The pencil-thin, contoured brow styles of the 1990s and early 2000s are long behind us. We’re all grateful that this chapter has closed.
Full-browed celebrities like Cara Delevingne and Kim Kardashian ushered in a new era in the 2010s. This more pronounced and defined look is here to stay.
The question is, how do you get those perfect eyebrows and keep them? Here are ten tips to get your eyebrows to their fullest potential.
In our world of instant gratification, patience is a virtue. But when it comes to getting naturally perfect brows, it’s a must. We are talking months, not weeks, especially if you’ve been tweezing aggressively for years.
Give your brows three months for hair growth. This allows you to start with your natural brow shape before pulling out every tool in your kit.
Don’t over-pluck. Too much grooming prevents many people from achieving their dream eyebrows. Manipulating every stray hair with tweezers can lead to thin and misshapen brows and the potential for long-term damage that may be irreparable.
Everyone’s hair is unique. Some of us have naturally bushy, fuller brows, while others are thinner. Cosmetic fillers offer a great solution to achieve your ideal arches.
To effectively fill in your brows, an eyebrow pencil or powder are the essential tools to start.
When selecting a product, choose a color one or two shades lighter than your hair. Matching color too closely creates an unnatural look.
Avoid using a heavy hand when filling with your brow pencil or powder. In sparse areas, apply additional pressure and smudge the lines. This takes practice, so be prepared to endure some trial and error.
Most of us don’t roll out of bed with perfect hair or Cosmo-cover brows. If you do, that’s great! For the rest of us, some grooming is required. To get your brows looking their best, they require a bit more attention.
Start with the basics when brushing. A “spoolie” synthetic grooming brush is a must-have in your toolkit. Brushing and backcombing your brows helps hair stay in place, giving a full and natural look.
Besides aesthetics, brushing also exfoliates your skin and stimulates blood flow, promoting growth and longevity.
Thought to have originated in India or Iran, eyebrow threading has been practiced for thousands of years. With this technique, a technician uses thin threads for hair removal. They will then twist the threads around each other and move the twist-over sections of hair to remove them.
In the hands of a skilled threader, the process is quick. With efficient movements, entire lines of hair can be removed fast to reveal your ideal eyebrow shape. A session can be as short as ten minutes and is often less painful than waxing or tweezing.
It is tempting to go tweeze-happy and fight against your natural patterns of eyebrow growth. Some of us obsess over every errant hair and forget about the big picture: our brow line.
Our brows naturally correspond to our face shape and bone structure. Going too hard against the grain can lead to an unnatural look. We have to work with what we have for the perfect eyebrow shape.
When shaping or filling in, try to follow the natural lines of the brows you have, to work with what you’ve got rather than trying to blaze a new trail. Creating overly dramatic high arches or tapers can look great on a round face but jarring or out of place on other face shapes.
Just like other hair on your body, it is important to keep your brow hair hydrated. Conditioning and moisturizing not only help to give increased shine but also strengthen hair.
You don’t need to do anything drastic. When you wash your face with your regular facial cleanser, be sure to hit your brows too. The same applies to your daily moisturizer. Dab a little on your eyebrows to help keep the area from drying and flaking.
As the name suggests, a glycerin-based bar of soap is used to achieve this feathery and full-but-tamed look. The soap gives a superior hold compared to typical brow gels.
Far from new, this technique has long been used by makeup artists. Recently, this eyebrow hack went mainstream — on TikTok, soap brows have become a full-on trend, with countless users boasting great results.
For this look, simply rub a spoolie brush on a damp bar of soap and apply it to your eyebrows, brushing up and away with your makeup brush. Once you’ve got your desired look, press the hair in place and fill it in with brow powder and pencil as needed.
Although the process is trendy and appealing, soap brows are not for everyone. People with sensitive skin should avoid or sparingly use this technique. Prolonged skin contact with soap can cause irritation. Proceed with caution to see how your brows fare.
You might not realize it, but lifestyle can contribute majorly to eyebrow health. High levels of stress and poor diet can slow growth and even lead to thinning.
Biotin (a form of Vitamin B) has long been favored in the beauty industry. By efficiently converting food into energy, it could help encourage hair, skin, and nail growth.
Biotin can either be taken as a supplement or incorporated into your diet. Eggs, meats, fish, nuts, seeds, and certain vegetables, including sweet potatoes and avocados, are all rich in this nutrient.
One word of caution: tell your doctor if you are taking biotin as it can lead to some unusual lab results.
For those less concerned with going the natural route, microblading may be a great option. This process is especially beneficial for people with little to no eyebrows.
Not to be confused with microchanneling (a collagen induction therapy method), microblading is a form of cosmetic tattooing. A typical appointment will start with eyebrow mapping and stenciling to create the desired shape. The technician will then apply a numbing cream before beginning the process.
To emulate the look of hair, technicians use a manual tattoo machine with tiny needles in it. Tiny hair-like strokes are used to give your eyebrows a natural look.
This process is semi-permanent. Pigments fade over time or can turn blue or green. To maintain boldness and color, follow-up appointments are needed every 1-2 years. As with all invasive procedures, do your research and only work with reputable service providers and technicians.
Of all the techniques on this list, brow transplantation is the most intensive but fantastic way to fill in your brows and give them a new shape.
Transplantation begins with harvesting quality hair from the back of the head, known as the donor area. The hairs are removed as a linear strip (FUT) or small punch incisions to secure individual follicle units. They are then processed and transplanted into the eyebrow area with precision.
It’s not an overnight fix. But once the transplanted hair and skin acclimate to transplantation, the new hair will grow as normal. This process can be life-changing and is permanent. Be sure to work exclusively with established, experienced doctors like Jae Pak, M.D. to ensure the best results.
The perfect eyebrows come in all shapes and sizes. What is beautiful to someone else may not be your style. Choose the best techniques and approaches for your goals and budget.
Most importantly, stick to the proven methodologies. If your eyebrows are thinning or you do not like the shape, work alongside a trusted hair restoration expert like Dr. Jae Pak to achieve transformative results.
Sources:
4 Things Your Eyebrows Might Be Telling You About Your Health | Modern Salon
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