For many men, back hair can be embarrassing and looking for a way to remove this back hair can become confusing. Do you go for the dreaded, painful wax? Do you shave?
While these are all options to be considered, one of the safest and most effective methods of hair removal for back hair is threading. Better yet, you can do it at home!
How exactly do you remove back hair with threading? You will definitely need some help when threading back hair, as it will be almost impossible to reach all the areas of your back, and to ensure that all hair is removed and you aren’t left with a few hairy patches.
Here is a step by step guide, including everything you might need to know to thread your back hair.
How To Thread Back Hair
Along with your trusted threading helper, here are the steps to successfully thread back hair.
Get your tools
Using the traditional method of threading will be best at first before you invest in a threading machine. You will need to use a 40 count cotton thread.
Cut this into a 30cm length and tie the ends together, forming a large loop. Place your palms facing inwards and loop the string over the outside of your fingers, stretching them to form a rectangle.
Twisting
Move your hands in opposing circular movements for about 10 cycles to form a twisted line along the middle of the loop. Carefully release your forefingers and little fingers, leaving only your thumbs, ring fingers and middle fingers in the loop of the string.
Pull the string taut, alternating pulling up from the middle finger on each hand. This moves the twisted section from one side of the string to the next. This twisted section is what catches the hair and pulls it from the follicles.
Thread
Start with the top of your back, holding the skin taut. The person helping you will need to hold the string to your back, moving the threaded twist right by lifting the left middle finger.
Place this twisted section to the top of your back and lift up the right middle finger to move the twist along the line of the thread, catching any hairs it comes into contact with on your back. Repeat this backward and forwards along the back, cleaning the string of hair every once in a while.
Do not press the string into the back, as it will restrict its movement and stop the twist from moving from one side to the next.
This process will take some time and you might need to stop in between to catch a breath and readjust yourself, but the process will definitely be worth it, as your back will be completely free from hair, and there should be little damage done to your skin at all.
Why You Should Thread Back Hair
Threading back hair might not seem like the obvious choice, covering such a large area with such a small string, but it does come with some great benefits and advantages when compared to other methods of hair removal.
- Threading is perfect for those with sensitive skin, or for those who are prone to breakouts or acne. Threading does not require any harmful chemicals or heat to remove hair, so it is safe for sensitive skin. This method does not leave excessive redness, scabbing or hyperpigmentation. You will more than likely experience some redness and irritation, but this will disappear soon.
- Threading can pick up small, fine and short hairs, often missed by shaving and waxing. This allows you to achieve a completely smooth, hair-free back with no patches missed or stray hairs wondering around. It will take some practice to get to this, but after time your skin will be completely hair-free..
- The only chemicals needed for threading are the ones that are used to clean, prep and soothe the skin. There is very little waste when threading as well, as a cotton string is all that is needed, and all that is needed to be thrown away once the threading has been completed.
- Threading can be done from the comfort of your own home. A piece of cotton costs next to nothing, and is all you need for the hair removal. This saves you so much time compared to waxing or laser hair removal, which costs you both time and money with visiting the salon regularly.
Threading Machines
If you are a bit nervous to try threading in the traditional way using only a cotton thread, you can look to purchase a threading machine. These devices work exactly the same as you would using the traditional method, except the little device does all the work for you.
Most new threading machines come with different speed settings, which allows you to control how fast the machine works. For starting out, it is best to use the lowest setting available on the machine and work your way up from there.
The newer threading machines also include an LED light, which illuminates the skin and the hair to show you even the finest of hairs, to allow for each hair to be removed for the smoothest results.
Threading machines are generally really affordable and can last a really long time. While they do cost more than a simple piece of cotton thread, the cost does pay itself off in the long run, saving you from salon visits.
Aftercare For Threading
As your back is a larger area, you might experience some redness and irritation when threading, and in the hours afterward. Simple aftercare is all that is needed to soothe the skin and ensure there is no further irritation experienced.
There are a few options to choose from when it comes to treating skin after threading. Aloe vera is one of the better options. It is natural and has soothing properties, as well as antibacterial properties, which help ease irritation and redness while protecting your skin from harmful bacteria.
Calamine lotion, like this one on Amazon, also does wonders to soothe red and irritated skin and is fairly cheap to buy as well. Another option is to go with post-wax lotion, which has everything your skin might need to recover from threading, staying hydrated and irritation-free.
Once you have finished threading, you should avoid going into the sun for a few hours, and use sunscreen when you do eventually go into the sun. Your skin will be sensitive and more prone to damage from the UV rays. Avoid applying any lotions to the skin which might contain oils or fragrances, as this could irritate the skin even more.
Related Questions
Is threading painful?
Whether threading is painful or not is up to each individual. Women have more sensitive skin during their period, which could make threading more painful. For men, each person has a different pain threshold, and this could cause threading to range from feeling like a mild irritation to quite a painful experience.
What is the recovery period after threading?
Some lucky people experience no irritation or redness after threading. Others find that their skin does become slightly irritated, but this will subside within 2-3 hours. To help skin recover faster, an after wax lotion or aloe vera should be applied to the skin. If irritation continues, you can apply an ice pack to the skin to soothe any pain or redness.
What should I do after threading?
Try and keep the threaded area clean for at least 24 hours after threading. Avoid sunbathing, hot baths and showers, and stay away from sunbeds, saunas, and steam rooms. Avoid sweating excessively as well as this could clog up the open follicles and cause a breakout on the skin.
How long does threading last?
Skin can remain hair-free for 2-6 weeks after threading. If threading is done regularly, the follicles become damaged, which causes hair to grow back slower, sparser and finer. This makes threading in the future much easier, as there is less hair to remove, and the hair is easily pulled from the roots because of how fine they are.
Shaving or waxing between threading sessions should be avoided, as this could cause ingrown hairs, or cause the hair to grow back coarser, which undoes everything you have been working towards with threading for an extensive amount of time.
Threading Back Hair
While the back is a slightly larger area to thread, it is completely doable. Grab a trusted partner and practice threading techniques before heading into actual thread back hair.
If the traditional threading technique does not work, you could always choose to use a threading machine, which can be found online and purchased for a very low price. There are many different threading machines to choose from, so find one that suits your needs best, and one that is suited for larger areas.
Threading at home saves you so much effort from going to a salon regularly and also allows you to maintain your own threading schedule, suiting your lifestyle. Threading is cheap, easy to do, and completely effective for removing pesky back hair.
