Eyebrow Tweezing and Shaping

Eyebrow Tweezing and Shaping

The eyebrow is an area of thick, delicate hairs above the eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges. It is popularly believed that the main function of the eyebrow is to prevent moisture, mostly salty sweat and rain, from flowing into the eye.  The eyebrows shape the human face and give definition to one's eyes and forehead. Depending on the shape of the eyebrows, it sometimes can cause what is known as a false facial expression.

Several options for removing hair to achieve a thinner or smaller eyebrow, or to "correct" a uni-brow, including tweezing, waxing, threading and electronic tweezing. The most common method is to use tweezers to thin out and shape the eyebrow. Waxing is becoming more popular. Lastly, there is threading eyebrows, where a cotton thread is rolled over hair to pull it out.

Discovering the best shape for your eyebrows without sacrificing their natural appearance is what you want to accomplish when shaping your brows. Pencil thin or overly bushy eyebrows are dated looks that can be distracting rather than enhancing. In many ways, the overall appearance of the eye area is defined by the arch, length, and thickness of the eyebrow.

There are two methods for creating the perfect brow, shaping it by removing unwanted hair or filling in a sparse or blonde brow.

Tweezing the Brow - It's All in the Details
• Which hairs you tweeze and which ones you don't is the difference between attractively shaped brows and misshapen ones.
• Try using an eyebrow pencil to draw on different shapes over your brow area to see which shape looks the best.
• Use a magnifying mirror, at least a 5X magnification, so you can see each hair.
• Go slowly (one hair at a time) so you don't over-tweeze.
• The beginning of the brow should align with the center of the nostril.
• The arch of the brow should fall at the back third of the eye.
• The eyebrow should follow the length of the eye but it shouldn't extend into the temple area. The basic rule is that the front part of the brow should never drop below the back part of the brow. Allowing this to happen, either with the way you tweeze your eyebrows or the way you draw them on, makes you look like you’re frowning and overemphasizes the downward movement of the back part of the eye.
• Avoid over-tweezing above the brow. A few stray hairs are fine to remove, but too much and it can create an unnatural look.
• Do not overstate the shape of the brow; minimal brow alteration is best.
• Do not pluck brows into a thin line thinking it will make your eyes look larger. It can look dated or give the face a surprised look and this shape is not easy to correct once the damage is done.

The Best Tools for Tweezing
• To shape the brow, tweezing is probably the best option for accuracy and to prevent mistakes.
• The best tweezers are the ones from Revlon or Tweezerman. Which type (both companies offer several options) works best for you is about personal preference.
• Waxing is an option but it's hard to control the wax. You may inadvertently remove the wrong hairs.
• Never shave. This leaves a 5 o'clock shadow on the face and that is not a great look.

Tweezing and Trimming to Shape a Perfect Brow
1. Before you start tweezing, use a lip or brow pencil to heavily draw on the shape you want; you can adjust it with makeup remover as you decide on the shape you want to create.

2. Once the shape is drawn on, tweeze any hairs that fall outside the line of the brow.

3. Next, brush the brows straight up with an old toothbrush.    

4. Any hairs that are too long and floppy should be trimmed with small scissors. Tweezing long brow hairs rather than trimming them can result in gaps in the eyebrow or create a patchy appearance.

How to Fill in the Brow Using Eye Brow Products
There are many ways to fill in a brow. The easiest to consider are:

Brow Powders or powder eyeshadows in shades that closely match the color of your brow. Choose a soft-textured matte powder and apply with a soft wedge brush or a thin liner brush.

Filling in a Brow
Begin application in the center of the brow and work outward toward the brow tip then back toward the beginning of the brow. Use short, light strokes between the brow hairs, and apply a bit more pressure (for stronger color) when defining the underside of the brow. Use a clean toothbrush (or a brow brush, which is similar but more expensive) to soften the color and groom the brow. For unruly brows, a clear brow gel may be applied to keep hairs in place. Alternately, you may apply a bit of hairspray to the toothbrush, and comb this through the brow for hold and control.

Eyebrow pencils are a standard way to fill in brows but many can produce a greasy, hard look or mat the brow hair, so make sure you use a pencil that has a smooth, light texture and soft, dry finish. If penciling doesn't look absolutely natural, don’t do it.

Using a Brow Pencil
Follow the same application technique described under brow powders when using an eyebrow pencil. Keep in mind that most brow pencils deposit stronger color than a powder, so take care to use a light touch. If you apply too much color, soften the effect with a Q-Tip that has been dipped in makeup remover. Do not apply eyebrow pencil too close to the inner brow (near the nose). Adding more than a bit of color here tends to create a too-strong or angry-looking brow.

