How to Keep Your Eyebrows in Check

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, the eyebrows are the awnings. Tidy, clean awnings dress up a window, but those that are poorly-maintained affect the appearance of the whole building.

Eyebrow maintenance can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be, as long as you're keeping them in check one way or the other. Long before your eyebrows start looking like they're about to grow legs and crawl off your face, you should attend to them, or have them attended to by someone with a steady hand and a bit of experience.

Here are some options for keeping your eyebrows shapely and tidy.

Wax On, Wax Off

If you want to change the shape of your eyebrows, waxing is the best way to do it, and the best way to do that is to go to a salon to have them waxed by a professional. A licensed cosmetologist or esthetician will know how to work with your natural brow shape, and entrusting the task to someone who's trained in waxing will help reduce the risk of burns and other injury.

Waxing is the most efficient way to remove hair, and it prevents it from growing back for up to six weeks. Ideally, you should return to the salon every four to six weeks to maintain the shape and take care of stray hairs that grow above, below, and between your brows. If you suffer a burn, stay away for at least six weeks, and apply plenty of Vitamin E, a Calendula cream, or a drop of lavender essential oil until it heals.

To Pluck, or Not to Pluck?

You can pluck your brows between waxing appointments if necessary, but plucking your own eyebrows calls for a bit of restraint so that you don't end up tweezing them into oblivion.

Use a high quality pair of tweezers for efficiency and comfort, and pull the hair out quickly and in the direction in which it grows. Only pluck the hairs below the brow line, never above. The hairs above are fine and fuzzy, and they need to be waxed away.

Remove any makeup on your brows, and brush them downwards with a round brow brush. Pluck the hairs growing below the natural shape of your brows. Then, hold a pencil against the side of your nose, and note the spot where the pencil hits the inner side of the brow. This is where your eyebrow should begin, so pluck anything outside of that spot. Next, hold the pencil against your nose and swing it out so it's even with the outer corner of your eye, and note that spot. This is where the eyebrow should end, so pluck anything outside of that area.

Leave the arch alone! Start messing with it, and you're going to mess up the shape of your brows, guaranteed. Shaping requires waxing. If you're inexperienced with waxing, ensuring even and properly shaped brows requires the touch of a professional.

Your Daily Brow-Beating

A little daily maintenance will keep your brows tidy and shapely. If your brows are very light or naturally thin, you can bulk them up with a few simple tricks and tools. All you need is a round eyebrow brush, an eyebrow pencil, and a good gel.

During your usual makeup routine, apply a little gel to the eyebrow brush and gently comb your brows using upward strokes to rein in their shape and keep them in place.

Use the eyebrow pencil to fill in your brows to make them look fuller. For a bold, more shapely look, choose a skinny pencil for both outlining and filling in. For a softer, more natural look, skip the outlining and choose a thicker pencil for filling them in.

If your complexion is light to medium, use a blonde colored pencil, or choose a dark brown pencil if you have a darker complexion.