5 Easy Ways To Maintain Your Brow Shape At Home

Softly defined, brushed-up brows are always a winner in our book. For inspiration, just look to the Spring/Summer’20 catwalk where the likes of Kaia Geber and Bella Hadid sported naturally full, groomed brows at Coach, Givenchy and Haider Ackermann. While the rest of the face was paired-back with minimal coverage, the brows most certainly did all the talking. And it’s true, if you’ve just had your brows freshly preened, they can instantly transform your look – making your eyes look that little bit wider and your make-up more ‘done’. And although brows might not be top of our agenda right now, if you usually leave yours in the hands of the pros – then a bit of upkeep at home might just be the self-care you need.

We’ve spoken to CEO and Founder of Blink Brow Bar, Vanita Parti, to find out everything you need to know to DIY brows at home…

The best hair removal method for DIY brows:

It doesn’t matter if you usually get your brows waxed or threaded, at home – Parti recommends always opting for tweezers. ‘Invest in a pair of super grip tweezers to avoid breakages and ingrown hairs. And, it seems obvious, but try to avoid being heavy-handed with the tweezers.’

Tweeze carefully:

To avoid over-plucking, always define your boundaries first. ‘You can use a concealer pencil or marker to indicate the points where your brows should start/arch and finish,’ advises Parti. As a general rule of thumb, your brows should start just above the inner corner of your eye in line with the side of your nose and should finish at an angle with the outer corner of your eye and nose.

‘Gently stretch your skin and pluck in the direction of the hair growth. Make sure you grab each hair by the root to avoid any hair breakage. And always pluck the stray hairs first, before tackling the shape.’

The arch is the trickiest part to get right, ‘ensure you remove one hair at a time to get the height right for the arch,’ suggests Parti. ‘Often just two or three hairs is enough. Take a step back from the mirror to see your brows properly before continuing. Taking it step by step is key here.’

Waxing your brows at home:

If plucking isn’t for you, and you’d prefer to go down the waxing route – invest in thin waxing strips. ‘Thin strips will give you more control in terms of how much hair you take off,’ states Parti, ‘and take it slowly as you’re removing a number of brow hairs at one time.’ To get the shape right, draw on the boundaries to get that symmetry.

‘Place the strip from your arch downwards, towards the outer corner of your eye, and pull against the direction of hair growth. Next, place a strip from the arch towards your nose and again, pull against the direction of the hair growth.’ Never go over the same area more than twice as you’ll irritate the skin. To finish? ‘Always use a tea tree gel to soothe the skin,’says Parti.

Trim with caution:

Trimming the tops of the brows is a really easy way to define the shape. ‘Make sure you have an excellent pair of nail scissors for this,’ states Parti. ‘Brush the brows up with a tamer and then snips the hairs that poke up above the brow hair line. Nothing drastic, just start slowly and keep brushing them back to asses them before snipping some more.’

Point of caution: ‘Never thin the brows – it’s better to have an overgrown mass which can be tamed with products than thin brows which will take a while to grow back. The middle of the brow takes a particularly long time to grow – so don’t over pluck anywhere that you have reservations about.’

Tinting the brows:

‘I wouldn’t recommend tinting at home. This should be left to the experts where you can be tested for allergies,’ states Parti. Instead, opt for brow products. ‘A tinted brow gel, like BBB London Brow Build Gel, £21, with good staying power is the easiest way to build up the brows and fill in sparse areas.’

Your at-home brow kit:

Invest in the basics like tweezers, a tamer and brow gel to keep the shape on point. And choose your products carefully. ‘Gels are best for offering a subtle amount of colour to brows as they only coat the brow hairs. Whereas, pencils and pomades are great for a more defined look, filling in gaps and adding colour and shape to brows.’

And finally, keep nourishing your brows. ‘Now is a great time to load up on oil, like BBB London's Nourishing Brow Oil, £22, to keep those brows glossy and soft. Take advantage of being in isolation, see what your natural brows are capable to doing. And if in doubt – a fringe will do the trick until Blink is back in action!’

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