Threading vs Epilator for Facial Hair: Which is Better? 2025
Threading vs Epilator for Facial Hair: Which Actually Works?
I'll be honest—every few months, someone comes into our Gosforth salon with red, irritated skin and asks: "I tried an epilator on my face... was that a mistake?"
Short answer: Yes. Epilators are designed for legs, not faces.
After 25+ years of fixing DIY facial hair removal disasters, I can tell you: Threading beats epilators for facial hair in every single way. Pain, precision, skin safety, results—threading wins across the board.
Let me show you why epilators fail on faces and what actually works.
Quick Comparison: Face Reality Check
Here's what happens when you use each method on delicate facial skin:
| Factor | Threading | Epilator (Facial) | |--------|-----------|-------------------| | Pain level (face) | 3-4/10 (quick pinching) | 6-8/10 (prolonged pain) | | Precision | Individual hair control | Grabs everything blindly | | Facial skin safety | 100% safe | Risky (pulling, irritation) | | Shaping ability | Perfect brow shaping | Can't shape—just removes | | Treatment time | 5-15 minutes | 15-30 minutes (slower on face) | | Skin irritation | Minimal (15-30 min redness) | Moderate to severe (hours to days) | | Broken hair risk | Low (skilled technique) | High (mechanical stress) | | Ingrown hair risk | Very low | High (blunt hair ends) | | Learning curve | None (professional service) | Steep (painful learning process) | | Cost | £5-30 per session | £30-150 epilator (one-time... then you give up) |
See the problem? Epilators were never designed for facial use—and it shows.
What Threading Does on Your Face
Threading is precision facial hair removal using 100% cotton thread.
How it works on delicate facial skin:
- Twisted thread catches individual hairs
- Removes hair from the root in controlled motion
- I can target specific hairs or areas
- Takes 5 minutes for upper lip, 10 minutes for eyebrows
- Shapes brows to suit your face
Why it works for faces:
- Precision: I can remove one hair or a thousand—total control
- Gentle: Thread touches skin for 2-3 seconds max per area
- Safe: No mechanical pulling on delicate skin
- Shaping: Perfect eyebrow arches, clean upper lip lines
Results last 3-4 weeks because hair is removed from the root cleanly.
What Epilators Do to Your Face (Spoiler: It's Bad)
Epilators are spinning tweezers designed for thick leg skin, NOT delicate facial skin.
What actually happens on your face:
- Epilator head spins at high speed
- Multiple tweezers grab hairs randomly
- Hairs get pulled in different directions
- Delicate facial skin gets tugged and stressed
- Some hairs break instead of being pulled from root
- Skin gets irritated from prolonged contact
The facial skin problem: Your face has thinner, more sensitive skin than your legs. Epilators don't adjust for this—they attack your face with the same aggressive action designed for tough leg skin.
Precision is impossible: Can't shape eyebrows with an epilator. Can't create clean lines. Can't target specific areas. It just grabs everything in its path.
Pain Comparison: Face vs Legs
Here's what nobody tells you about epilator pain on faces:
Epilator on legs: 4-5/10 pain (tolerable) Epilator on face: 6-8/10 pain (way worse)
Why facial epilating hurts more:
- Facial skin has more nerve endings
- Upper lip and brow areas are super sensitive
- Delicate skin means more pull/stress
- Can't avoid bony areas (cheekbones, jawline)
Threading on face: 3-4/10 pain
- Quick pinching sensation
- Lasts seconds per area
- Over in 5-15 minutes total
I've had clients try epilators at home and end up in tears. The pain on facial skin is honestly not worth it.
The Skin Damage Issue
This is where epilators really fail on faces.
Epilator risks on facial skin:
- Redness for hours to days (not just 30 minutes)
- Broken capillaries from aggressive pulling
- Bruising on thin skin areas
- Hyperpigmentation (dark spots) from trauma
- Ingrown hairs from blunt broken hairs
- Bumps and irritation lasting days
Real scenario I've seen repeatedly: Client uses epilator on upper lip. Skin turns bright red, stays inflamed for 2-3 days, develops ingrown hairs by day 4-5. Now they need professional help to fix the mess.
Threading facial skin damage: Essentially zero when done properly.
- Mild redness for 15-30 minutes
- No capillary damage
- No bruising
- No hyperpigmentation risk
- Minimal ingrown hair risk
In 25+ years, I've never caused lasting skin damage with threading. Epilators? I fix epilator damage weekly.
