How to Prevent Eyebrow Disasters

Everyone’s eyebrows are different and for a lot of us, we want what we can’t have. I want what I used to have, a full set of eyebrows that had a lustrous brown colour and a shape that didn’t ever let me down. But I had to go overboard with the tweezers, didn’t I!

Well, luckily for everyone these days, we are blessed with product after product, makeup tool after makeup tool and tutorial after tutorial. No one really has to look too far to find out how to fix an eyebrow disaster and today, look no further as we are here to help you avoid those eyebrow mishaps and recover from them if you have already succumbed to one.

Remember, there is always a fix for things when they go wrong, you just have to know what to do and how to do it. Eyebrows can sometimes have a mind of their own, especially after being left ungroomed for some time, but no one needs to suffer with brows they don’t feel comfortable with. So take a little time out to properly look at what you have and see what you need to do to fix them or, if you are lucky enough to have a great set already, what you need to do to maintain them and completely avoid the next potential eyebrow disaster.

This is my first piece of advice as more often than not, eyebrow disasters involve over-plucking and not knowing when or where to stop. There might be room for a little bit of tidying up from time to time, but if you are about to cause a disaster or are trying to recover from one, then tweezers aren’t going to be your friend right now. Trust me!

The thing about tweezers is they seem like relatively harmless tools, but they can do a lot of damage, short and long-term. They obviously aren’t meant to cause damage otherwise they wouldn’t be so widely popular, but they are meant to be used properly and with good care. Unfortunately, no one in the 1990’s got that memo! They are fine to use when they are good quality, in good shape and to get rid of a few strays when needed, but for the purpose of avoiding eyebrow disasters, let’s put the tweezers down for now.

If you absolutely can’t live without them, then make sure you buy yourself a good pair of tweezers for your quick eyebrow fixes. Great tweezers will be strong and comfortable to use and the best type to use for precision plucking are ones with a slanted tip. This slanted angle helps to find the individual hairs while the flat edge runs parallel to the skin, so you aren’t pinching it every 5 seconds trying to grab a stubborn eyebrow hair.Over time and with a lot of use, tweezers can become a bit distorted in shape and lose their pinching position. They can also start to feel blunt at the tip which will be the start of your eyebrow disaster if you aren’t careful. So, keep a close eye on your trusty tweezers and see if it is time to invest in a new pair.

While we’re on the subject of tweezers, remember to keep them clean to help them last longer and so that you don’t spread any unwanted germs to other parts of your eyebrows. Unfortunately, eyebrows get filled with oil and debris and tweezers can just carry this over to another area, which isn’t good if you are prone to infection or inflammation. Keep them clean after each use using a light soap or makeup remover, being careful to check it isn’t ruining the integrity of the tweezer.

One of the best things you can know for your eyebrows to avoid disaster is the shape that they truly are and the shape that suits you best. We are all born with eyebrows that fit our face in one way or another and it is wanting to change that that has caused brow chaos over the years, but with modern advances in technology and the steady hand of some very talented eyebrow technicians, microblading has taken the world by storm and allows people to get the eyebrows they have always dreamed of.

The art is knowing what shape to use and whether it will suit the face it sits on. And this is where cosmetic tattoo specialists come in. When it comes to microblading, it is important to check out your desired artist’s credentials and be informed about the procedure as much as possible before jumping in. But you should be able to trust that they will help you with defining your shape especially in situations where your brows haven’t grown back after years of plucking or due to illness.

If you aren’t ready to take the leap into microblading territory just yet and want to have a go at home grooming, it is vital you do your research on brow shapes and what suits your own face shape before stepping in with those pesky tweezers. But just so you know the basics for now, try to remember these handy face shape tips:

• Round Shaped Faces – Try and aim for a higher arch that will provide angles where the face doesn’t and helps to elongate the face and make it look slimmer. This kind of brow shaping is difficult to master by yourself at home, so don’t try and remove your eyebrows and hope that you find this shape naturally, instead remove a few strays from under the arch and use clever highlighter on the brow bone and a clean spool to brush the brows upward to create the illusion of higher arches.

• Oval Shaped Faces – This face shape suits most brow styles, but to soften the face and create dimension, go for a slight arch with a less harsh angle to the top point. Arches don’t need to be high, but they look great when defined so again, only grab a few stray hairs from underneath the brow bone and use concealer and highlighter to do the rest. When you can get a threading appointment, your eyebrows shape will already be in place, it should just need some tidying up.

