the amount of body hair may decline with age. But is it possible to hide body hair? Is body hair removal an option, and if so, what are some hair removal methods?

Although we will not discuss hair removal methods at length, below is an overview of different types of body hair removal techniques you can use to hide them completely.

Types of Body Hair

They are two (sometimes 3) types of women’s body hair, and they include:

1. Terminal Body Hair

armpit hair
Terminal hair is found in the armpit or in other regions that start growing hair around puberty.

This is a thick and long hair that’s pigmented. Although hair is found on the face and scalp, you can still find terminal hair in the armpits and the pubic region. This type of body hair is sometimes referred to as puberty hair. This is because a change usually influences its growth in hormones that occur at puberty.

Puberty usually ranges between ages 8-15 years. During puberty, the growth of this type of hair is mainly on the pubic region and the armpits. For boys and young men, their facial hair will grow during the later stages of puberty.

2. Vellus Body Hair

Vellus Hair
Vellus Hair is a wispy kind of hair that we start having from birth and develops as we get older.

This type of hair starts to grow during early childhood. Vellus is a wispy type of hair that normally covers all parts of the body. Its main role is to keep the body warm. But besides that, it helps to protect the skin. The thickness and length of vellus hair will differ from one person to the next.

Some people have visible vellus hair, and you can even see it under natural light. This is particularly the case with facial hair. On others, it won’t be visible because it’s thin and the hair is less pigmented.

It’s possible to confuse vellus and terminal hair. This is because both of them have the same structure. It should be noted that both terminal and vellus hair grow from hair follicles. However, the latter doesn’t contain the medulla – the hair core’s portion which helps to strengthen and enhance its growth.

3. Lanugo Hair

Lanugo Body Hair
Lanugo hair covers a fetus and is fairly unusual in grown adults, although it can be connected to anorexia.

What Is Lanugo

Lanugo is the first type of hair that grows from hair follicles and is usually unpigmented. It is very thin, soft, downy hair. It has some deep resemblance to fur. But this temporary hair is normally replaced by vellus hair before the baby is born.
This type of hair is common in human babies, people who suffer from congenital tumors (aka teratomas), and eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

Lanugo Baby

This is a unique or special type of hair that normally covers the fetus and newborns.
During the development of a human fetus in the womb, lanugo grows as a natural part of gestation. Its purpose is to hold the vernix to the skin and protect damage to the skin from the amniotic fluid.
Lanugo usually sheds before birth but often remains after birth and falls off later.

Lanugo Anorexia

You can also find lanugo hair in anorexic women.
A tell-tale sign of malnutrition such as anorexia or bulimia is lanugo because lanugo’s function is to protect the skin and body.
This is the same reason why lanugo re-surges in older adults. To protect their skin.

The Distribution of Body Hair

Different parts of the body have different types of body hair. Below is a comprehensive outline that highlights the distribution of body hair. There are many different ways to remove body hair. However, we have tried to concentrate on the best ways to remove body hair from different parts of the body.

Pubic hair:

Images of female body hair including pubic hair. Keeping it kid-friendly for our younger audience.
Images of female body hair, including pubic hair. Keeping it kid-friendly for our younger audience.

This is usually coarse hair that’s found in the genital areas. The growth of pubic hair is a sign of sexual maturity, and it occurs in both sexes.

Armpits hair:

It is just like pubic hair because it’s coarse. Armpit hair also signals the start of adulthood. With the release of the safety razor, people now shave their armpits frequently.

Arms hair:

It normally grows on the elbow and forearm area. The type of hair that’s found here is terminal.

Chest and abdomen area:

Both men and women normally grow vellus hair in these regions. It should be noted that women can also grow terminal hair on their breasts around the areola. Men normally have lots of vellus hair around the chest and abdomen compared to women. Note that the concentration of this hair may increase with age.

Facial hair:

It’s more prominent in men, although women also have it. Facial hair may start as non-vellus. Men naturally can grow beards. However, some women may also grow them as a result of menopause. Many women take the option of body hair removal to solve this problem.

Feet and Leg Hair:

They normally start growing at the onset of puberty. However, they are more prominent in men compared to women. It should be noted that most people shave their leg hair because of societal pressure. In today’s world, women with hairy legs are usually frowned at.

Body Hair Growth Pattern

It’s important to know how to hide body hair. However, it’s also crucial to know the growth patterns. This will make the process of hiding them easier. The two main types of body hair that humans have are terminal and vellus hairs. They have the same growth patterns, which normally happen in three phases.

1. Anagen:

During this period, hair growth is at its peak. It’s generally a period of active growth, and the hairs normally grow longer. However, terminal hair usually has a longer anagen period compared to vellus hair.

2. Catagen:

This is a transition phase. Catagen is characterized by the hair follicles retracting. The process means that there will be a limited blood supply, and therefore, it’s very easy for hair to fall out.

3. Telogen:

This is a period where the body’s hair stops growing. It’s a resting phase.

How to Hide Body Hair And Body Hair Removal

Hiding Body Hair

It’s possible to forget shaving your legs or any other body part. However, sometimes we intentionally avoid shaving because of demanding schedules or medical issues. So, what if you have not shaved and need to attend a public event? As much as some people may find body hair a turnoff, this doesn’t mean that you should shave. So, how can you effectively hide or completely remove body hair?

1. Makeup Application

The use of makeup foundation can help to hide body hair. Darker foundation can come in handy, especially if you are trying to hide facial hair. It helps to cover thick and darker hair effectively. On the other hand, a lighter foundation means that the body hair will easily stick out, thereby creating a mess.

