The Microblading Bible Read online

  Have you ever experienced that your strokes are not as clear, and pigment on the stroke spreads unevenly? Well, this is very common when you have luck of experience or wrong knowledge regarding right pressure. However, all these things can also happen if you are using poor quality blades. When the needles in the blade are not fixed in the correct way, it is very easy to bend them and have two strokes instead of one (Blade No.1). If the skin is so thin, sometimes you cannot even realize that needles are bending, you only will see the unclear stroke when it’s done. When your strokes heal the lines won’t be crispy. With these types of blades, it is more difficult to repeat the strokes.

  What should you do to make sure? How to avoid double lines and get crispy results? The first and best solution is to use good quality nickel needles that are well fixed in with each other.

  You can do a quick test on the artificial skin. Place the needle in your manual tool and try to draw the stroke gently. The needles in blade cannot move or bend while you are sliding (like the Blade No.1)

  You can also check your blade by pressing it on the side with your nail. The needles cannot move as well.

  The needles in good quality blade will be stable (like the Blade No.2) despite the fact that blade itself is flexible. It will be easier to draw and the result will be always the same – clear and crispy strokes!

  TIP No.2 HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT THICKNESS OF THE BLADE

  The other important thing is to understand what is the best thickness of your blades and how it affects the results.

  TIP NO 3 FILLING AND CHECKING YOUR STROKES

  While trying to get your strokes darker with several passes, try to use the blade with fewer needles. You will be able to implant pigment in each part of the stroke easier and more precisely. The new blades for filling in the strokes are 7 pins and are very comfortable to use. Take pictures during the work and use a negative filter to check your work, you will clearly see which parts need more pigment.

  Here is another article on choosing the right blade/needles, this one written by LovBeauty.

  ARTICLE

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  How to choose a right needle for your microblading treatment?

  The age of the skin: The older the client, the more tissue laxity, collagen and elastin loss you'll notice. Microneedling this aging skin provides a healthier canvas for microblading and this means your hair strokes will stay crisp upon healing.

  Previous procedures and corrections: You can microblade over old colors and even do corrections. You'll want a bit bigger needle for these cases.

  Soft silky needle for 3D eyebrow embroidery

  Width of hairstroke desired.

  Pigment you are using.

  Color carrying capacity of the needle: texture and taper of needles, number of needles and curve of needles are important. More needles, more resistance and you press harder. Higher likelihood of slicing the skin.

  Skin Resistance: Older skin is less resistant, so use finer needles.

  The Procedure: Single, curved needles for brow hair strokes. Large, multiple needles for areola, corrections and eyeshadow.

  Practice makes perfect: You'll develop your very own unique technique over time. Sometimes, you'll switch needles during your case. As you practice, you'll find which needles are the easiest to control and which ones put in the most color. You must know your canvas: the skin, very well.

  microblading eyebrows

  Chapter 10

  The Microblading Procedure

  This is the moment you've been waiting for. What your training has been leading up to.

  Scared?

  Sure, you are. We all were.

  It's a scary prospect to cut someone's skin. But have no fear, they are very superficial cuts and there is very little in microblading that can't be fixed. Do your homework and practice, practice, practice. Practice on pads, practice drawing brows, practice using your blade and then practice on friends and family.

  Go on the microblading boards and read about other's experiences, it's the next best thing to assisting there is. You can ask all the questions you want there, and these wonderful women will give you all the answers you are looking for.

  Sometimes your question will become a debate and that's sooo interesting. They are a passionate and colorful group of girls (and a few guys) from all over the world. There's no getting bored there. It's where I learned the most. So join the microblading facebook groups, find the ones you like best and visit them often. You are guaranteed to learn tons, whether you're a beginner or seasoned professional.

  Microblading consists of implanting pigment by creating fine scratches at the upper level of the epidermis, imitating real hair strokes to create a 3D or 6D and powdering effect.

  You’ve taken your before and after pictures. You’ve drawn on your brows and you and your client agree on the shape and the color. If you’re going to numb before the first round of strokes, you’ve done it and are ready to start.

  Every seasoned technician will tell you that getting a crisp, precise stroke is all about the stretching of the skin. A 3-point stretch, to be exact. Two points are with the thumb and pointer of the hand without the blade and the third point is with the pinky of the hand holding the blade. The key is to flatten the skin in 3 opposing directions. The flatter the skin is stretched, the cleaner your strokes will be.

  Hold your blade the way you would a pen, applying the same amount of pressure as you would if you were writing. A common beginner’s mistake is to apply too much pressure. If you do, your strokes will either blur or heal cool, so watch your depth. On the other hand, if you go too shallowly, you will only land in the dermis and the strokes won’t stay.

