Your Eyebrow FAQs Answered

There are plenty of ways to rid yourself of unruly or unwanted eyebrow hair, but some methods are more painful than others and some are just not as kind to the skin as others. The real recommendation is that if you don’t really have to remove it, then don’t bother putting yourself through the potential soreness as the skin around and under the eyebrows can be susceptible to damage and minor infection if hair removal isn’t done properly and with care.

If you still want a little tidy up or reshape from your technician, have a look at your options for eyebrow hair removal:

Plucking – This one is probably the most common and seems like easiest to do, but also so easy to get wrong, and not to mention how sore it can leave your eyebrow area afterward. It can be easy to get carried away with tweezers and always just go for one more hair until you then have to even out the other side and so on. It’s a battle you may not win and waiting for eyebrows to grow back in can take a lot of time.

If you must reach for the tweezers it’s best to only use them to remove the odd stray hair and give your brows a little tidy up, not to reshape them altogether. Always pluck your eyebrows after a hot shower or after holding a cloth soaked with hot water to them. This opens up the pores and softens the skin making for an easier plucking experience. Not only will it hurt less but it will also do less damage to the skin. Check your tweezers are new and in good condition. Older tweezers may have lost their shape/grip and blunt tweezers will find it hard to grab the hairs properly to remove them in one go. Again, your pain threshold will thank you later, and you won’t be at risk of infection from using old or dirty tweezers. Aloe Vera gel will also be your best friend after plucking your brows, so apply a little of this to the freshly tweezed area for a soothing and cool feeling.

Threading – This one is definitely best left to the professionals unless you are fully used to do this to yourself already. This is an old method of hair removal and involves as it says in the title using a few threads and working them in a motion that pulls the hairs away from the follicle in a few goes. It is painful to those who haven’t done it before, but most people who have been threading for years say that the pain lessens and becomes easily bearable. The results can last from 6-10 weeks when done properly and that will always make the pain more bearable anyway, as who doesn’t want to be in a position where you don’t have to worry about those pesky brow hairs for a couple of months!

Waxing – this method is definitely the most painful, but easily delivers the best results. Waxing is always a good idea before going on holiday, but due to the sensitivity of the skin it’s not recommended to step out in the sun for one to two days while the skin calms down. As waxing removes all the unwanted hairs in one go by applying a sticky substance and then being torn off in one quick move, it tends to get hairs from the roots, so it means even longer is needed until the next appointment. People who regularly get their eyebrows waxed say that the hairs grow in finer afterward too, so it doesn’t need so much upkeep in the meantime. Treat the skin with care after a waxing appointment and don’t apply lotions or creams straight after to make sure that the skin doesn’t pick anything up or get clogged with things that can cause irritation or infection.

Shaving – An absolute last resort for eyebrow hair removal, and simply because it can be so difficult to target specific areas and it doesn’t last very long at all. Although it is constantly said that shaving doesn’t mean hairs grow back in courser or thicker, when it comes to your eyebrows you are removing hair above the skin and follicle so it can leave blunt evidence of hairs which can end up looking unsightly. You can also easily nip or cut yourself with a razor and being so close to your eye, this method is probably not recommended for eyebrow hair removal.

Not everyone struggles with eyebrow hair removal and in fact for a lot of people the problem comes in growing them back. As mentioned with the more aggressive forms of hair removal, the follicle itself becomes a lot weaker meaning that when you decide it’s time to reshape or grow in your eyebrows once more, it can be a lot harder.

When we subject our eyebrows to years of plucking, tweaking and makeup use, it can have long-term effects that sometimes seem irreversible, but it is important to remember there are ways to get those follicles going again, and those little eyebrow hairs wanting to grow back. There are natural methods that some people swear by, that help to encourage regrowth of eyebrows and strengthen the follicles.

A healthy and balanced diet is always a good way of growing and strengthening follicles, as hairs are mostly made up of proteins, they need to replace lost ones in order to maintain healthy growth. The same for C vitamins that can be found in leafy green vegetables and fruits. Beans and lentils as well as fresh fish and nuts can provide the body with long energy bursts and the resulting proteins can help with hair growth, and in this case eyebrow growth.