Precision and Shaping: The Deal-Breaker
This is where epilators completely fail for facial hair.
Threading precision:
- Can remove a single stray hair
- Can shape perfect eyebrow arches
- Can create clean upper lip lines
- Can work around sensitive areas
- Full control over what gets removed
Epilator precision:
- Grabs everything in range (no selectivity)
- Can't shape eyebrows properly
- Can't create defined lines
- Can't avoid sensitive spots
- Zero control—it's all or nothing
Try shaping eyebrows with an epilator. You can't. You'll end up with uneven patches, over-removal, and wonky shapes. Epilators don't discriminate—they just grab whatever touches the head.
Threading lets me create perfect brow arches that suit your face. Epilators make you look like you lost a fight with a lawn mower.
Time and Convenience Reality
Threading:
- Upper lip: 5 minutes
- Eyebrows: 10 minutes
- Full face: 15-20 minutes
- Book appointment, get it done perfectly, leave
Epilator at home:
- Upper lip attempt: 10-15 minutes (painful, imprecise)
- Eyebrow attempt: 15-20 minutes (usually mess it up)
- Full face attempt: 30-45 minutes (by then you've given up)
- Plus cleanup time, dealing with irritation, fixing mistakes
The learning curve: Threading has none—you pay an expert. Epilating your face requires painful trial and error, usually resulting in: "I'll just go get it threaded professionally."
Most clients try epilators once or twice, then permanently switch to threading.
Cost Comparison: False Economy
Epilator upfront cost: £30-150 for device
Sounds cheap compared to ongoing threading, right? Wrong.
Hidden epilator costs:
- Initial device: £30-150
- Soothing products for irritation: £10-20
- Ingrown hair treatments: £15-25
- Professional threading to fix mistakes: £30+
- Eventually giving up and threading anyway: Priceless
Threading costs:
- Upper lip: £5
- Eyebrows: £10
- Full face: £30
- Perfect results every time: No price tag on that
Real scenario: Client buys £80 epilator, uses it twice on face, hates it, goes back to threading. Now they've spent £80 on a device they don't use plus regular threading costs anyway.
Smarter approach: Just thread from the start. Save the £80 and avoid the painful learning process.
When Epilators Work (Not on Faces!)
Let me be fair—epilators aren't all bad. Just wrong for faces.
Epilators work okay for:
- Legs (thick skin tolerates it)
- Arms (less sensitive than face)
- Body hair (not delicate facial areas)
Epilators DON'T work for:
- ❌ Upper lip (too painful, too sensitive)
- ❌ Eyebrows (can't shape, too precise needed)
- ❌ Chin (sensitive skin, risk of irritation)
- ❌ Cheeks (delicate skin, capillary damage risk)
- ❌ Any facial area, really
If you have an epilator, use it on your legs. Keep it away from your face.
Yogita's Professional Take on Facial Epilators
After 25+ years of fixing DIY disasters, here's my stance:
Never use epilators on your face. Just don't.
I've seen too much damage:
- Permanent dark spots from trauma
- Scarring from broken capillaries
- Wonky eyebrows that took months to grow back
- Infections from inflamed follicles
Epilators are blunt instruments. They work by brute force—multiple tweezers spinning and grabbing randomly. This approach might be tolerable on thick leg skin, but on delicate facial skin? It's asking for trouble.
Threading is surgical precision. I can remove individual hairs, shape perfect brows, create clean lines—all while barely touching your skin.
The "save money at home" myth: Clients think epilators save money. Then they:
- Buy £80 epilator
- Try it once (painful, bad results)
- Deal with irritation for days
- Come to me to fix it (£30)
- Give up and thread regularly anyway
Total cost: £110+ and a painful learning experience.
Smarter approach: Start with threading (£5-30), get perfect results, never look back.
My advice: If you have an epilator, keep it for legs if you like it there. But facial hair? That's precision work that needs professional threading.
Your face is the first thing people see. Don't risk it with a device designed for leg hair.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use an epilator on my face?
A: You CAN, but you shouldn't. Epilators are designed for thick leg skin, not delicate facial skin. They cause more pain (6-8/10 vs 3-4/10 threading), can't shape eyebrows precisely, risk skin damage (redness for days, broken capillaries, hyperpigmentation), and create ingrown hairs. Threading is safer and gives better results.
Q: Is epilator or threading more painful on upper lip?
