MICROBLADING VS NANO BROWS

Both are eyebrow tattooing techniques that tattoo hair-like strokes into the skin to give the brows more volume and balance. But..

..which one is better?

As a tenured PMU artist that provides both services, I'll tell you this: the service that is "better" truly depends on what it is that you want for your eyebrows. 

Fine, monotonous, fully saturated hairstrokes? Microblading.

Fluffy, textured/dimensional, airy and or saturated strokes? Nano/Machine Hairstrokes.

AND THEN - it depends on your skin texture, skin integrity, and your natural eyebrow hairs.

If your skin is smooth like a banana peel, you're a good candidate for either.

If your skin is textured like an orange peel, you may be a better candidate for nano.

If your skin is youthful, you're a good candidate for either.

If your skin is mature, you may be a better candidate for nano.

If your eyebrow hairs grow flush/flat agains your skin, you're a good candidate for either.

If your eyebrow hairs grow outwards/stick out from your skin, you may be a better candidate for nano.

MICROBLADING

Here's how Microblading actually works:

• A "microblade" is comprised of a row of micro-sized needles (usually 16 or 18 needles)
• The needles are bound together in a flat row, and the tips of the needles resemblea a "blade"
• Standard Microblading needle size diameters are about .18mm. Meaning, the circumference of each needle is .18mm
  • Smaller diameter needles such as .15mm are available. Anything smaller than the standard size of .18mm is considered a "nanoblade"
    • A "nanoblade" is still a "microblade" - just with thinner needles. "Nanoblading" is not a thing - and if any artists say that they "nanoblade" they are just microblading the skin with thinner than standard needles. Any service that uses the word "blade" or "blading" in it means that the artist is using a "blade" - not a machine.
• The microblade is housed inside of a handheld tool that's as thin and as light as a pen or a pencil
• The artist dips the tips of the needles into ink, then drags the tips of the needles + the ink through the skin to create each individual hairlike stroke
• This procedure is much quicker than nano brows/machine hairstrokes due to so many needles tattooing the skin at one time

NANO BROWS/MACHINE HAIRSTROKES

Here's how Nano Brows/Machine Hairstrokes actually work:

• A rotary tattoo machine is used (hence "machine hairstrokes")
  • This machine is much heavier and much thicker than a microblading handle
• A needle cartridge is inserted into the tattoo machine
  • Usually, the cartridge will have a single needle or a very small grouping of needles to tattoo the skin
    • The diameters of these needles can vary anywhere from .18mm to .40mm - giving the artist much more versatility in artistic creation than the limited sizes that microblading needles offer
• The machine and the needle work together to implant (tattoo) pigment into the skin, dot by dot
  • This means that each nano/machine hairstroke that you see is built up dot by dot
• This procedure takes MUCH longer than microblading due to having to build up an entire eyebrow dot by dot often times with one single needle

WHICH ONE IS BETTER?

Longevity-wise - I know you're probably wondering: which is better?

THAT depends on your PMU (permanent makeup) artist. 

Either procedure can go SEVERELY wrong if your artist isn't properly trained. 

Lucky for you, I am ;)

I WANT TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT!

My boutique PMU studio is located in San Ramon, California. If you're familiar with the Bay Area, I am:

• 35 miles east of San Francisco
• 35 miles north of San Jose/Silicon Valley
• A 20 minute drive from Oakland

I open my books up every first of the month for the following month (ie on January 1st, all of my February dates are released). Appointments are available on a first come, first serve basis. You can find answers to Frequently Asked Questions and book your appointment directly by tapping here.

I'M A MICROBLADING ARTIST THAT WANTS TO LEARN NANO!

The transition from Microblading to Machine Hairstrokes is not for the faint of heart. Nano Brows/Machine Hairstrokes is in my opinion, the hardest brow PMU method to grasp - so it's important to be taught the necessary theory and fundamentals behind the technique from the get-go. 

I have two options for you 🤍

OPTION 1: MICROBLADING TO MACHINE HAIRSTROKE MASTERY ONLINE COURSE
As you may well know, I started my PMU career in Microblading. Of course, as nano/machine hairstrokes gained popularity, I had to adapt to stay current with the services that I offered to my clients. I took a nano course, continued practicing every day, and I just couldn't grasp the technique. It took me a year to finally master the technique, and when I did, I realized that I wouldn't have wasted so much time had there been a nano course available to me that spoke my language as a microblading artist. A course like that didn't exist. So I created it. ✨ Tap here to learn more.

OPTION 2: 4-DAY NANO BROWS MASTERCLASS
I host small, 4 day in-person nano brows courses at my training facility in San Ramon, California. I only accept 3 students per class, and each student is required to complete a very, very comprehensive online course before class starts to ensure they're equipped with all of the backend knowledge before coming in for in-person training.

This masterclass is designed beginner to intermediate artists. Note: I do qualify Microblading-only artists as beginners to Nano. New technique, new everything to learn ❤️ 

Learn the theory. Learn my patterns. Learn my technique. Watch me work on a live model. Work on your own model under my supervision.

Tap here to learn more.