Colored eyebrow gels and brow tints work well for making the most of sparse, light-colored eyebrows or for giving a thicker look to most other eyebrows. These products look like mascara but they have a much lighter consistency and are less pigmented. At first, you might have trouble controlling the amount of gel or tint you apply to your brow, but once you get the hang of it, brow gel or tint can make sparse brows look full and more natural.

Brow/Hair Tint
When applying eyebrow gels and tints, follow the basic instructions for powder eyebrow colors and eyeshadows listed above, but concentrate on the brow hair and not applying any on the skin. Be patient, it requires practice before you can easily shape and shade the brows without getting it on the skin. If the brush of your brow gel or tint is dual-sided (most are), know that the longer bristles are great for combing through the brows when hairs are normal to long in length. The short-bristled side is for more detailed work or for use on shorter, thin, or over-tweezed brows.

A combination approach, using a pencil with powder, can give you the control and delineation of a pencil, and the softer, shaded look of a powder. You can also use powder with a brow gel or tint; this can create a full softly shaped brow. You can try shaping the brow with the powder first and then finish the detail work with the pencil or brow gel. This is especially helpful if you have bald spots in your eyebrow or need to slightly extend the end of your brows so they frame your eyes better.

Essential Tips
• Use an eyebrow pencil or powder that matches the color of your own eyebrows. If you have pale or blonde eyebrows use a color that is only one or two shades deeper than your natural brow color this prevents a fake or drawn-on look.
• Brush the brow up with a brow comb or toothbrush.
• Whether you are using a pencil or powder, follow the basic shape of the existing brow, using the tweezing guidelines above.
• Apply the color by filling in the shape of the brow between the hairs where needed.
• As much as possible, work only with the hair that is there. The idea is to shade rather than draw on eyebrows.
• Fill in only at the front or underneath the brow, or through the brow itself.
• Do not place your brow color, whether it is pencil or powder, more than one-quarter inch away from where the natural hair growth stops. This would accentuate the fact that there is no brow there in the first place!
• Do not forget that eyebrow color should look shaded and soft, not like a straight, hard line.
• When applying brow gel, brush the color through the brow in much the same fashion as you apply mascara to the eyelashes. Brush the wand through your brows, being careful not to get the product on the skin and not to leave the brows standing straight up. It will probably take you a few applications to get the hang of it.

Plucking your eyebrows to achieve that perfect, face-framing arch can be a tedious (and painful!) process. But since fuller, thicker brows are in style, you can and should spend much less time with the tweezers. Try these 10 beauty tips to score A-list arches at home.

1. Choose the Right Tweezers: Opt for a sharp, slanted style. "Unlike pointy versions, they grab tiny strays quickly and won't pinch your skin along with the hairs." One to try: Revlon Slant Tip Ultimate Tweezer.

2. Tweeze After Your Shower: Warm water opens the follicles and softens hairs, helping them slip out more easily.

3. Ease the Plucking Pain: If plucking is too painful or it's right before your period (when skin is most sensitive), dab on a numbing gel like Orajel-Baby Teething Pain Medicine before you tweeze

RELATED: To compliment your brows, get instant cheekbones and perfectly pink lips.

4. Ditch Your Magnifying Mirror: This tool can make it look like there's more hair to remove than there really is, says Streicher, which can lead to overplucking. Instead, use a regular mirror in a well-lit room if you can't see stray hairs under these conditions, neither can anyone else. "After every few tweezes, take a couple of steps back to see the bigger picture,"

5. Know Your Arch Limits: Hold a pencil for guidance, advises Streicher. "Your brows should begin directly above your tear duct, peak in line with the outer side of your iris, and end at a point that falls 45 degrees from the outer corner of your eye." Be sure not to arch your brows too high or they'll look unnatural.

6. Create Your Shape: Once you've determined how your brows should curve, outline your ideal arch using a soft, creamy brow pencil, such as Darac Brow Trio. Then remove only the hairs that fall above or below your self-made stencil.

7. Reduce Redness: Immediately after tweezing, gently pat on an over-the-counter cortisone cream like Cortizone-10 Hydratensive Healing Lotion to minimize any resulting inflammation.

8. Brush Up: Style your arches with a brow brush or a clear, brow-gel wand, coaxing hairs upward at the start of your arch and brushing the rest toward the end of your eye.

