# Why does plucking certain eyebrow hairs hurt more than others?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plucking-certain-eyebrow-hairs-hurt-more-than-others/580063>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 28, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plucking-certain-eyebrow-hairs-hurt-more-than-others/580063 "2011-04-28T18:02:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Fiona\_Greenlee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@Fiona\_Greenlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiona_Greenlee)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plucking-certain-eyebrow-hairs-hurt-more-than-others/580063/1 "2011-04-28T18:02:09Z")

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I’ve noticed when I pluck my eyebrows, some hairs seem to come out almost painlessly while others really sting. It seems that the wild hairs (those that are growing against the grain and/or the seemingly bent ones) are the ones that hurt the most. Is it the way that the hairs are situated within the follicle that causes this?

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plucking-certain-eyebrow-hairs-hurt-more-than-others/580063/2 "2011-04-28T18:16:48Z")

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Ultimately it’s the supply of nerve endings and how they are stimulated that affects differential pain levels.

Patient: “It hurts when I do that.”  
Doctor: “So don’t do that.”

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**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plucking-certain-eyebrow-hairs-hurt-more-than-others/580063/3 "2011-04-28T18:33:23Z")

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“But Doctor, I look like a werewolf if I DON’T pluck!”

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**Author:** ![Daerlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Daerlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daerlyn)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plucking-certain-eyebrow-hairs-hurt-more-than-others/580063/4 "2011-04-28T20:19:51Z")

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I think a factor is what point of the growth cycle the follicle is in. Hairs whose follicles are at the beginning or mid-way through a cycle are still growing and therefore more firmly attached than hairs which are at the end and in a ‘just waiting to fall out’ phase.

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**Author:** ![Fiona\_Greenlee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@Fiona\_Greenlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiona_Greenlee)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-plucking-certain-eyebrow-hairs-hurt-more-than-others/580063/5 "2011-04-29T03:17:25Z")

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> [@Daerlyn](#):
>
> I think a factor is what point of the growth cycle the follicle is in. Hairs whose follicles are at the beginning or mid-way through a cycle are still growing and therefore more firmly attached than hairs which are at the end and in a ‘just waiting to fall out’ phase.

Thank you - that makes perfect sense.