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Tweezing or Plucking Hair Removal 101

By Naomi Torres, About.com

Photo Ana Blazic / I Stock Photo
Tweezing, also known as plucking, uses tweezers to remove hair one by one. It takes the entire hair follicle from the root, lasting up to 6 weeks.

The Pros

  1. It's convenient and good for control. So you have a lone, stray hair hanging out somewhere? With tweezing, you can quickly take it out, without any prep work. You have more control and accuracy when shaping brows.

  2. Temporary results can turn into permanent. Over time, frequent tweezing can cause the hair follicle to become damaged, and stop growing hair. But, this wouldn't be so great if you wanted to change the shape of your brows.

The Cons

  1. It’s tedious. You would need hours to tweeze a large area of hair. Just tweezing the eyebrows alone, can take a half hour or more.

  2. Some people tend to misuse tweezers. Short hairs can be hard to get with cheap or flimsy ones, and people often dig tweezers into skin trying to reach hair, causing scarring.

Ouch Factor

It’s the kind of annoying pain from pulling off a band-aid slowly, instead of all at once, but there are some ways you can lessen the pain. Tweeze your brows after you come out of the shower, or apply a warm compress to them so the hair and follicle is soft and relaxed. If it still really hurts, apply a numbing agent, found at your local beauty supply store.

The Costs

At Home: The average cost of a quality tweezer is $20 - $40.

Professional: An eyebrow shaping solely using tweezers costs $10 - $50. A 15% - 20% gratuity on your total bill is customary and suggested.

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  5. Tweezing Plucking Hair Removal 101- How Tweezing Plucking Hair Removal Works, Pros, Cons & Prices

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