If the eyes are the window to the soul, the lashes are the drapes, & the brows are the valances. From the memorable looks of Elizabeth Taylor & Brooke Shields to the unforgettable Groucho Marx, it’s no surprise that the arches above your eyes can either make or break your look. Every day, countless women & men spend $$$ to have their brows expertly shaped to accentuate their eyes. But, what if you've had a bad waxing experience or don’t have the $$$ to pay to craft your caterpillars? You can become your own eyebrow advocate. It’s easy!
Direction of Hair Growth
It is important to note that the skin under the brows is sensitive. Working with wax, which can turn into a sticky mess, is not the only option when removing facial hair. Many stylists choose the Apply & Tear Method because it's quicker than taking their time with tweezers (faster=more clients=more $$$.) Wax is a good option for covering large areas of hair that would take a very long time to tweeze (think bikini area.) Tearing the skin near the delicate eyes may be in the salon’s best interest, but it's not in the consumer’s.
Let's Get Started!
Quality Tools: Tweezer (Tweezerman Brand is GREAT), Magnification Mirror, Small Brow Comb/Toothbrush, Small Scissors, & Cotton Balls (for wiping pulled hairs off)
Proper Stretching of Skin
- Stabilize Your Mirror & Study Your face. When shaping the brows it is important to analyze the shape of your face & eyes, the texture of your hair (course or thin), & the desired effect. If possible, study a head-on photograph of yourself prior to tweezing, & note any differences in the symmetry of your features. Because one of the benefits of tweezing is balancing the features, you will want to treat each brow separately; some pairs have very visible differences, & that’s what makes carving your arch an artform.What do you want your brows to look like, & is it possible? Do you only need to trim a few long hairs? Many times only a light cleanup of stray hairs is necessary. The GREAT thing about tweezing is that you can remove as much/ little as you want.
- Clean your face, pat dry.
- Stretch the skin horizontally with your non-tweezing hand & check that you have a good grip before you pull in the direction of growth. Once you know the shape you’re looking for—most people need a clean up closer to the eye area & between both brows—stretch the skin gently so it's tight enough to let the hair go easily. Never pull a hair unless you have a good hold with the tweezer, or you'll pay the painful price. Once you have a steady grasp, pull quickly in the direction of growth (the path of least resistance.)Does the hair point straight up? Then, pull straight up! Does it grow away from the front of the brow? Then, pull in that direction! Insiders know that this trick makes tweezing less painful.
- Take breaks to check your work. When I shape a brow, I always step back to revisit how the shape is changing the appearance of a client. Frequently, the brows are asymmetrical, so the tweeze works to balance the difference. You can use your comb to see how the hair will sit.
- Comb and Cut. Use a small brow comb—mine looks like a mascara wand—or toothbrush, to comb the hair up and clip JUST THE TIPS, unless the hair is VERY BUSHY.
Once you are done, you can rest a cool towel over your newly groomed brows & know that you saved a few dollars, you look hot, & you will never have to suffer another burn, blister, or bad tweeze again!
Fun Fact: Tweezing leads to Sneezing. The trigeminal nerve, one of the facial nerves, branches from the brow to the tip of the nose. During a tweeze, this nerve can become stimulated, & that's why it's a good idea to have a few tissues handy.
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8 comments:
i just tweezed today. things look ok, but i wish i had read this post first! these are some great tips, but what about heat? i find that tweezing works better right out of the shower. why is that? is it a real thing? let me know!
The sneezing thing is funny. I always thought it was weird that I occasionally sneeze while tweezing my eyebrows. Thanks for the tips.
Great comments! @Anonymous, The heat/moisture content found in steam is sometimes used to open the pores. I normally don't use it when I tweeze myself or others, but there's no harm in adding a little water warmth to the area beforehand. For beginners, or those with very coarse hair, steam might be the secret to even less painful tweezing!
@Sally, I found a few of my clients fell into sneezing fits when I worked on them. They said it happened all the time, and I thought it was the strangest thing. Glad to keep you all updated!
I am a guy with really bushy eyebrows, and I do not like them tweezed or waxed. What other form of eyebrow shaping can I utilize to make them uniform and sexy?
Love your tips :) . I need some eyebrow advice & your a pro.. As you know my eyebrows are very arched. The problem is one has been higher then the other and I haven't been able to get them to an evened out height where it wouldn't be noticeable. What can I do to make this less bothersome? Sould I use brow pencil to lightly fill one side and make them even. If so on the top or bottom?
Thanks, love ya
Wow! This was very informative! Thanks for the tips!! I've heard
if you shave your eyebrows they might not grow back. Is that true?
@Anonymous Guy, you might want to look into buying a "brow razor/shaver." You have to be cautious when using something like this, however, because of how close it comes to the eye. Also, don't press too hard with the tool but do hold the skin tight to avoid dragging the blade on loose skin. Your brows will look uniform & sexy in no time! Just be careful if the blade/razer is your choice.
@Rhea, thank you! I would advise you to try pencil if that's what you have and it works. If it's too noticeable, a trick I learned is to get a tiny eyeliner brush and to use a powder, in the color of your brow hair, to VERY lightly fill in the area. You can use the powder wet or dry, and it lasts long without a thick, crayon feel. Fill the line in wherever the brows don't match up. It sounds like you might want to enhance the top of the shorter brow. Love ya! <3
@Anonymous, your brows grow to a tapered point. When someone shaves the hair of the brow, they cut the point off and create a more blunt tip. I have no doubt that when you use ANY hair removal method there is a chance of sparser growth. This can take a long time to achieve, but sometimes when shaving the brows because of the newly blunt tip, people actually feel like they have thicker, coarser hair. Think of body hair before you ever started shaving and how it felt different after. Like the guy before you, I would advise trying tweezing before jumping to shaving.
Thank you for your great questions!
I enjoyed reading all these beauty tips.
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