By: Sarah Kester
It’s likely that you’ve dealt with a few beauty blunders that still haunt you to this day. We’re talking accidentally burning your upper lip while trying to wax away peach fuzz or ending a bikini wax too soon because the pain was reminiscent of Steve Carell in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
But nothing can be as traumatic as over-plucking your brows. They are the focal point of your face after all and any change can appear to alter your face shape.
To bring you one step closer to Cara Delevingne eyebrow status again, we’ve turned to the experts for their best tips: Meghan DeVries, a Licensed Medical Aesthetician and Brow Expert at SpaDerma in Chicago and Joey Healy, an NYC Celeb Eyebrow Specialist.
Stop All Eyebrow Maintenance ASAP
Pro tip: Step away from the tweezers for at least six to eight weeks. “Once you stop tweezing, trimming, threading and waxing, you'll start to notice sporadic growth around your brows,” DeVries shares with Lively. If you get your brows waxed, you might want to hold off for at least 90 days since waxing may damage the follicle.
Quitting cold turkey can be hard to do when you’re itching to make things right with your brows, but this is where patience and trusting the process comes in.
Just like you use concealer to hide any blemishes, DeVries says you can also use concealer to hide any awkward outgrowth during this phase.
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Remember That Hair Growth Is Different for Everyone
While six to eight weeks is the recommended time to let the hair grow back, keep in mind that hair regeneration is different for everyone.
For this, Healy suggests considering the different factors that will either hinder or accelerate hair growth. These factors can range from ethnicity to age to gender. “Generally, those who are younger, for example, have a better chance at brows growing back than somebody who is much older,” he says.
But at the end of the day, he makes it clear that brow hair is a great mystery. “It’s so unique –they’re the snowflakes of the beauty world. The texture, color, density is different for everybody; therefore, the regeneration of that unique hair is also different for everybody.”
What to Do in Between Brow Appointments
Following your brow appointment, DeVries says to pick up some black castor oil. In addition to being “natural, inexpensive and easy,” it also facilitates hair growth by keeping the “hair nourished, healthy and ready to bounce back if over-tweezed.”
To apply it, DeVries suggests using disposable mascara wands to gently brush the oil through the brows every night before bed. That’s one way to get prettier as you sleep.
For fast results, Healy recommends using the Brow Renovation Serum. “Using a serum with peptides, like Brow Renovation Serum, helps them grow back faster, stronger, longer, thicker and denser.”
Add Collagen to Your Routine
“Collagen is great for your skin and hair, so it would be smart to incorporate a collagen powder into your daily routine,” says DeVries.
Whether you’re a fan of the Glow Collagen Shot – which contains hyaluronic acid, biotin and vitamin C – or the OG Collagen Peptides, Vital Proteins has all your collagen needs.
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Makeup Tips for Brows
Since you’re holding off on doing any more damage to your precious brows, makeup is your new secret weapon to keeping your eyebrows looking less patchy.
For this, Healy loves his Luxe Brow Powder since it’s easy to use for beginners: “Combined with the Duo Brow Brush, it can work good if you feel like your brows are a little light or patchy.”
If a whole new eyebrow shape is what you need, he says to use a pencil to be a little bit “more artful and deliberate” in drawing a new shape.
When Using Makeup, Avoid a "Drawn On" Look
When using makeup to solve your brow woes, DeVries stresses the importance of keeping things natural.
“The last thing you want to do is to draw an outline of your brows and color them in,” she says. Instead, aim to be deliberate and careful with making up your brows so they don’t get that “drawn on” look. For this, she says to take an angled brow brush with a brow powder and use it to make hair-like strokes that go along the natural hair direction and shape.
“If you're someone who has very little hair, then use a pencil to extend the ‘tail’ of the brow. If you have darker hair, make sure whatever brow product you choose is a shade lighter than your hair.”
Speaking of different shades, Healy recommends using tinted brow gels if your eyebrows are too light, either naturally or from being bleached by the sun.
Essentially, follow this framework to determine which product is best for you.
“Powder is good if you need more density, pencil is good if you need the perimeter line work worked out, and if the hair itself is discolored, then using a tinted gel would be great,” he says.
The Best Brow Products
DeVries recommends Latisse, which she calls a “game-changer” if you're looking for a quick fix. “Even though it is designed for the lashes, it certainly does not hurt to brush it through the brows as well,” she shares.
Since it’s on the pricier side, she likes to use it twice a week in conjunction with the black castor oil, which is more affordable.
As for Healy, his favorite brow product is his very own Brow Renovation Serum. It contains peptides, amino acids and hyaluronic acid, making it more than just a conditioner. “It gets the lashes growing,” he says.
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Lastly, Remember This at Your Next Eyebrow Visit
Before you even sit down at your next eyebrow appointment, remember to ask for just a clean up.
“Remind them that you don't want anything taken off the shape because you're still growing them out,” says DeVries. “This will help you keep your sanity and your brows looking gorgeous!”