Eyebrow Treatments

Eyebrows are a hot topic these days. It’s no surprise as the landscape of eyebrow definition has changed, but that doesn’t make it any easier to navigate. Perhaps past eyebrow trends may have left you with over-tweezed or over-waxed brows that have lost their lustre. Maybe you were never endowed with full brows in the first place, or you’re simply very fair and your brows appear to be ‘invisible’, and you’re in need of some guidelines on how to get natural looking, visible eyebrows that suit you.

Eyebrows are extremely important as they shape your face, change your facial expression and can bring out your eyes. There is a myriad of options available now to help you get the perfect sculpted brow, and thanks to new eyebrow-enhancing treatments like tinting, tattooing, bleaching and the ever-popular microblading treatment, you too can get the perfect brows to suit the contour of your face. Here are some details to demystify some of these eyebrow treatments to help you choose the right brow treatment for you.

No matter what treatment you’re going for, we need a starting point. Your eyebrows will need up to six weeks to grow back, and in some instances may even take up to 12 months to fully recover from overzealous tweezing or waxing.

The first step in recovering and redefining your perfect brow is to grow them out. A brow expert can then consider your bone structure and features such as eye spacing and nose width to measure your brows. Your eyebrows will not be shaped according to any fashion trend but designed to complement and flatter your face.

If you’re concerned about the six-week wait or don’t want to wait for your brows to grow out, you can come in sooner, and I can teach you how to fill them in with eyebrow makeup while they grow out.

Natural brows can be enhanced by proper shaping and the correct tinting or bleaching. It’s always best practice to try to grow out your brows so you can see what can be achieved by professional colouring and shaping.

If your eyebrows appear too bold, or you’ve changed your hair colour, they can be lightened with bleach. However, to make those brows pop, tinting should be your choice.

Tint is available in many colours, ranging from dark blonde to light brown, medium brown and dark brown, in both cool and warm undertones to flatter any complexion.  It can also be applied to create an ombre effect, making the tails darker and gradually becoming lighter towards the front of the eyebrow.

Tint will pick up fine hairs resulting in a more dense looking eyebrow. It will colour grey hair to give a more youthful appearance. If you have a ‘salt and pepper’ appearance, we can bleach your brows to obtain an even colour base and then tint for the most beautiful result.

It’s important to understand darker tints will leave a temporary stain on the skin, which will wash off within a few days. For longer lasting results, don’t wash your eyebrows for the first 24 hours. Tint coats the hair and will gradually fade and grow out over four to six weeks and then require a top-up.

If you’re allergic to hair tint, then you’ll probably react to brow tint. It is recommended that you have a patch test 24 hours before tinting your eyebrows.

If you would like a bolder brow and a stain that lasts, then opt for henna.

For a long-lasting, bold look, or to cover resistant grey hairs, choose henna. Henna is also a great option for filling gaps and defining your brow, especially while waiting for it to grow out.

Henna is a natural dye taken from the leaves of the Henna plant, Lawsonia Inermis. We use HB Henna, a product formulated especially for dying your eyebrows. HB Henna contains 99% natural ingredients, including natural Indigo (Indigofera Tinctoria), natural Cacao (Theobroma Cacao L. – chocolate) and finally 2.4-diaminophenoxyethanol. 2.4-Diaminophenoxyethanol is also used in hair dyes, and people can have a reaction to it. (Henna Brow Design Training Manual by Amanda Jeffery).

If you are allergic to hair dyes, you may be allergic to henna. As the henna product used to colour eyebrows contains others ingredients, it’s essential you have a patch test if you are allergic to other hair colour dyes.

How Henna Treatment Works

Henna is generally applied for 20 minutes. Shaping, or another procedure, can be performed while the henna is processing. The colour will remain on the hair for at least four to six weeks, or it will ‘grow out’.
The stain will last three to 10 days depending on your:

• skin type
• the colour selected
• aftercare.

At the end of the treatment, an oil is applied over the eyebrows to protect the colour and condition the hair.

For longer lasting colour, it’s important that you don’t wash your eyebrows for at least 12 hours, but preferably 24 hours. The colour will continue to process after you leave the salon. If there are any resistant grey hairs, leave a little henna on them, and remove it an hour later.

When To Tattoo Your Eyebrows?

Eyebrow tattooing should be considered if your eyebrows are still sparse or have gaps after growing them out, or the shape is simply unflattering.

Tattooed eyebrows will still need colouring, especially if you have very fair or grey hair. You will also need to continue hair removal.

It is recommended that you try tinting, henna and makeup before opting for a tattoo. An eyebrow tattoo will look amazing with no effort at all, but it should not be taken lightly. (See our upcoming blog on Cosmetic Tattooing.)

Feather stroke, hair stroke tattoo and microstroking are all alternative names for microblading. Microblading refers to a technique in which fine, individual hair strokes are tattooed onto the eyebrow by depositing pigment under the skin. It can be done manually using a hand-tool with a microblade or with a digital machine using microneedles. This permanent treatment achieves a very natural appearance which lasts anywhere between one to two years, after which it will start to fade. Regular touch-ups will be required. The effect can be enhanced with makeup or henna.

This technique is fantastic when there are only a few gaps in your eyebrows and/or if you are after a soft, natural looking tattoo. 

Ombré brow (also referred to as powder brow, shaded brow or solid eyebrow) is a makeup procedure that combines permanent makeup and microblading to achieve a longer-lasting effect. This technique is a more solid looking tattoo which resembles the appearance of makeup. Ombré refers to the way the shading is done so that the tail of the brow is darkest and fades off to the front of the brow. Again, the colour will fade over a couple of years and will need regular touch-ups.

This technique is excellent for anyone who is looking for a natural look, who has eyebrow hair and fills in their brows.

Why Do Cosmetic Tattoos Fade?

Cosmetic Tattoos fade because of the pigments that are used. It’s considered prudent to use pigments that fade because our facial features change over time, as does our colouring (hair usually changes shades or becomes grey, skin becomes darker and more yellow). What suits you when you’re 25 may not suit you at 75!

For further information check out Cosmetic Tattooing and the Gallery on our website. More details about tattooing will be available in our next blog.

Eyebrow Makeup

Makeup can be your eyebrows’ best friend! Makeup can be used to enhance a natural eyebrow, it can fill gaps while you’re growing out your eyebrows, and it can be used when you want to achieve a more glamorous look.

Pencils can be firm, used to apply clean lines, such as our PONI Brow Magic. These can be used to fill gaps and to accentuate your brow shape. Soft pencils, such as the Poni Brow Love, result in a softer look and are used to colour your brows making them look denser or to fill gaps. They are available in a multitude of colours to complement your features. These are very quick and easy to apply. A clear gel, such as PONI Zebra Brow, can be applied on top to control the hairs and make them glossy.

If you have some grey hairs, the best way to disguise them between treatments is with an eyebrow mascara, such as the Jane Iredale Brow Fix.  This is applied very quickly and easily over the offending hairs and will also keep the hair in place.

Eyebrow Powder will fill gaps and give a more made-up appearance than a pencil. Powder will always result in a solid, coloured-in appearance, but will simultaneously look very soft.

If you require staying power, you can’t go past a Pomade. This will result in a bold brow. The Poni Mane Stain will remain in place until removed or for 24 hours. It’s waterproof so you can swim or exercise and your eyebrows will stay perfect.

If in doubt about what eyebrow treatment to use, Contact us, and we can run through the best options for you.