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Pens

Selecting the right tools is essential. After all, you’ll probably be using them a lot. There are several ergonomically designed microblade pens on the market. Which you decide to go for will come down to personal preference. Bear in mind that your local licensing authority may require all tools to be single use and disposable, including your pen. If this is the case, your choice will be more limited as you won’t be able to opt for reusable pens, unless you throw them away after every use, which would be costly.

If you decide to go for reusable pens, each one will need to be sterilised after every use with either a professional vacuum autoclave or cold sterilisation.

Pro Tip: Sterile, single-use disposable blades are in my opinion, the best option for convenience and compliance and can be factored into the cost of your treatment

Blades

Microblades aren’t blades. They’re a cluster of small needles placed closely together to form a kind of blade, a bit like a comb.

To achieve the best results, you may need a selection of Microblades with varying needle configurations. Some you’ll use to create long hair strokes, some for short strokes, others for shading. For example, a sparse brow may require a smaller blade configuration to fit strokes between the existing brow hair.

When it comes to needle configuration, the fewer the needles, the thinner the strokes. The more needles there are, the thicker the strokes. Also, smaller needle configurations tend to produce a more ash or cooler pigment in the end because the smaller needles typically place pigment deeper into the skin. With larger needle configurations, the pigment tends to stay closer to the skin’s surface and appears less cool.

If you’re new to Microblading, or you’re working on the skin at the dermal-epidermal junction, use a flexible microblade, or ‘flexi’ blade, rather than a hard blade. Flexi blades are wrapped in a plastic covering, which helps prevent you from going too deep into the skin.

We go into more detail about the different types of blades below.

Every Microblade is sterile packed and each package has its own individual lot number and expiry date. You must always open the blade in front of the client and staple the paper backing to the client’s file. Always make sure you inspect every blade carefully under a strong light and magnifier to look for any imperfections which could harm the skin.

Flexible vs hard blades

Flexible or ‘flexi’ blades: needle configuration goes from 7 to 21 pins

Although I highly recommend these for all artists, they’re not just for beginners. In fact, they should feature in all Microblading kits. The plastic covering makes going too deep into the skin much more difficult and they’re great for getting used to how much pressure you need to apply (which is why they’re good if you’re just starting out). Flexible blades tend to be best for thin or aged skin.

The downside is they aren’t as steady as hard blades.

Hard or rigid blades: needle configuration goes from 7 to 21 pins

Hard blades are very stable but far less giving and much sharper than flexible blades, so I recommend only using them when you become an experienced artist. They’re covered in stainless steel and because of their sharpness, can easily damage very thin or sensitive skin. Hard blades may be better for oily or thicker skin and for male clients. However, you’ll need to carry out a thorough skin assessment first.

Blades

Here’s a list of the most used blades:

7-pin blade 

This is the finest of all the blades and is perfect for creating short, thin hair strokes. You should use this for detailed work and is ideal if you want to target gaps between existing hairs. It’s suitable for all skin types.

12-pin blade

This is the most used blade and is good for creating medium-length hair strokes of medium thickness. It’s a great starter needle for beginners because it’s flexible so won’t go too deep into the skin. It’s ideal for clients with fine natural hair.

14-pin blade

This is used to create long hair strokes of medium to above medium thickness and is good for creating thicker brows.

U-Shape blade

This is great for the inner corner of the eyebrows where you need to be able to draw smooth, angled curves in a short space.

18 super fine single needles

As there are no gaps between the needles, you can create super fine strokes and achieve amazing results with this blade. It’s great for drawing curvy hair strokes and is the most popular blade in the industry.

Blade thickness

 

Here’s a list of the different blade diameters available:

 

 

35mm not recommended

 
25mm  for thick skin or for creating thicker hair strokes
22mm for average skin
20mm for average skin
18mm (nano) for thin skin or for creating very thin in-between strokes(most commonly used in microblading treatments)
15mm (nano) not recommended

Blade Angle

 

 

 

 

Flexi angled blades are best for beginners. All the needles touch the skin at the same time making it easier to control how deep you’re into the skin you’re going.

 

Curved blades are great for making curved strokes. Care must be taken when using these needles as they don’t all hit the skin at the same time, so can cause trauma if used incorrectly.