Hair removal—anything beyond shaving, at least—has always seemed to me like one of those things better left to the pros. Who wants to mess with scalding hot wax and rip hair from their skin when there are plenty of skilled people who can do the messy work for you? For a price, yes, but one that’s totally worth it, in my opinion.

So when I heard about the Karmissie Threader Deluxe Kit ($125, neimanmarcus.com), a DIY gadget that uses string to remove unwanted hair, I was definitely skeptical. That said, I’d heard such great things about threading that I had to try it. According to the hair removal experts, and my friends who have tried it, the technique is far less painful than waxing and much gentler on the skin.

How Threading Works

The threading process involves a thin piece of string, almost like dental floss, that’s twisted and pulled around sections of unwanted hair. The thread acts like a mini-lasso of sorts, roping in hairs and pulling them out. “Threading lifts hair directly from the root, without the use of any chemicals or unnecessary tugging on delicate skin,” according to Shobha Tummala, founder of the Shobha hair removal salons in New York City. The technique is so gentle that even women using Accutane or Retin-A products—
which thin skin and make it too delicate for waxing—can be threaded.

In salons like Shobha, the main technique used requires the esthetician to hold one end of a thread in her mouth and use both hands to keep the string taut. The strand is then quickly and skillfully woven around the hairs and they are lifted out. Doesn’t sound like something you could ever do at home, right?

My Experience with Threading

Created by licensed esthetician and threading expert, Anita Sun, the Karmissie at-home kit uses a little white gadget to replicate the threading technique—and thankfully it only requires the use of one hand. The kit comes with an amazing instructional DVD; after just a few minutes of guidance on loading the threader and the basics of how to use the contraption, I was off and threading.

I started on a patch of hair on my forearm. The kit comes with a numbing cream, but I opted to go without—bad decision! Having never tried threading before, I have to say I wasn’t prepared for the pain. While it’s definitely less painful than waxing, it feels like a drawn-out tweezing session, which isn’t all that comfortable.

Once the patch on my forearm was smooth and hair-free, I figured I had this threading thing down and moved on to the peach fuzz on my upper lip. Another bad decision. This area is super sensitive and again, I cursed myself for not applying the numbing cream first.

I can definitely tell that I’m less fuzzy in the face, but to remove every last unwanted hair, I think it would take a lot of patience and practice. Good thing using it is pretty addictive, as the little hair-free patches on my arms prove! Plus, I experienced no residual redness—though the kit’s The Closer after-threading product promises to help soothe any redness and irritation you may incur.

DIY Do or Don’t?

Definitely a DYI Do in my book. I’ve never really been bothered by my facial hair, but in some light my peach fuzz does seem more noticeable. I think this kit would be a great way to keep my upper lip and chin area under control, if not completely fuzz free. And though I wouldn’t use this threader to shape my brows, it would be fine for maintaining them between salon visits. Plus, if you get really good at using the kit, it would pay for itself in the amount of money you’d save at the salon in just a few months.

Would you try threading yourself? Or have you had it done in a salon? Let us know!

Megan O'Neill is Beauty Editor at EndlessBeauty.com