  Every client skin is different and has different thicknesses. Often the skin will be thinner at the tail of the brow and thicker at the bulb, so that the pressure needs to be adjusted as you work.

  Older skin is thinner than younger skin, so with older clients you will need to adjust the pressure. Wear a headlamp in order to really gauge the depths of the cuts you are making.

  Skin comes in four thicknesses- Super-thin, thin, regular and thick.

  Knowing the skin and microblading to the tolerance level of that part of the skin, will help you microblade to the proper level without overworking the skin, giving you better results.

  Check your needles before starting every session. A damaged or misaligned needle can cause damage and scarring to the skin and will yield poor results. There are 2 ways to check:

  Take a picture of the blade with your phone, then zoom in on the picture.

  Use a loupe or magnifier.

  A sign that you’ve hit the proper depth (what is known as “the sweet spot”) is when you see a fine channel or split in the skin, often times marked by fine pinpoint bleeding.

  While microblading, you need to look very carefully in order to assess whether or not you are at the correct depth of the skin’s dermis (this is where a headlamp is indispensible).

  Work slowly. It’s important to use a slow pace in order to see the fine grooves. Don’t hurry or try to speed up the process as your work will suffer. When you make your strokes slowly, you will be better able to determine the correct depth as you go and you will be more precise. Train yourself to make your strokes slowly.

  Not all skin types bleed

  Keep your fingers and wrist loose. Try not to tense up.

  Sensitive skin will bleed easier, in which case, you will need to lighten your pressure to prevent more bleeding. Too much bleeding will dilute the color.

  Every stroke should have a curve. Do not make straight strokes.

  Strokes should be positioned closely and creatively.

  Make sure your blade is in full contact with the skin and fully upright, not leaning to the left or right. If your blade tilts, it will create blurry lines and your strokes will not be clean. In order to get sharp, clean strokes, the blade must enter the skin at a perfect 90-degree angle with all the needles touching the skin.

  To create e
xtra definition, touch the tips of your already created strokes with your blade and pigment. Gently pushing your blade in the opposite direction of your stroke using a slight forward motion. This is a ‘barely there’ motion. This technique is especially good for the areas where the client is more bald of hairs.

  A common problem with beginner’s strokes is that they will disappear, only to reappear later in the healing process. This is caused by going too deep and by applying uneven pressure.

  It’s important to follow through the strokes with the same even pressure from beginning to end of stroke. Aim for consistency throughout the stroke. Consistency is the most important and most difficult thing to achieve when microblading.

  Very dark or oily skin runs the risk of having it’s strokes turn powdery and the lines blurring—Make shorter strokes further apart at the first session and refine at top up session. Very dark or oily skin does better with a harder blade.

  Reduce blade pressure the last third of the brow (the tail).

  Tina Davies, a seasoned microblade technician who is an artist and a trainer, has some wonderful YouTube videos on microblading you might want to watch. I personally use and love Tina’s line of disposable microblading tools called Harmony. I also highly recommend her line of practice pads called “Angie” which are the only practice pads that tell you if you are using the right amount of pressure. They are unlike any other pads I’ve encountered.

  Tina says,

  “Do not apply pressure. As long as the skin is stretched nice and tight (the 3-point stretch) and you’re holding your blade nice and straight, then you can let the needles do the work. You are simply guiding the needles.”

  Here’s a wonderful article Tina Davies wrote on microblading:

  ARTICLE

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  Microblading top technical skills:

  Stretch, Angle and Slow-Flow

  POSTED BY: TINA DAVIES

  Microblading top technical skills: STRETCH, ANGLE AND SLOW-FLOW

  Microblading is the newest entrant in permanent cosmetics and has been gaining in popularity over the last 2 years. Artists love the idea of tattooing the way they naturally draw and not having to worry about cumbersome wires, power supplies and vibrations.

  The technique is very artistic and intuitive; allowing the artist’s design to “flow” from her mind to the canvas of the skin. It’s not surprising that artists worldwide have quickly embraced microblading and clients are asking for it by name.

  There are many challenges in performing microblading properly to obtain the best results. Like any technical skill, proper form is paramount.

  In this article, I will share my top 6 technical skills that artists must work at through endless repetition in order to master microblading.

  1. Stretch

  Hands-down the most important factor in getting great strokes is making great stretches. The key to getting a proper stretch is to flatten the skin in 3 opposing directions. This is called a 3-point stretch. The stretching hand (the hand without tool) should be placed strategically along the client’s forehead to pin the skin down and spread it apart in small, taut stretches. This forms 2 of the 3 points. Now, at the same time, the pinky of working hand must stretch in an opposing direction to complete the 3-point stretch. Just when you think you can’t get the skin any flatter, you’re almost there. Remember, when the skin is flat, the stroke will be clean since the surface is void of wrinkles and bounce.

