During my book club last week, the ladies began talking about waxing vs. threading one’s eyebrows. Since the young and awkward age of twelve, I have had my eyebrows professionally waxed each month to maintain a clean look. My beauty journey has been one of pain in order abide by our culture’s ideals of hairless women, except for long locks on our heads.

The Steps to Waxing Brows:

My hairstylist would place a small strip of hot wax over the unruly eyebrow hair. Then she would take a soft cloth strip, place it on the eyebrow and rub over it to make sure the hair was sticking to the wax. Then very fast, she would pull off the cloth in the opposite direction of the hair growth. Needless to say….it hurts!!!!!! (I have been known to curse.) I also have extremely sensitive facial skin; and I need to apply moisturizer to reduce redness.

Threading:

I was introduced to threading a few years ago at my local shopping mall. At first, ladies were having their eyebrows threaded in a kiosk; and then moved to a small mall shop. I have yet to try this method.

“Threading is an ancient hair removal technique that originated in India and is becoming increasing popular. Pure cotton threads are twisted around the brow hair to pluck it directly out of its follicle. Threading allows hair to be removed at a much cleaner and quicker pace than waxing, depending on the amount of hair your have and how thick it is. Unlike waxing, that can leave your skin irritated and red, threading has little contact with the skin. Skin irritation is less likely if you chose to go with threading instead of waxing. Your eyebrows will also grow back at a slower rate if you thread.”

No matter waxing or threading, each has side effects such as pain. Wouldn’t it be nice to travel back to prehistoric times? Hairy women were considered very attractive. Cavemen would have loved to club and bring us back to their caves for a little romancing!

Remember beauty is pain….we did this to ourselves ladies!

*Source: www.lipglossculture.com

Recently, I was reading an article regarding the facts of Botox; and I wanted to share this info with my readers.

Common fears/beliefs:

1. Botox can kill you  

FACT: “Botox does what it does because it’s a mild poison, and too much of any poison, no matter how mild, can kill you. What the statement misses is the ‘mild’ part and the amount required to cause harm. The truth is, for Botox to become lethal, at least 3,000 units need to be delivered in a relatively short amount of time. Most cosmetic Botox treatments use 100 units or less. That’s a pretty sizeable safety margin.”

2.  Botox wears off into your bloodstream and organs

FACT: “Because of the way Botox works, it cannot spread beyond the area of the injection site. This is because of the way that it interacts with muscle tissue. Botox binds with chemical factories in nerve cells, preventing them from sending specific types of signals. Those signals are what tell muscles to contract, which is what causes wrinkling. When the muscles remain totally relaxed, wrinkles disappear. What Botox is doing is preventing the weakening muscles from contracting. The bind that Botox makes is in specific cells, so it does not spread once bound. As the clinical effect wears off, it’s not because of Botox has broken free in its binding site, it’s because our body makes more receptors for those contractile signals.”

3. Only “Real Housewives” and wealthy women receive Botox

FACT: “Most common users are working mothers between ages 40-55 with a household income of $100,000 or less.”

After reading these facts for myself, I will never get Botox. This information could someday be altered after years of medical testing. Whenever you are injecting a foreign material into your body, there is always a chance something could go wrong and your body rejects it. Plus, injecting Botox hurts (not a fan of needles) and you can get large lumps all over your face. I prefer to wear sunscreen and a night cream. It’s cheaper and less maintenance. I will grow old gracefully.

What about you?