Lose Face Hair

Hair salon signs in Hong Kong are a never-ending treasure trove of interesting offers.

One such banner on Shanghai Street announced the usual services: haircut, shampoo, styling, etc. It was about halfway down the list that things went awry.

It was hard not to notice Pem, but the following two items commanded attention:

· Lose Face Hair in old Chinese Style $68

· Eyebrowpick $30

In case you're wondering, Lose Face Hair is an accurate description of what will happen.

It begins with two women sitting face to face. The practitioner is often a middle-aged woman well-versed in the art of depilation. The victim customer holds still while the hair-removal master goes to work, clamping one end of the thread between her teeth while grasping the other end in her left hand. With the index and middle finger of her right hand, she forms a loop, using it to trap hairs so that she can yank them out at the roots.

It sounds painful, but it's an ancient tradition in Northern China. As an important part of the wedding ritual, threading signifies the beginning of womanhood, and is performed the day before the marriage ceremony. As a side benefit, the groom doesn't lose face by having a bride with a better moustache than his. A lady with smooth skin was and still is desirable, which is why some ladies continue to undergo threading long after the nuptials.

Not to worry; the Southern Chinese aren't left out. The hot and humid climate of Guangdong (Canton) is believed to cause "thicker hair and darker colour", which means the practice of threading is alive and well there too.

As for eyebrowpick (yes, it was all one word), I can only surmise that threading is somehow involved, but not having witnessed it I can't be certain (although I'm sure that someone will inform me of the specifics sooner or later).

Suddenly, having to shave doesn't seem like such a hassle any more.

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