Beautiful brows: home care and the right studio treatment

How do you keep your brows looking good?

Good brows come down to three things: letting the hairs grow in peace, caring for them gently at home and choosing a studio treatment for what actually bothers you. Shape, colour and the direction of the hairs are separate issues, and each has its own treatment.

A brow hair grows from a follicle inside the skin. That is why a product you use at home cannot create new hairs, though it can keep the existing ones soft and in good condition. Often the most important home care is what you stop doing: plucking too often.

What should you do for your brows at home?

Good home care takes only a moment a day:

• brush your brows in the morning with a spoolie, along their growth or upwards
• remove make-up from the brows gently, without rubbing
• condition the hairs with an oil or brow serum a few times a week
• pluck only the hairs clearly outside the shape, and do it in good light

Brushing is the most important step. It guides the hairs in one direction and shows you where your brows are truly sparse and where the hairs simply stick out.

If your brows are tinted, an oil-based make-up remover fades the colour faster. Use a mild water-based cleanser on the brows instead.

Keep exfoliating products and retinoids away from the brow area before and after a brow treatment. They make the skin more sensitive, and waxing is not done on skin where retinoids are used.

What if you have over-plucked your brows?

Let your brows grow for at least two to three weeks before the first shaping. That way the cosmetologist can see where the hairs grow, and there is enough to work with.

While they grow out, your brows may look uneven. You can fill in sparse areas with a brow pencil or powder, but put the tweezers away. At the shaping only the extra hairs are removed, and your brows can grow towards the new shape.

Tell the cosmetologist how you have plucked your brows and what they used to look like. That makes the shape easier to plan.

If you have plucked your brows for years, not every hair may grow back. The cosmetologist will tell you honestly at the visit what you can expect from your own brows.

When brows are not treated at the studio

Brows are not shaped, tinted or laminated if:

• there is a rash, broken skin or sunburn in the brow area
• you have reacted to brow, lash or hair dye before
• you use retinoids in the brow area (waxing is not done then)

Mention any allergies and earlier reactions at the start of the visit at the latest.

If your brow hairs suddenly thin or fall out in patches, or the skin under the brows itches and flakes for a long time, see a doctor. The cause may lie in the skin or the body, and a brow treatment will not help with it.

Shaping, tinting or lamination?

Choose the treatment by what bothers you about your brows:

• the shape has grown out, or your brows are light and disappear without make-up: brow shaping and tinting
• the hairs grow in different directions or downwards, and brow gel does not hold them: brow lamination and tinting
• your lashes are light too: lash and brow tinting combo

At a shaping, the brows are tinted in a shade mixed to suit your hair and skin, and the extra hairs are removed with wax and tweezers. At Skinique, lamination also includes shaping and tinting. Lamination does not add hairs, but once the hairs lie in the same direction, the sparse areas are covered.

A shaping usually stays neat for 3–4 weeks, the tint lasts 3–6 weeks and lamination 6–8 weeks. How lamination is done and how it differs from a lash lift is explained in the guide brow lamination and lash lift.

Frequently asked

• Can an oil or serum grow new brow hairs? Usually not. A care product keeps the hairs you already have soft and easier to style, but it will not bring new hairs to a spot where none grow.
• How long should my brows grow before shaping? Two to three weeks before your first shaping. Before lamination, avoid plucking or waxing your brows for a week.
• Do I need lamination if my brows are sparse? Not necessarily. If the hairs are light but grow neatly, shaping and tinting may be enough. Lamination helps when the hairs grow in different directions and the sparse areas show between them.
• What should I do if my brows suddenly thin? See a doctor. Sudden or patchy hair loss can have a cause in the skin or the body, and a brow treatment will not fix it.

How to book a brow treatment at Skinique

If you want a neat shape and colour, book brow shaping and tinting. If you want brows that stay in place without gel, choose brow lamination and tinting. You can add lash tinting to the same visit with the combo treatment, which costs less than two separate treatments.

At the start of the visit, Deniza looks at how your brows grow and how full they are, and asks what result you would like. Feel free to bring a photo of brows you like. All lash and brow treatments with prices are on the lashes and brows page.