2. Stockings

If you wish to safely and effectively hide your leg hair, then use stockings or pantyhose. These are light clothing which you can wear with nearly all types of clothes. They are also easily available to find in petrol stores, supermarkets, and other local convenience stores.

3. Fully Cover-Up or Wear Darker Clothes

You can wear shirts with long sleeves and trousers to cover up. Additionally, darker clothing can be efficient in hiding unwanted body hair. Besides that, they help to shade the color of the body hair perfectly. This is because they generally make your skin appear darker.

The Politics of Feminine Body Hair

What They Say...
What They Say…

There is so much pressure for females to look in a certain delicate way. That’s why so many women go through rigorous regimes to look their best. For starters, let’s take a look at the pubes. Unless you are in a bikini, there’s no way someone can get a glimpse of what’s there. But people normally shave their pubes completely. Others even do waxing.

Having clean genitals is definitely very important. But have you ever wondered what some of the benefits of pubes are? Well, having body hair in your private region is for protective purposes. Pubic hair helps to protect the sensitive vagina. This helps to reduce the chances of bacterial infection.

Normal Vs. Abnormal Hair Growth in Women

Naturally, women have vellus and terminal hairs. So, it’s not easy to determine excessive hair growth. It’s a normal thing for a feminine person to have fine hair all over the body. It’s also usual for them to have armpit and pubic hair. Some of them even have hairy legs and faces.

However, some may have abnormal hair in excess. This is usually characterized by thicker and darker hair in regions such as the chest, chin, and stomach. Abnormal hair growth in women involves thick hair growing in many parts of the body. In fact, they may have a pattern of male hair growth.

Interesting Facts about Body Hair

Covering body hair can come in handy, especially if you don’t want to shave. To help you understand more about it, here are some interesting facts:

Body Hair Lasts for a Short Period

Compared to the hair on your head, body hair lasts for a shorter period. Its lifespan is usually around 6 months. Additionally, they only grow a few inches long.

You Shed Them Daily

A normal human being normally sheds between 100 and 150 strands of body hair daily. However, the same hair strands will grow within a day or so. The recycling process happens daily. This body hair removal is natural.

Boob Hair Is Not Something Strange

Today I learned…unporn is actually a thing! But seriously, we have to obey stringent rules of conduct, so this will have to do.

If you are a woman, do not be alarmed because you have hair on your breasts. This is a common thing that almost every woman experiences. Girls in puberty normally grow hair in the region that’s near the areola.

Body Hair Consists of Muscles

It’s interesting to know that body hair also contains muscle cells. In fact, this is what makes them stand on their end.

Technically, there are three types of body hair. Although terminal and vellus hairs are the most common, lanugo is also considered body hair.

The Color of Your Body Hair Can Indicate Genetic Disorders

It is said that women with blonde hair have a higher concentration of estrogen. Additionally, it said that they also higher chances of experiencing learning problems. On the other hand, brunettes are more likely to smoking addicts.

Pubic Hair has a Weird Smell.

Pubic hair is a terminal hair that contains the sebaceous gland. Note that these glands normally produce sweat. Additionally, they produce secretions that protect the private parts from germs, but the secretions also create body odor.

Your Eyelashes Might Have Mites

Demodex are types of mites that are found in eyelashes. A large percentage of people have them, but they are harmless.

Over 50 Percent of People Shave Their Armpits and Pubic Hair Or Use Another Type Of Body Hair Removal

Studies show that most women normally shave their pubes. Additionally, over 50 percent of guys prefer women with no pubes. However, it should be noted that less than 20 percent of guys actually shave their pubic area.

Benefits of Body Hair

Some people don’t want to shave their body hairs. This is why they are clearly interested in finding techniques on how to hide them. Well, if you are going to keep your body hair, here are some of the benefits you can experience.

Regulating of Body Temperature

Regulating Body Temperature Is Very Important

Body hair helps to regulate temperature. When the temperature is low, they will stand up and trap air. This helps to create an insulation surface. As a result, the trapped air prevents warmth from leaving the body. When it’s hot, the converse happens. The hair lies down to ensure that the body releases as much heat as possible.

Improving Your Chances of Getting Orgasms

Having pubic hair can help to improve your chances of getting orgasms significantly. Did you know that each hair follicle has tiny nerve endings at the base? So, slight friction can help increase sexual sensation. This means that shaving actually reduces your chances of experiencing orgasms.

Increased Production of Pheromones

Research studies show that body hair helps to enhance the production of pheromones. These hormone-like chemicals can help to attract the attention of potential sexual partners.

Lower Chances of Skin Infection

Shaving, waxing, threading, and other forms of hair removal increase your chances of getting skin infections. This is because they normally leave the skin exposed and susceptible to bacteria. Additionally, the whole process can cause cuts and skin irritation.

Reduced Chances of Unwanted Rashes

If you engage in intense physical activities, then the chances are that you sweat a lot. But having armpit hair helps to reduce unwanted rashes as well as the chaffing that comes with sweating.

The Bottom Line

Societal pressure means that a lot of people normally shave their body hairs. In fact, several methods can be used for body hair removal. Some have a short-term effect, while others are long-lasting.

Demanding schedules and personal preferences are actually some of the reasons that make people not shave. However, having body hair isn’t bad. In fact, it has a lot of benefits. All you have to do is to ensure that your body is clean. Besides that, you can wear certain clothing or makeup foundation to hide them.