My eyebrows are one of my favorite features on my face, but they’re also the one I feel the most insecure about, because 20 years of psoriasis has left them patchy and thin.
Growing up, I took for granted how full and resilient my eyebrows were—they even managed to recover from the ’90s over-plucking trend. But when I was in high school, I started to develop flaky patches on my hairline and in my eyebrows. The flakes started to rip out my brow hairs, causing my brows to look patchy and uneven. My dermatologist diagnosed these issues as psoriasis, a condition that causes patches of thickened, dry, red, patchy skin. To help manage my symptoms, the derm gave me a topical cream to apply daily.
Although the cream helped keep my symptoms in check, psoriasis is a chronic condition, and I still experienced flares—especially in the winter. Self-conscious of the red patches down my forehead and along my eyebrows, I asked my hair stylist to give me long bangs à la Brigitte Bardot. While my bangs covered up my sparse brows, they obviously didn’t address the root issue.
And psoriasis isn’t the only thing that can cause thin eyebrows, of course. Part of the issue is that many of us lose some of the fullness of our brows naturally as we age, SELF explained previously. But over-grooming your brows can lead to thinner eyebrows, too, as can thyroid and dietary issues that can cause hair loss.
I’ve tried several techniques to prevent existing brow hairs from falling out, regrow my thin eyebrows, and give the impression that I have full brows. Although many of them haven’t worked, some things actually have. Here’s are the best strategies I’ve discovered through trial and error. And even if you don’t have psoriasis, you might find them helpful for getting the full-brow look.
1. Give eyebrow growth serums a shot.
I’ve tried several brow-growth serums and waited patiently for the results. In my experience, most are like snake oil—all talk and no growth. But personally, I feel like the serum from RevitaBrow Cosmetics Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner ($110, Dermstore) actually works for me.
I started using it after a period of three months when I didn’t touch my tweezers, allowing my brows to grow without any interruption. Now I use it after I wash my face every morning and night. I carefully apply the serum to my brows with the wand, always following the growth of the hair. This growth serum brought my fledgling brows back to life.
2. Fill your brows in with a tinted eyebrow gel.
In my quest to get fuller brows for my wedding, an eyebrow savior—an employee at Sephora—introduced me to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel ($22, Ulta). It gives me the appearance of thicker, bold brows, even when they are thin and uneven. Now I use this gel in my everyday look because it’s easy to apply and is long-lasting.
While some of us sport a cruel reminder that at some time in our lives, we wildly over-plucked our eyebrows, others find that with age comes a lack of hair where you want it and an abundance where you don't. Either way, there's no need to put up with sparse eyebrows. After all, if eyes are the window to the soul, eyebrows are the window frames. Or maybe the curtain rails...we're not sure, but, anyway, they're important.
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Suffice to say there are plenty of options available to you, ranging in cost, pain threshold and time and resources needed. We've rounded them all up for you here:
1) Brow makeup
If your eyebrows are more patchy than non-existent, a good brow product, be it pencil, pomade or gel, should help you out. Two that stand head and shoulders above the rest are Benefit's Ka-Brow!, and Anastasia Dip Brow from Anastasia Beverley Hills. The former is a sort of cream-gel brow mascara, that you brush through to feign a thicker, fuller appearance.
The second product is a little pot of pomade, famed the UK and US over for its eyebrow-enhancing effects. The great thing about this wonderful stuff is that it comes in a multitude of colours, so you'll be hard pressed not to find a shade to match your brows. Use a small angled brush and tiny strokes to apply this and it'll stay in place all day, as it's also a primer - good news if you have oily skin that sees your makeup slide off come lunchtime, bad news if you're a novice when it comes to filling in your eyebrows, as mistakes are harder to erase.
Lastly, it's impossible to talk about brow products without mentioning the faithful old pencil. Another Anastasia product, the Brow Wiz pencil helps you perfect your eyebrow shape and has a brush on the other end to soften the effect of your dainty pencil strokes.
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2) Eyebrow serums
If you'd really just like to give your thin brows a bit of a boost rather than a full on regeneration, a growth serum, used in conjunction with brow makeup during the day, might be just the thing - provided you use the right one. Traditionally, they don't make the hair grow longer, but condition it to create a denser appearance.
When looking for a serum, you need to make sure that these two ingredients are included: peptides and biotin. Without this dream team, your brows won't get very far. When applying the serum, really work it into the roots of your brows, to stimulate the follicles and promote new growth. Rapid Brow, which is widely available in the UK, contains those peptides and the necessary keratin to deliver real results - just be aware that it might take a couple of months.
It's worth noting that Benefit also have a brow conditioning pen (called Browvo - aren't Benefit product names the best?), which contains keratin and soy proteins for encouraging growth.