• Heart Shaped Faces – The aim with heart shaped faces is to lessen the upward angles and draw the eye inward. People with this shaped face are incredibly lucky and can pull off a lot of styles but look great with more rounded eyebrows to create facial harmony. IF you don’t have a naturally rounded eyebrow shape, then don’t try this one at home, but again use makeup and concealer to create a temporary version of a rounded shape and use gel on the eyebrows to keep them in place.

• Square Shaped Faces – This face shape is beautifully angular and already does the speaking so that eyebrows don’t have to. High arches only draw attention to the angles, so it is best for people with this face shape to elongate and thicken the eyebrows for a softer finish. This draws attention to the eyes and can soften the jawline. Eyebrow pencils can help with this short term, but this may be one for a microblading artist to help you with if your eyebrows are less on the bushy side.

• Diamond Shape Face – Lucky gals with diamond face shapes can have a little fun with their brows and be a bit more playful with the shape. The aim is to shorten the face and sharpen the jawline so a longer, curvier brow suits fine. Microblading can help with elongating the eyebrows, or clever make up with a good pencil and gel can get you there temporarily. A curvy eyebrow is not one to attempt at home if it is not your naturally eyebrow shape.

• Long Shaped Faces – The aim with long shaped faces is to add width and this is achievable by flattening out the brow with a soft curve and low arches. A high arch can elongate the face more, whereas a longer brow with softer lines draws the eye to a more central point. Keep the eyebrows lighter toward the outer edges to avoid harsh lines by using a lighter eyebrow pencil and don’t focus on overgrooming the shape to make the whole look softer and more romantic.

Remember, that even when all is said and done and no matter what your face shape is and how easy it looks to pull off your perfect eyebrow shape, there are people that have been trained to do this for you. When your eyebrows go there is no saying when they will come back, trust me, my eyebrows turned their back on me years ago because I was too stubborn to go and get them done at the time.

Do yourself a favour to avoid eyebrow disasters and book and appointment with your technician if you want to get them reshaped or if you just want a tidy up. They know best and will make you feel at ease with your choices, plus they can recommend some great products to keep them tame and in check until your next go.

Eyebrows should look shiny and lustrous to really have a healthy appearance but looking healthy is only half the battle. To give your eyebrows some TLC so they repay you by growing well and lasting longer, it might be time to change up a few things in your diet and your beauty routine.
Eyebrow disasters don’t just happen because we get a bit tweezer-happy, it can happen through lack of care and incorrect cleansing. So, for this step, incorporate a healthy dose of oils, creams and cleansers to keep your brows in good shape.

• Castor Oil – Long has this been used in beauty for its fatty properties that promotes growth and adds thickness to hair. Enriched with proteins and vitamins, castor oil can change the appearance of your eyebrows pretty quickly and leaves them looking shiny and full. So, try a daily application of this for healthy follicles and beautiful brows.

• Coconut Oil – Similar to castor oil, the fatty acids and natural proteins promote healthy growth and act as a protector to each individual eyebrow hair. Coconut oil is also a great conditioner for soft feeling and looking eyebrows and to be honest, this stuff should be a staple in all beauty kits as it works so well on hair and skin too!

• Aloe Vera – Not only does this stuff cool and soothe the skin under and around eyebrows, it helps rejuvenate hair and prevents breakage. Using this on the eyebrows is a win-win, especially if you really can’t put down those tweezers but want your eyebrows to grow back stronger and longer.

• Water-Based Cleansers – All makeup removers are a bit harsher than we would all like, but that is because it has a stubborn job to do. Gently remove your eyebrow makeup with water-based cleansers and use coconut oil as a moisturiser for after cleansing to get the rewards from each product. Coconut oil is a great cleanser in itself so it will catch any eye makeup debris left behind.

• Comb your Eyebrows – This helps to stimulate growth and keeps your eyebrows clean and clear for the most part. Just make sure your eyebrow spool or brush is clean and not used after applying makeup.

• Use an Eyebrow Growth Serum – A good eyebrow serum will help to stimulate growth and promote healthy follicles with daily applications. They can be applied daily and don’t need to be washed off as it sinks deep into the follicle to work beneath the surface of the skin. For shiny and lustrous eyebrows that you won’t want to pluck, eyebrow serums are the way forward.

• When you follow all the steps, you should be well prepared to avoid all eyebrow disasters and have beautiful brows that others can be envious of.