Threading. It’s why I’ll never never wax or tweeze my eyebrows again

Liz See is leaning over me with a thread of cotton hanging out of her mouth.  The cotton has been threaded and wound into a triangle shaped “window”, the winding forming at coil at one end.

And it’s that coil that is about to work its magic across my brow area.  Should I be scared?  “No,” says Liz, “the technique we use is pain-free”.

And she’s right.  At the most it feels (and sounds) a like teeny, tiny rubber bands flicking across my forehead and brow.

If I couldn’t see the hairs falling out and sitting on the cape around my neck, I’d be convinced it wasn’t even working.  But working it is.  In minutes, Liz has re-shaped my brows and I’m a convert to this old-new way of taming them.

In fact, just about anyone and everyone I’ve come across since experiencing the treatment* at Get Threaded has had to put up with my raving.  I come over all trance-like as I insist they book in or (if they are a salon owner) train their staff in the technique.

So, just how did I come to be sitting in this chair, with a view of the ocean at Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast, Queensland), experiencing an ancient hair removal technique that’s been brought into the noughties with minimal screaming and shouting?

It started with a holiday that the former hairdresser and financial services officer took in the US three years ago.  She kept seeing these “Threading” salons and wondered what it was all about.  After experiencing the ancient Indian hair removal technique herself, she returned to Australia to discover that there were very few places offering it.

And also that no-one had established any salon training program for the technique. 

“I set about writing the course and launched this in September 2009 with great success. Recognising there was a definite need for the service as more and more people are seeking natural alternatives, I set about writing it as a nationally accredited course Certificate II in Hair Removal (Threading) and this was approved in late April of this year,” she said.

“This course also features a unit of competency devoted to advanced eyebrow shaping, which the current beauty courses do not contain and ensures that Get Threaded artists not only know how to perform the technique but shape beautiful eyebrows according to face, eye and eyebrow shapes.”

And so the Get Threaded training studio at Maroochydore was born.  More than 30 beauticians in Australia and New Zealand have since been trained as Get Threaded registered artists and the Get Threaded brand will be coming to a shopping centre kiosk and department store near you soon.

Which I’m really happy about … for you.  Because seriously I’m never having my brows done any other way again. Never.

A big call, you say?  I’m making it.

Number 1:  It doesn’t hurt.

Number 2:  There is NO redness afterwards

Number 3:  My brow shape has been optimised for my face shape

Number 4:  The skin on my face has not been damaged in the process

And believe me, that number 3 is a biggie.  Let me put you in the picture.  I have one wonky eyebrow.  It’s always been about 1cm lower than the other.  Extremely obvious when a photo is taken of me front on and my fringe is up.

Liz works her magic to lessen that obvious difference and I’m seriously impressed. By shaping the lower eyelid with more emphasis on the upper brow hairline and the upper one, more emphasis on the lower, she’s made them look a little more symetrical.  And my pointy chin is balanced with a rounded brow.

All this is achieved with a length of anti-bacterial cotton coil and some very clever mineral brow makeup products, which she’s had manufactured to her specifications.

“With everything, I’ve tried to source the most natural possible.  The cotton comes from India, I use coal-tar-free fruit eyelash and brow tinting products from Spain and because I couldn’t find a range of mineral brow products I was completely happy with, I created Get Get Mineraled, a range of Australian mineral brow pencils, brow dust and brow creams.”

Liz is so into brows that her brow makeup is the first makeup she applies each morning. “So many women tell me they don’t use any brow makeup but really, your brows frame and help shape your entire face.  It’s so important.”

For more details on the range of eyebrow and facial hair services and treatments available (including eyelash perming, visit www.getthreadednow.com).  Click here to find a registered Get Threaded specialist near you.  You can also contact Liz if you’re interested in training in this technique or bringing the franchise to your region.

*I was invited as a guest of Get Threaded to experience this brow threading and shaping technique first hand, or should that be first brow? I also had the full lash treatment using their coal-tar-free eyelash tint.  I can so recommend that one too!  The Get Threaded Complete Brow/Lash Makeover $55 (30 min) includes threading of the brows, full consultation according to face and eye shape and realignment as well as tinting of the brows and lashes using premium product, advice and application of brow powder/pencil.