3) The best products for thin eyebrows
4) Eyebrow tinting
Cheap, quick and easy, this method is great for adding fullness to light or patchy brows, and you'll often walk out of a salon less than £10 lighter! Results last for up to six weeks, and you can choose how dark you want to go, though the beautician will often advise you on this subject. As a bonus, this is one treatment that can easily be fitted into a lunch break as well. Don't be alarmed by the Groucho Marx-like effect while the dye is working its magic - it will wash off and you'll be left with perfect brows.
Alternatively, it's easy enough to dye your own eyebrows using a kit. The Eylure Brow Tint kit is especially simple to use, and the results last up to six weeks.
5) Microblading
Provided you choose the right aesthetician, this process could just change your life. Not as terrifying as it sounds, microblading is probably the most advanced and up-to-date technique for filling in sparse eyebrows for an appreciable length of time. Using, as the name suggests, a very small blade, the technician draws fine hair-like strokes on the brows, embedding a pigment under the skin and mimicking the natural appearance of your eyebrows. As a semi-permanent solution, the results should stay put for up to three years, though you may need a touch up or two within that time.
The microblading technique is fast growing in popularity, now outstripping tattooing as the most natural, realistic way to achieve fuller eyebrows. While tattooing recreates the pencilled-in look, microblading is the most realistic recreation of eyebrow hair you can get. The cost of the treatment will vary, but expect to pay around £300-£400 for the first session, with a quick touch up a few weeks later. And if that sounds expensive...imagine waking up with perfect eyebrows for the next three years.
Join the lively brow-centric conversation over on our forums. You're sure to find some useful tips and have few laughs whilst you're at it!
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You'll give Cara Delevingne a run for her money in no time
Words by Emma Apps
We’ve heard an awful lot about the power brow, but it’s about time we talk about how to deal with a common beauty problem: how to fix thinning brows. Emma Apps, Hi-Brow’s resident brow expert, talked extensively about how to fix thinning brows and why they happen below.
Why do we get thinning brows?
Brows can get thinner over time due to all kinds of reasons, stress, lifestyle and diet can affect effect the strength of our hair. Age can also be a factor as hair can become coarse or become thinner due to lack of elasticity.
Is there anything we can do to promote hair growth?
To fill out brows, let them grow out as much as possible. There may be hairs you are removing which could be encouraged into the rest of the brow. Using a growth serum can help nourish and care for your hair. Look for products which contain caffeine which will help to encourage growth: keratin will help to strengthen hair, while Panthenol helps hydrate and nourish the hairs. For clients with thinning brows, I always recommend HiBrow Growth and Conditioning Serum as it formulated with these key ingredients and helps to boost growth whilst conditioning the brow.
Can tinting brows help to make them fuller?
Yes, it can definitely help to define your eyebrow shape. Tinting can help to pick up and darken soft downy hairs in your brow, which are fine and often fair or blonde. This will give subtle fullness to the brow.
What is the best way to disguise thinning brows?
A brow powder is one of the best methods of disguising thinning brows. Filling brows with a brow powder gives a soft, but full effect that also looks very natural. For any areas which need a little extra colour, I suggest applying a specially designed wax pencil. This helps the brow colour to adhere to the wax, boosting colour and longevity.
For an immediate effect, we recommend visiting a brow technician who is specially trained. The addition of individual brow hairs can be added to existing brow hairs giving instant thickening results.
Could you give us step by step tips for how to fill out brows in a subtle way?
When you dip your brush into powder, make sure you use an angled brush to give yourself a clean shape. Tap off excess powder, as the surplus can go outside of the desired area. When you begin to fill the shape, stay as much within the body of the brow as you can. Exaggerating the thickness and length of your brow should be done gradually – a little adjustment can make a big impact.
How do you know what shade to use for your eyebrows as a general rule – should they match your hair etc?
To create a bold brow, you should match your hair colour. For an effect that is subtle and natural looking, it’s best to go two shades lighter than your natural hair colour. Your hairs, which will sit over the top of the powder, will give the brow colour intensity and depth.
Are there any permanent solutions to make brows fuller?
You can have the shape you want without drawing it on everyday by microblading. This treatment will cover all aesthetic aspects and help you to achieve the shape and colour you have always wanted to have. Careful mapping, measuring and symmetry checks will ensure you can have the brow you have always wanted.
Microblading is the art of applying semi permanent colour to the eyebrow with an incredibly fine, sterile blade. Tiny precision hair strokes are drawn delicately on the brow area to create a perfectly shaped eyebrow, which can last up to 18 months. With care and correct training, you can create curved hair strokes – these give a more natural appearance than regular semi permanent makeup. Finely drawn hair strokes mimic a real hair in thickness and direction of growth. Every hair is drawn individually allowing you to build a completely individual look for your client.