A: Epilators are significantly more painful on upper lip (6-8/10 pain) compared to threading (3-4/10). Upper lip skin is extremely sensitive with many nerve endings. Epilators' spinning tweezers pull skin aggressively for 10-15 minutes. Threading causes quick pinching for 5 minutes total—much more tolerable.
Q: Can you shape eyebrows with an epilator?
A: No. Epilators can't shape eyebrows properly—they grab everything indiscriminately without precision. You'll end up with uneven patches, over-removal, and wonky shapes. Threading allows individual hair removal and perfect arch shaping. Every attempt to "shape" brows with epilators I've seen has required professional threading to fix.
Q: Why does epilator irritate facial skin?
A: Epilators irritate facial skin because: (1) spinning tweezers pull delicate skin aggressively, (2) prolonged contact (10-30 min) stresses sensitive facial skin, (3) random hair pulling in multiple directions causes trauma, (4) breaks hairs instead of clean root removal, causing ingrown hairs. Facial skin is 40% thinner than leg skin—it can't tolerate epilator force.
Q: How long do epilator results last on face?
A: Epilator results last 2-3 weeks on face (if you can tolerate it), slightly shorter than threading (3-4 weeks) because epilators often break hairs instead of removing from root. Threading's clean root removal gives longer-lasting, better results without facial skin damage.
Q: Is threading or epilator better for facial hair?
A: Threading is dramatically better for facial hair. Threading offers: precision for shaping, lower pain (3-4/10 vs 6-8/10), zero skin damage risk, 3-4 week results, professional expertise. Epilators can't shape, cause severe facial pain, risk skin damage (redness for days, broken capillaries), and create ingrown hairs.
Q: Can epilators cause dark spots on face?
A: Yes. Epilators can cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (dark spots) on facial skin from repeated trauma. The aggressive pulling and skin stress triggers melanin production, especially on medium to dark skin tones. These spots can last months or become permanent. Threading has zero hyperpigmentation risk.
Q: Which is cheaper: epilator or threading?
A: Threading is cheaper long-term. Epilators cost £30-150 upfront but most people: buy device (£80), try once (hate it), treat irritation (£15), get threading to fix mistakes (£30), then thread regularly anyway. Total: £125+ wasted. Threading costs £5-30 per session with perfect results every time.
Q: Do epilators break facial hair?
A: Yes, epilators frequently break facial hair instead of removing from root. The spinning tweezers grab hairs at different angles and speeds, causing breakage. Broken hairs create blunt ends that become ingrown hairs (bumps, irritation). Threading's controlled technique cleanly removes hair from root without breakage.
Q: How do I fix epilator damage on my face?
A: For immediate epilator damage: stop using it, apply cool compress for redness, use gentle aloe vera gel, avoid makeup for 24 hours. For ingrown hairs or lasting damage: book professional threading at Mesmerising Beauty Gosforth (£5-30). I'll remove remaining hair properly and advise on healing irritated skin.
Q: Can epilators replace threading for eyebrows?
A: No. Epilators cannot replace threading for eyebrows. Threading provides: precision shaping for perfect arches, individual hair control, expert technique for face-flattering shapes. Epilators grab randomly without precision, can't create defined shapes, and risk over-removal. Every DIY epilator eyebrow attempt I've seen has needed professional threading correction.
Q: Is facial epilating worth the pain?
A: No. Facial epilating (6-8/10 pain for 15-30 minutes) isn't worth it when threading (3-4/10 pain for 5-15 minutes) gives better results with zero skin damage risk. The pain is more intense, lasts longer, and comes with risks (irritation, broken hairs, ingrown hairs) that threading avoids entirely.
Book Professional Facial Threading in Gosforth
Skip the epilator pain and skin damage. Get expert facial threading that actually works.
Why ditch the epilator for threading:
- ✅ 3-4/10 pain vs 6-8/10 epilator pain
- ✅ Perfect precision and eyebrow shaping
- ✅ Zero skin damage or irritation risk
- ✅ Results last 3-4 weeks
- ✅ 5-15 minute appointments
- ✅ 25+ years expert technique
Pricing:
- Upper lip: £5
- Eyebrows: £10
- Full face: £30
Book your appointment:
- 📞 Call: 0191 285 5055
- 🌐 Book online: Mesmerising Beauty Gosforth
- 📍 Location: Mesmerising Beauty, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne
Epilator refugees welcome! If you've tried epilating your face and regretted it, I'll fix the results and show you what professional threading should feel like.
Related Reading:
Expert advice by Yogita, threading specialist with 25+ years experience. Mesmerising Beauty, Gosforth, Newcastle.