Not sure whether to pick up the tweezers or leave your brows as they are? We find out how to care for eyebrows according to Emmie Bryett, brow trainer at OFF&ON .
What are the dos and don’ts when it comes to shaping and caring for brows at-home?
Do use natural light, step back, reassess and brush your brows as you go. Tweeze in the direction of the hair, only remove a pinkie finger width between your brows and if in doubt leave it in.
Don’t use a magnifying mirror or touch the bulk of the brows – only the strays. Try not to trim at home or attempt to shape, simply maintain. Remove from the top of the brow.
What advice can you offer to someone who has been trying to let their brows grow back after over plucking?
This is the perfect time to ask for expert advice – go see a brow artist who can measure, work
through proportions and your best natural shape to help create the ‘scaffolding’ and framework for the brows for you to then continue to maintain.
Once you have the basis of your brow, maintaining comes through colour – either in salon or at home via product. You can maintain the shape through brushing and a hold product if needed e.g. gel or wax.
Should I attempt to colour my brows at home?
The answer to this I would say is similar to hair colour – you can absolutely use at home brow kits to colour your brows, however it will look more ‘block’ in colour and the tone may not be as balanced as you like.
Getting your brow colour done with a brow artist means you get a custom mix, as there is
an eye to getting the depth right and there are also more long-lasting options e.g. henna. We can also work with concepts such as skin stain to help create the overall brow look you want.
Why are some brow-related dilemmas best left to the professionals?
Our brows look seemingly small in proportion to the hair on our head, however, they are on our face and have a role in balancing the look of our features. Even the smallest change can make a huge difference to this.
It is hard to have perspective and context when doing them yourself as you look at
your face every day and don’t necessarily see what others see. Our job is to stand back and create a brow that works for you and with you. There are also a lot of tips and tricks we have up our sleeve other than taking away hair to achieve this!
