How to Choose the Right Disposable Microblading Needles
With so many different types of microblading blades how do you pick the right one for your microblading supplies kit?
There are a lot of different kinds of blades for microblading. To get good post-procedure results and look after the client it is very important to choose the right blade. Every client has different skin. The skin varies in different thicknesses, oiliness and sensitivity.
Older skin mostly is thinner and less resistant than younger skin. Additionally, you will recognise the tissue laxity, collagen and elastin in the skin decreases the older the client is.
Knowing the skin and deciding which blade to use accordingly is really difficult but it is the way to your end goal-a good result and a satisfied & happy client.
The Right Equipment for Microblading Treatment
There are several different blades. Blades in microblading are actually a lot of thin needles placed closely together to create kind of a blade. There are single row blades and double row blades with different numbers of pins. The blades can be hard or flexible. The needles set in the overall blade are positioned in different shapes: Curve Flexi shape (CF) / Slanted shape or U-shape being the most popular.
The blades go from 7 pins all the way to 28 pins. The increasing number shows the thickness. The thinner the blades are, the sharper they are and vice versa. Every blade has its own advantage.
The U-style blades are good to draw curvy hairs. These blades are recommended for more experienced Microblading Artists.
7-pin CF blade: This is the finest blade of all. It is used for thin brows and detailed work. It is a good blade to draw short and thin hairs.
12-pin CF blade: Could be the magic number. This blade is the used most often. It is a good blade to create medium length eyebrow hair in medium thickness.
14-pin CF blade: This blade is really good to create long eyebrow hairs with medium thickness. It is really good to draw thicker brows.
Double Row: his blade will allow you to create more uniform dual strokes of whichever thickness you choose from: 7,9,13 and 15pin. This is great for providing the main structure of the brow before filling in finer details.
Flat shading: For uniform, straight strokes, rather than a curved application flat-shading blades are a must have. These are especially useful when shading in the ‘tail’ of the brow or creating a straighter style brow for your client. These blades are available in either a 12 pin or 14 pin thickness, depending on your need.
Round Pin for shading: This is a great blade for providing more depth and detail to the brow, allowing you to create microstrokes and add further shading. This will give you a more 3-D, natural look at whichever thickness from 3,5,9,17, 19, and 21pin.
Nano Blades: Nano blading technique can be used to describe a form of PMU performed by a machine. You can also buy super thin microblading needles (NANO blades) which are used in standard microblading. They are either 0.16mm or 0.18mm. As an artist, these blades allow you to refine the brow and create the appearance of finer hairs or thicker, shorter hairs depending on the pin you choose (7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 18 pin, in either CF or U-shape). These blades come in handy when you want to create a much shorter length hair than regular blades allow, giving you the freedom you desire to create the perfect brow.
There are a wide range of pens available across the industry to suit your individual artistic needs and style, whether you want a harder pen for more defined strokes or one for the ease that a flexi-blade provides. As well as needles and pens, you can also use pre-fitted hand tools (recommend for use by VTCT over needles/pen holder combination). There is a choice of lightweight, ergonomic, heavy/chunky, and double-ended pens in various shapes and configurations, depending on the needle you are using. All the right microblading equipment you should need for your supplies kit.
Blades should arrive in special sterilised packaging and be disposable, which further ensures maintenance of hygiene standards and prevents cross-contamination. To ensure client safety/insurance requirements all pens must meet local Health & Safety Guidelines and be sterilised in the UK at a sterilisation/medical facility.
All blades, pens and hand tools should meet the requirements of the new Medical Device Regulations 2017/745 (Annex XVI). These regulations include products, which aren’t defined as medical devices, such as microblading equipment, yet still must be CE marked. At this time, it’s not certain as to whether microblading pens in particular will come under this change in legislation. The Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will communicate this prior to the legislation change (May 2020). If they are to be marked as medical devices it is likely the autoclave sterilisation of microblading pens (in salons) will be outlawed. Disposable hand tools and needles are likely to require a CE mark, if they are intended for medical purpose. The new legislation is still in early stages of the transitioning period and will not be finalised until May 2020. Keep an eye out for new information nearer the time. We will issue a communication as soon as we know more.
Quality Testing
After choosing the right blade it is important to check the quality. If the blade has a bad quality stokes won’t be thin and crispy and the result won’t look that good.
The first step to check the quality is the visual test but this test can be very insignificant. But how do you visually test to see if the blade is ok to use?
The easiest and fastest way to check the blade is to press it with your nail on the side. The needles should not move except it is a flexible blade. But also, the needles of flexible blades should not move that much when pressing the blade on the side with a fingernail.
Additionally, you can carry a quick test on artificial skin to check that you can create a clear and gentle stroke and the needles aren’t moving.
The better the quality of the blade is the better the final result will be.
During your practice time, you’ll get more experience and will develop your own unique technique. You will find out which blades are working the best for you and which blades to avoid. The most important thing is to identify your clients’ skin type.
Feel confident that you’re using the best, high quality microblading tools that suit both you and your clients. All the microblade supply products at The Microblading Emporium are of the highest quality, designed with you in mind.
Hopefully as you progress along your career you’ll feel more prepared to choose the right tool for your work and show off your artistic style.
Interesting YouTube video on needle selection
At the Microblading Emporium we stock an extensive range of microblading supplies, tools and equipment. We put serving you, so you can serve your clients at the heart of everything we do.
Visit Microblading Emporium today for all your microblading supplies, tools, and equipment.
References on Request.
Photo used courtesy of https://www.lashismore.nl/
