I’ve been misinformed about eyebrows. I thought eyebrows were the hair that we manicure directly above the eye – nope, they’re the arch or ridge of bone that forms the upper part of the orbit of the eye. The biological reason for the shape of an eyebrow is to direct moisture towards the side of our faces rather than in our eyes. Who knew?
I also didn’t know there are three parts to an eyebrow. The “head” is the inner part of the eyebrows that usually has lighter hair than the rest of the eyebrows. The “body” is the middle of the eyebrow and consists of the densest, darkest hair. And the “tail” is the least dense area that becomes less pronounced with age.
Eyebrows play an essential role in facial recognition. An MIT behavioural neuroscientist conducted a study using famous people where respondents were asked to identify famous faces. Less than 60% of the people were able to identify the faces without eyebrows, but when the eyebrows were added back, they could immediately identify the person.
Did you know you’re supposed to match your eyebrow shape to the shape of your face? For example, if you have a long face, you should avoid an arch and stick with thick, straight brows. If you have a short face, you should have thinner brows with a high arch. If you have a heart-shaped face, any shape will work, and if you have a square shape, you should try to soften your look with a natural shape, avoiding high arches or perfectly straight brows.
Eyebrows require proper measurement as they should be in proportion to your face. Generally speaking, the inner part of your eyebrow should line up with the bridge of your nose. And if you take a pencil from your nostril and angle it outward towards your temple, your eyebrow should not extend beyond that point.
There are even colour rules for eyebrows. Blondes are supposed to match their eyebrows to the base colour of their hair, not their highlights. Brunettes are supposed to go one to two shades lighter than their hair colour. Redheads, when using an eyebrow product, should lean towards Auburn with a brown undertone. And redheads can pull off any colour they want.
By the time we hit midlife, most of us have determined our preferred way to manage our eyebrows. However, after researching and writing this post, I may reconsider waxing because it could be contributing to my saggy eyelids.
Below are the many options for grooming your eyebrows, along with the pros and cons of each method.
Plucking has to be the oldest way to keep eyebrow hair under control. Using an angled pair of clean and sharp tweezers, you pull out individual hairs forming a nice, controlled shape that enhances your face. It’s always good to line your eyebrows before plucking so you can more easily identify the straggler hairs that need to be plucked.
Pros – no cost, at home, no waste, no long-term (skin) effects, no skin irritation.
Cons – slow and time-consuming, can be painful, risk of over plucking, challenging to shape properly.
Waxing is probably the most common way to manage eyebrow hair. It is the application of wax to unwanted hairs, which are then removed with quick pulling action in the opposite direction of hair growth. The hair is pulled directly from the root and can be painful.
Many types of wax generally fall into two categories: hard and soft. Soft wax is typically used for the body (legs, arms, back, armpits) waxing. Soft wax is applied with a spatula before being removed using a muslin strip. Hard wax is thicker and is applied warm with a spatula.
Once the wax hardens, it is removed without the use of a strip. It is believed that hard wax is better for facial areas because it only attaches to the hair itself and not the skin, reducing discomfort and minimizing irritation.
Pros – fast, precise, affordable.
Cons – skin can get irritated, brief pain, and can contribute to ageing skin in the eye area.
Threading is an ancient practice from Asia that became mainstream in North America in the last ten years. A piece of thread is taken and twisted on itself and is glided along the brow to shape it. The hair is removed from the follicle, but it doesn’t damage the skin. Threading is good for clients who have sensitive skin, but it can be quite painful. It is also good for people who have lots of small, fine hair (vellus hair).
Pros – incredibly precise, no long-term skin effects.
Cons – painful (for some), more expensive than waxing.
Micro-blading is a semi-permanent technique from Asia that promises natural, full-looking brows. A practitioner creates fine lines of tattoo pigments in the space between your existing eyebrow hair. A manual pen-like tool with tiny needles is used. The pigment is deposited into the dermis’s superficial layer, which means that hairs can be applied with great detail.
The process can take at least two hours and costs approximately $500. Apparently, it’s not that painful because a numbing cream and liquid anesthetic are applied before the procedure. The treatment lasts, on average, 18 months.
Microblading is popular among hair loss sufferers and very active individuals who sweat a lot or don’t want to fill their eyebrows daily. It’s also a great fix for women who “over-plucked” in the ’80s, resulting in less hair as we age.
Pros – less maintenance (semi-permanent), precise, no need to wear daily products.
Cons – expensive, can be painful.
Eyebrow Lamination is a relatively new procedure that focuses on creating shiny, smooth brows. The process is sometimes referred to as an eyebrow perm. It doesn’t involve needles or colouring; it’s semi-permanent. The actual treatment involves applying cream and brushing the hairs upward to create a uniform and vertical pattern. The hair gets neutralized with a sealing agent to hold it in place and then treated with oil to nourish the hair and prevent skin irritation.
Pros – less maintenance (semi-permanent) helps give a fuller and maintained appearance.
Cons – can cause skin sensitivity and potential eye damage if the perm solution runs into your eyes.
I learned a few tips and tricks while researching this topic:
Apply Baby Orajel to your eyebrows before plucking to help ease the pain
Always pluck in natural light
Pluck far enough away from the mirror so you can see your full face
Apply concealer above and below your brow before colour; it will help the colour adhere and last longer
Apply light concealer or highlighter pencil under your eyebrows to enhance the shape
Use short strokes similar to your hair when using an eyebrow pencil
Brow serums (similar to lash serums) can help with hair growth
Symmetry is overrated – your brows are sisters, not twins
Eyebrows can have cowlicks
Eyebrows grow more quickly in the summer
Unibrows used to be a sign of intelligence
The life span of a brow is four months – the time it takes a hair to grow and then fall out
Avoid getting your eyebrows done during your period as you could have heightened sensitivity.
And my post wouldn’t be complete without telling you about a few cult favourites:
Best Brow Pencil – Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
Best Brow Powder – Kat Von D Brow Struck Dimension Powder
Best Brow Gel – Glossier Boy Brow
Best Brow Kit – Laura Mercier Sketch & Intensify Pomade and Powder Duo