  2. Depth

  The most common question I get asked by artists is about depth. Depth is critical because if you go too shallowly, you will only land in the epidermis, and the color won’t stay. If you go too deep, you can cause scarring and the color will heal too ashy. So how do you figure out the perfect depth? The truth is, it’s very tricky as every client has a different skin thickness and often, the skin will be much thinner at the tail of the brows than the bulb of the brow. In order for the color to stay, you’ll need to microblade to the upper dermis, but not further. A tell-tale sign that you’ve hit the upper dermis or the “sweet spot”, is when you see slight channel in the skin, oftentimes marked by pinpoint bleeding. I talk a lot about microblading to the proper depth and how it relates to the thickness of the client’s skin.

  3. Read the skin

  In my experience, skin comes in 4 thickness varieties: super-thin, thin, regular and thick. You need to understand the tolerance level of the skin to understand it’s breaking point. This knowledge will be gained through experience and will help you to understand the proper depth in which to microblade. Imagine two scenarios: slicing a tissue paper and slicing paper towel. When you become familiar working with different skin types, you start to understand if you need to treat your canvas like a tissue paper or a paper towel. Knowing the skin and microblading to the tolerance level of that skin type will help you microblade to the proper level without overworking the skin. Less trauma = better results.

  4. Consistency

  In microblading, the tortoise always wins. It’s very important to use a slow, steady and consistent pace. Not only should you concentrate on making each stroke slowly, you should be acutely aware of the pace of the entire procedure. Don’t get caught up in a speed trap and accelerate your work as you progress as your results will suffer. With each case, you will encounter challenges like bleeding, lax skin, or thick patches of hair and the best way to deal with these challenges is to work at a slow consistent pace. When you stroke slowly, you will work with more precision and overcome these types of obstacles. Focus on making each stroke count. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

  5. Angle

  The biggest mistake I see people make is in this category. Pay close attention to the angle the blade enters the skin. The needle MUST enter in an upright position and not at an angle. If you look at the side profile of a high quality microblading hairstroke, you will see that the needle penetrates the skin at a 90-degree angle with full contact of all needles touching the skin. Imagine trying to cut a piece of paper with your scissors on an angle, it’s not very effective. Microblading is similar. If you are not penetrating the skin with a perpendicular angle, the quality of the stroke will be compromised and hair strokes will be fuzzy.

  6. Follow-through

  It’s important to finish each stroke evenly with the same speed and pressure. You never want to use two (or more) strokes to represent a single strand. Some strokes will be longer than others, so make sure you finish each one and follow through. Take your time here and work slowly to be consistent and precise.

  Gaining proficiency at microblading requires a tremendous commitment to consistency and detail and by repetitive practice, you will build the required muscle memory.

  So remember: STRETCH, ANGLE, & SLOW-FLOW.

  A word about training: through proper training and dedication to continuing education, you can obtain the theory, background and skills that are required for beautiful results. Prior to committing to any training courses, I strongly recommend artists to interview their training instructors by phone or in person as it will be the one of the most important investments one will ever make on their path to success. Professional instructors are never bothered by this process as the good ones are eager to share and mentor students. How many times have you heard of people retaking basic fundamental courses over and over again after being disappointed with inadequate training? If you do your homework upfront and select a good trainer, you should only have to do it once.

  Along with proper training, I cannot over stress the importance of a strong knowledge cross contamination and the risks associated with blood-borne pathogens. This education is mandatory for all artists performing any permanent makeup procedures regardless of technique and is critical to protect both the public and the artist. In addition, it is critical to maintain a safe and professional working environment and only use sterile and disposable tools. Building and maintaining a solid reputation depends on your commitment to all safety aspects of this professional trade.

  Rem
ember, there are no shortcuts, only hard work. Practice the 6 key steps with a commitment to excellence and I promise you will exceed not only your own expectations, but your client’s as well.

  Now go and practice!

  Chapter 11

  After Care

  Dry Heal or Wet Heal?

  This is another very divided area.

  This debate goes from the tattoo artist all the way to the microbladers and everyone in between.

  The people who believe in dry healing believe in it wholeheartedly. They are seasoned professionals with years of experience. They know what they're talking about. Unfortunately for those of us that are undecided, so are the people on the wet heal side. Both sides provide very compelling proof of why their method is the only method that works and why their way makes more sense.