Castor oil has been linked to hair growth for many years and has been used as a hair regrowth remedy to treat eyebrows and eyelashes in more recent years. All it takes is a small amount of castor oil on a cotton bud applied to the eyebrows, especially focussing on the areas where hair is sparse and then just waiting for the results of hopefully faster regrowth and shiner eyebrow hair.

Other remedies include eyebrow serums, which are similar to eyelash growth serums and aim to help eyebrows grow back faster, stronger and more lustrous in colour. XBrow eyebrow serum is one that contains natural and botanical extracts associated with hair growth and follicle repair as well as being kinder to the skin around and under the eyebrows can show results in a matter of weeks.

The idea of “tattooing” your eyebrows on seems like genius, doesn’t it? Waking up in the morning and not having to do a thing to your eyebrows to get ready, knowing that they look amazing all the time seems like heaven. But is it for everyone? Maybe not. If you have naturally full eyebrows anyway, but the shape bothers you then microblading isn’t going to be your best option, it is best suited for people with sparse eyebrows or who have trouble growing them back, or for people with uneven eyebrow shapes, microblading can be a great way to correct them and not have to worry about them much afterward.

Microblading is relatively pain free and isn’t as invasive as tattooing although it does involve some very small needles and someone with steady hands. It takes a great deal of technicality to microblade someone’s eyebrows so it should always be done by someone who is professionally trained with the proper equipment. The results can be so natural looking that it is only under close inspection that anyone would be able to tell, so this is a huge bonus for those who struggle on their own eyebrow journey.

The important thing with anything that involves creating small openings in the skin is that it needs time to repair itself. So it can be sore and cause minimal scarring initially while it heals. If you think microblading is a good option for you, always take the advice of the trained person with regards to aftercare and follow instructions through fully so that you get the best end result and end up with gorgeous looking eyebrows.

If you are thinking of reshaping your eyebrows at home, the best advice here is don’t do it! We are all born with an eyebrow shape that sits at a certain position on our faces and it can be very difficult to know what will work until the job is done. Considering that they can take a while to grow back in, this could be a mistake you will end up regretting and struggling to hide for some time if it goes wrong.

There are some shapes that flatter different faces and some eyebrow shapes that are more universal and suit everybody, so the best thing to do is go for a consultation with a trained professional who will talk you through the steps and delivery a shape that works really well with your features and to compliment your shape.

There is no set template for eyebrows as it can depend on the face shape as to what is more flattering. This doesn’t mean you have to get your eyebrows reshaped to match the criteria, but you can achieve temporary looks with clever makeup to be able to see what suits you and feel confident all day.

Round face shapes – This shape tends to suit a higher arch to help lengthen the face and create more dimension to the middle of the face. Clever shading with makeup by using darker tones to fill in the arch will create emphasise and take focus away from rounder lines.

Oval face shapes – This shape can pretty much get away with any eyebrow shape, low arches and flatter lines work just as well as softer arches and higher arches. Rounder eyebrows are probably the thing to avoid as it will only highlight the oval shape of the face and lift the eyeline higher up than desired.

Heart face shapes – Elongated eyebrows with soft arches work really well to break up angular lines and create a really flattering shape at the right place on the face. Depth in tone isn’t so necessary with heart-shaped faces as they tend to flatter all styles anyway and don’t need to add different tones to create dimension or it can create too much emphasis on the brow.

Square face shapes – The thing to avoid with square shaped faces are high, angular arches and thinner eyebrows. This draws attention to the angular lines instead of softening them. Softer, low arches are good as they look more natural.

Diamond and long face shapes – The goal with diamond or longer face shapes is to add width to the face and the way to do this is with longer, flatter eyebrows. Adding high arches will elongate the face and draw attention to the angles, so draw eyebrows outward, keep them on the fuller side and keep arches short and more toward the outer edges of the eyebrow.