After a beauty lesson, Grayslake changes course on microblading
After emails, phone calls and a village board beauty lesson from a local salon owner, microblading is coming to Grayslake.
The cosmetic procedure - designed to make eyebrows look thicker - was long lumped with tattooing, which is highly restricted. But last week, the Grayslake village board voted to reclassify microblading.
The push came from Nancy White, the owner of Salon Luxe in Grayslake. She called village officials in September to ask whether she could offer the service to her clients.
"I got shut down pretty fast," White said. "They said I'd need to have a state registered nurse do the service and honestly, no registered nurse is going to do microblading."
Microblading is similar to tattooing, but there are key differences. Traditional tattoos are permanent because pigment is applied to the dermis, a lower layer of skin. Microblading is not as deep; stylists use tiny needles to "draw" individual eyebrow hairs on the epidermal layer of skin, which is closer to the surface.
White said a round of microblading typically lasts two to three years and the initial procedure usually is done over two appointments, each of which is at least two hours long. The procedure costs about $400 to $600.
"But it's worth it in the long run," White said.
White had it done herself by one of her independent stylists, Beate Trzcinski, at a different salon and wanted to offer microblading in Grayslake.
After the initial "no" from village staff, White began emailing and calling village board members in hopes of getting the rule changed.
In November, she gave a presentation during a board meeting as a way to educate the board on the procedure.
Tuesday night the board voted 5-1 in favor of disassociating microblading from tattooing and allowing it in the village, provided the stylist is properly licensed with the state.
Trustee Shawn Vogel cast the lone dissenting vote, saying that while he appreciated learning more about microblading, he is uncomfortable with some public health and safety aspects of the procedure.
White said she plans on having Trzcinski offer microblading at her Grayslake salon in the spring and might hire more microblading stylists depending on demand.