Threading hurts less when you prepare your skin beforehand, time your appointment strategically, and use a few simple techniques during the session itself. The sharp sting of threading comes from multiple hairs being pulled from the follicle at once, but the intensity varies dramatically depending on factors you can actually control.
Skip Coffee and Alcohol Before Your Appointment
What you consume in the hours before threading directly affects how much it hurts. Caffeine increases skin sensitivity and pain perception, so avoid coffee, tea, energy drinks, and soda for at least 24 hours before your appointment. Alcohol has a similar effect: it dehydrates your skin and makes it more reactive, which amplifies the sting of each pull. Staying well-hydrated with water in the day leading up to threading keeps your skin supple and makes hair easier to extract cleanly.
Try a Numbing Cream
Over-the-counter numbing creams containing lidocaine can take the edge off significantly. Apply a thin layer to the area about 30 to 45 minutes before your appointment, then wipe it off just before the technician starts. These are widely available at pharmacies and are labeled for minor skin procedures. The key is timing: apply too early and the numbing effect fades, apply too late and it hasn’t fully absorbed.
If you’d rather skip the cream, holding an ice cube wrapped in a thin cloth against the area for a few minutes beforehand can temporarily dull the nerve endings in your skin.
Time Your Appointment Around Your Cycle
Pain sensitivity fluctuates throughout the menstrual cycle. Research on hair removal procedures has found that pain tolerance tends to be lowest during menstruation. While the difference wasn’t statistically significant in one study comparing pain scores across cycle phases, the trend was consistent: sessions during your period felt worse. If you have flexibility in scheduling, booking your appointment for the week after your period ends may give you a slightly more comfortable experience.
What to Do During the Session
Slow, controlled breathing is one of the most effective tools for managing the sharp, short bursts of pain that threading produces. A systematic review of breathing techniques for acute pain found that a simple pattern works well: inhale slowly for four seconds, pause for four seconds, then exhale for four seconds. This activates your body’s natural calming response and can measurably reduce how intensely you perceive pain. Start the breathing pattern just before the technician begins and maintain it throughout.
Stretching the skin taut in the area being threaded also helps. A skilled technician will do this for you, pulling the skin firm so there’s less tugging on the follicles. If your technician doesn’t do this automatically, you can help by using your fingers to hold the skin flat and tight near the area they’re working on. Firm skin means less resistance when the hair is pulled, which translates to less pain.
Distraction genuinely works, too. Talking to your technician, listening to music through earbuds, or focusing your attention on something specific in the room gives your brain competing input to process. Pain feels worse when you’re anticipating each pull, so anything that breaks that cycle of dread helps more than you’d expect.
Your First Time Will Be the Worst
If you’ve never had threading done before, know that the first session is almost always the most painful. Hair that hasn’t been removed from the root before is thicker and more firmly anchored in the follicle. With regular threading every three to four weeks, the hair grows back finer and the follicles weaken slightly, making each subsequent session noticeably easier to tolerate. Most people find that by their third or fourth appointment, the discomfort has dropped considerably.
Letting hair grow too long between appointments also makes threading hurt more, because longer hairs require more force to extract. Aim to go back before the regrowth gets unruly, typically around the three-week mark.
Choosing the Right Technician Matters
Speed and technique vary enormously between threading technicians, and both affect pain levels. An experienced technician works quickly, which means less time spent on each area and fewer repeated passes over sensitive skin. They also know how to angle the thread and stretch the skin properly to minimize tugging. If your current technician leaves you wincing through the whole session, trying someone else can make a surprising difference. Ask friends for recommendations or read reviews that specifically mention comfort.
Caring for Your Skin Afterward
The pain doesn’t always stop when the thread does. Redness, mild swelling, and a stinging sensation are normal for a few hours after threading. Applying aloe vera gel immediately after the session calms inflammation and soothes the skin. Products containing witch hazel or tea tree oil can also reduce redness and help prevent the small breakouts that sometimes follow threading when bacteria enter freshly opened follicles.
Resist the urge to apply makeup right after your appointment. Cosmetics can clog the freshly cleared pores and lead to breakouts or irritation. Give your skin at least a few hours to settle. If you’re heading outside, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher to the threaded areas, since freshly threaded skin is more vulnerable to sun damage and hyperpigmentation. Avoid touching the area with your hands, and skip hot showers, saunas, and heavy exercise for the rest of the day, as heat and sweat can aggravate already-sensitive skin.