Laddawan Saeyuang works
her “mang ming” hair removal system on a customer.
Vittaya Yoondorn
South Pattaya shoppers and tourists were given a taste of Eastern
cosmetology when a Bangkok Chinatown shopowner set up a booth offering
cheap “threading” hair removal.
Called “mang ming” in Thai, threading is an ancient method of hair
removal originating in China, India and the Arab world that uses thin
cotton threads as an alternative to waxing or tweezing to thin eyebrows
and remove unwanted facial hair.
Laddawan Saeyuang, a 39-year-old Chinese-Thai businesswoman in Bangkok’s
Yaowarat district, garnered a long line of Thai and tourist customers at
her booth at a South Pattaya market March 15. Charging 100 baht for 20
minutes, Laddawan doubled and twisted the thread before rolling it over
areas of unwanted hair, plucking it at the follicle. Powder is used to
smooth the process.
Advocates say threading provides more precise control
in shaping eyebrows and is more gentle on the skin than waxing or
tweezing. But because several hairs are removed at once, it can be
painful if done by unpracticed hands.
Laddawan said threading has been passed down through her family in
Chinatown and family members tend to each other’s hair removal. Not
limiting herself to eyebrows, she rolls the string all over the face,
starting at the forehead. Laddawan said she thinks the process
stimulates hair follicles, creates a whiter face and improves
circulation.
Customer Pisamai Inhom said she felt only a little pain, but that
afterward her face felt smoother. If Laddawan is still working when she
returns to the market, Pisamai said, she’d certainly have another
treatment.
