As someone who completely disregarded eyebrow tweezing advice, and over-plucked her own brows in the ’90s to get those perfectly skinny 90s brows, let me assure you that the rumors are true.
If you over-tweeze your brows on the regular, they will not grow back. I’m not sure why this isn’t true for any other part of the body -unfortunately, but for eyebrows, it absolutely is.
And sure, you may say, well, I don’t want them to grow back, as I did, but you’d be wrong, because inevitably, big, thick brows will come back, as they are now, and you won’t be able to grow yours back out, and you’ll feel banished to an eyebrow decade of yore.
Even though I’d tried over the years to return my brows to their original glory, when I cut my bangs about a year and a half ago, I realized it was the perfect time to really give it a go because my fringe covered them mostly… and with a little time, I did get some areas to grow, but not really. Not really at all. The hairs that did grow in were few and far between and not close enough to my actual brow line to add to the thickness without looking like a stray. So, alas, I gave up. At least my brow shape and thickness look fairly natural on my face and and work for/with my features, but sometimes I’d love to see them a little thicker without having to paint them on.
Below are a few Pro Brow Tips from Spruce & Bond specialist Matt Shakiks… and a few tips from me in bold beneath each of his.
TIP 1) Create the shape that’s right for you!
You want to accentuate the features of your face when you shape your brows. There is no same brow stencil for everyone when shaping your brows, since every face is different and asymmetrical. Use your natural arches to define your unique eye shape to give them a lift.
My brows are set in stone in their shape now, but to help determine my shape, I would draw on my brows heavily and tweeze all the hairs that were outside of those lines. Just make sure you’re not making them too small. My favorite tweezers are by Tweezerman
TIP 2) Avoid Over-Plucking and Waxing!
Do not jeopardize the structure or thickness by removing hairs that might in time give you a fuller and more complete brow. Don’t take out hairs on one side to match it up to the other if it means making the brow thinner. When it comes to an end goal with your brows give them time and let them go, it might be torture but it will be well worth the wait. Tweezing is always the best option as it allows you to remove individual hairs to achieve the best shape.
For the hairs that are too long to lay down nicely at the front of your brows, use a toothbrush or brow brush to brush hairs straight up, then use small scissors to trim the long hairs along the top of your brow line… I actually taught my brother this tip years ago, so it works for men too!
TIP 3) Use the correct tools!
Using a powder or pencil helps you to create the fullness your brows lack due to little hair growth. You can create what would normally be brow hairs if they grew in that area. Never use a magnifying mirror, as it causes you to only see one brow at a time and not both together which creates a better match.
TIP 4) Choose a Color that Looks Natural!
You want the color to match well enough to look natural, yet you want it to be distinct enough to contrast a little. People normally try to match their hair color, but our brows naturally look darker because they’re surrounded by paler skin.
My brows are really light, so any pencil shows and looks drawn-on, which I HATE! I really LOVE Eyeko’s brown liner because I can draw on individual hairs that look more natural than coloring the entire shape in.
Shop My Favorite Eyebrow Products Below…
* Photos from a Brigitte Bardot makeup and hair tutorial I did last year that actually never made it to the blog 🙂
