Eyebrow threading originated in India thousands of years ago. In ancient Persia, what is now modern Iran, threading was considered a right-of-passage beauty treatment for girls attaining womanhood. Today threading is considered a clean and painless alternative to waxing or tweezing the eyebrows for a more shapely appearance. Threading gives you greater control over brow shaping than waxing and is less stressful on the skin than tweezing individual brow hairs.
You can practice eyebrow threading, also known as epilation, in most states without an esthetician or cosmetologist license, but you’ll still need training to do good work.
There are lots of training options. Your local spa or beauty salon may offer in-person classes and there are dozens of online courses to choose from. With both, you’ll get a study manual and training videos (either online or recorded on DVDs), plus a threading kit with the basic supplies. The only real downside to online training is you’ll still need some volunteers to practice on before you can reasonably expect to charge money for threading.
With an in-person course, you can be certified in as little as 5-6 hours. As a working brow threading tech, you can make good money and enjoy the professional satisfaction of helping clients feel good about themselves by enhancing their appearance.
Ready to take your career as a beauty professional to the next level? Let’s get started.
In this article you’ll learn:
- How much money you can make as a threading technician
- The required training and certifications
- Professional groups to join
- Employment opportunities for threading technicians
- Finding clients
- Plus helpful tips for new threading techs
How much money can you make?
Threading technicians average about $11.30 an hour currently in the United States, although a trained and licensed esthetician can generally charge twice that amount based on skill and experience.
Take a look at Chapter 1 for more information on how much money a licensed esthetician can expect to earn.
Threading techs also can receive tips (20 percent is customary on a threading service) that add to their income.
You can check average salaries for your state with EstheticianEdu.org’s searchable web page.
Training and Certification
Not all states require a license to offer eyebrow threading. The best way to protect yourself and be sure of the requirements is to contact your state’s cosmetology board and find out what regulations apply in your area. Some states even have specific prohibitions on the technique for performing certain threading procedures. For instance, California forbids threading techs from holding the cotton thread in their teeth while working, as this is viewed as unsanitary.
If you do need to become a licensed esthetician, consider joining the National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/Distributors & Associations (NCEA), which is the premiere organization for certifying professional estheticians in the United States. “NCEA Certified” represents the highest skin care credential currently available in the country and adherence to the profession’s code of ethics.
The cost of training ranges from $664 if you pay in installments, to as low as $600 for paying upfront. You can complete the training at home with study materials delivered by the NCEA. See chapter 1 for more information on training to become an esthetician.
Even if you don’t need a cosmetologist or esthetician license to work as a threading technician, training and certification will not only show you’re qualified to do the work, but you’ll have an edge in the job market over techs who do not have certification.
Here’s a state-by-state listing of esthetician schools and training programs where you can study brow threading.
You’ll definitely want to shop around for a training program that fits your needs. Prices vary, but start at about $140 for an online course. In-person training can be more expensive, but you get hands-on experience. With online courses you’ll need to recruit willing friends to be test subjects as you practice brow threading techniques. It will be difficult to persuade anyone to hire you unless you can show examples of your work. Be sure to take photos of your test subjects before and after completing their brow treatments. Building a portfolio of work samples is crucial to finding work in the profession.
What you’ll learn in training for brow threading:
- Eyebrow Threading & Shaping online training (typically involves watching videos)
- Eyebrow Threading Technique with demonstrations
- Eyebrow Shaping Technique with demonstrations
- Threading Theory
- Explaining eyebrow threading benefits to clients
- Stocking the correct supplies
- How to fill-in eyebrows using cosmetic products
- How to conduct a proper consultation with new clients
- Tips for promoting yourself on social media
Professional Groups to Join
The Professional Beauty Association offers three membership levels, bronze, silver and gold, starting at $195 a year. Bronze is probably your best choice for an individual membership. At the gold level, for $1,500 salon owners can add up to 30 employees on the membership.
Benefits of joining include networking with other members (great for hearing about job openings), plus continuing education opportunities, conferences and special events, and discounts on liability, health, dental, and vision group insurance.
Employment
Visit local beauty salons and spas to ask about employment openings. Bring your resume, training certificates and photocopies featuring pictures of your work on clients. You can also find job opportunities in hair and nail salons, day spas and department stores.
Finding Clients
Set up a business webpage. It doesn’t need to be fancy; just attractively designed with a description of your services and plenty of photographs to showcase your threading work.
Create an account on Instagram devoted to your threading services. Instagram is one of the top online platforms for beauty professionals to display their work. Take “before” and “after” photos to illustrate the quality of your work. With every Instagram post, include a hashtag (example: #browthreading) so people can find your work. Without hashtags, no one can search for your services.
Other ways to get new clients:
- Offer a discount to new clients.
- Set up a referral program to give discounts to returning customers who bring new clients to your door.
- Ask clients to review your services online. According to a survey, 90% of people say their buying decisions are influenced by positive online reviews.
- All new clients should complete a basic form about their interest in your brow threading services. Get their contact information so you can stay in touch and email special offers to them.
When promoting your services, these are the benefits most often mentioned about eyebrow threading:
No chemicals
Unlike other hair removal procedures, threading does not use chemicals, only cotton thread. Clients with sensitive skin should find this appealing.
Accuracy
A skilled threading tech can shape brows with greater precision than a tech using tweezers or wax, which covers the brow and makes it difficult for techs to see what they are doing.
Less pain
Because the thread does not touch the skin during hair removal, threading is less painful than plucking brow hairs individually, or waxing over the brow.
Less time needed to achieve results
Threading involves the removal of several brow hairs at once in one clean motion. Compare that to tweezing one brow hair at a time.
It’s safe
For people who use topical retinoids or acne medications, threading may be a safer alternative to waxing, reports WebMD.
Unlike chemical treatments or waxing, threading is much less likely to cause skin irritation.
A long-lasting procedure
Threading results can last from 2-5 weeks before another appointment is necessary to maintain the brow appearance.
It’s affordable
Clients can enjoy stunning results for a price typically much lower than other brow treatments.
Good to know:
- Need some new ideas? Here’s a dozen bold eyebrow moves to share with your clients.
- Top eyebrow tips & tricks from some of the most well-respected brow techs in the world.
- Learn how brow trends have changed through the ages.
- A 20 percent gratuity is considered appropriate for a threading tech’s services.
- If you’re working at a spa that sells products, and most of them do, take time to learn about selling techniques. Chances are you’ll receive a commission on products you sell. It’s a nice way to supplement your income.
- Stay current with your profession through ongoing training.
- Follow best practices by using only clean, quality tools.
If you enjoyed this article, check out some other PocketSuite.io content that can help you grow your career as a threading technician. Here’s a great place to start.
PocketSuite has thousands of business owners who all started where you are right now. Our community is always happy to help you ramp up, grow your client base, and achieve your income goals, both within the PocketSuite app and as part of our exclusive Facebook Community Group. PocketSuite’s vision is for any professional to be able to work for themselves and make a great living. It starts here. It starts with you. It starts today. Let’s get started, download PocketSuite now! Feel free to reach out with any questions (we’d love to hear from you)! Text us @ (415) 841-2300.