9. Fill in the Blanks: Color in sparse spots with a pencil like L'Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Professional or a powder. Brunettes should opt for a shade or two lighter than their hair color. Lighter blondes can go for golden shades, while darker blondes call for a taupe-y tone. Redhead Reach for a warm, brown hue.

10. Grow Them In: Over-plucked! Refrain from tweezing for at least three weeks so you can see the natural growth pattern and shape. If your brows need a little extra encouragement, brush on a growth serum like RevitaBrow Eyebrow Conditioner.

BONUS Eyebrow Shaping Tip: Get the Tint
While pencils and powders are great for enhancing your arches day to day, consider brow tinting for a more permanent solution. "It saves time in the morning, since you don't have to worry about adding definition with the right pencil or powder daily. "You can just wake up and go." But don't try this at home! The safe way to color your arches is with the help of a pro brow guru or colorist, who will likely use a semi permanent vegetable dye.

6 Home Remedies To Regrow Your Eyebrows
1. Castor oil: Castor oil has a very unusual chemical composition which is found in lesser concentrations in other seeds and oils. Gently massage castor oil for 2-3 minutes on each eyebrow and leave it for some time. Wash them after 30 minutes with lukewarm water and a gentle facial cleanser. Repeat the process only once a day for the consecutive days and stop urgently if any irritation occurs.

2. Coco-lemon: One is concrete and the other is pulpy but the mixture made from coconut oil and lemon peel can surely help regrow your eyebrows. Take 1/4 cup of coconut oil and blend it in a clean container with sliced peel after which inculcate the mixture in a dark place for a fortnight. Take the mixture and dab over your eyebrows daily from a cotton ball right before going to bed. One can use this as long as they wish provided there is no irritation on the skin, and just avoid direct sunlight on eyebrows for 2 hours right after you apply this to fend irritation from citrus.

3. Aloe-vera: If you have thinning eyebrow hair due to overplucking then you should definitely try the sap from aloe vera leaves on them. Crush aloe vera leaves and gently massage the juice over your eyebrows and let it seep in. The modulation effect of aloe vera helps in skin healing and increasing growth furthermore.

4. Onions: The sulphur in onion juice can help in faster and denser regrowth of eyebrow hair. Grind an onion and rub the juice below eyebrow skin with help of cotton balls. Make sure you do not wash your eyebrows so that you derive its full benefit.

5. Fenugreek seeds (Methi): Make a paste by grinding few fenugreek seeds and apply it on the brows just before going to bed or early morning before taking a shower. One can also mix almond oil to make the paste; the properties of almond oil will help moisturise your skin.

6. Milky way: Milk and milk products are rich in protein and vitamins. Dip a cotton ball in milk and rub it over the eyebrow area at night. Inherited natural properties of milk provide nourishment to the hair roots and make them grow faster.

Wax or Tweeze?
When in doubt, go for the less painful, but more laborious method. “Tweezing is much better than waxing and it is by far the easiest at-home method,” says Healy. “Tweezing in daylight is the best time to do and you should never be in a rush. In other words, don’t do it after two glasses of wine on a Friday night. And don’t use a magnifying lens. You are too deep into the forest that you can’t see the trees. You'll get too close to see any detail.”

Before you tweeze, brush the brow hairs straight up with a spooly (mascara-style) brush. Trim any long hairs - or hairs that are growing straight down - with a pair of brow scissors. Have two pairs of tweezers ready: A slant-tipped pair is good for thick hairs; a needle-nose-tipped pair grabs shorter, hard-to-reach ones.

Before plucking, use a white eyeliner pencil to draw the desired shape of your brows as a guide.

Maintain your arches with a professional shaping every three months. If you have…
• Fine brows: Tweezing provides more control for those with fewer hairs.
• Medium brows: Waxing removes more hair at one time - meaning less pain!
• Heavy brows: Threading is fast and removes thick and thin hairs alike.

Reduce pain by plucking after hot showers, applying skin-numbing Anbesol, and pulling skin taut to grab hairs at their base as you tweeze. Prevent post-tweezing trauma and use a brightening concealer to reduce redness.

Myotcstore Related Products:

New York Color Classic EyeBrow and EyeLiner Pencil, Taupe #927, 6 ea

Wet N Wild Eyeliner and Eyebrow Pencil, Taupe - 6 ea

Sudden Change Instant eyebrow shapers - 18 ea

Revlon Eye Lash And Brow Definer - 6 ea

Nads Hair Removal Facial Wand Eyebrow Shaper - 1 ea

Maybelline Define A Brow Eye Brow Pencil, 644 Light Brown - 2 ea

Kajal eye pencil, Golden brown, #E-48 - 2 ea