Here’s an overview of popular hair removal methods, the pros and cons of each, and a suggestion for tools to use. I’m not covering laser hair removal because most women can’t afford it. If you’re interested, read about Charlotte’s experience on Lipglossiping.
Tweezing is probably the most common hair removal method for brows, and this is what I do most of the time. I suggest investing in a good pair of tweezers and a magnifying mirror. Tweezermans can be purchased at Perfumania outlet stores for 50% off retail
- PROS: Can be done at home and touched up anytime, doesn’t require many tools
- CONS: Can be painful, takes time and patience if you have lots of brow hair
Waxing is also very common, but it’s not my preferred method for several reasons. 1) my sensitive skin doesn’t exactly react well to having wax ripped off it. 2) I don’t get control over the brow shape and I usually hate what salons do. If you choose this method, find a waxer who comes highly recommended by someone with great brows. Don’t be afraid to ask! Just say, “I couldn’t help but notice your lovely brows; do you get them waxed at a salon?”
- PROS: Removes a number of hairs at once, so it’s a shorter process; can be great if you find an experienced waxer
- CONS: Expensive over time, can end up with a bad shape, can be extremely painful, requires you to let hair grow out between waxes
Threading is newer to the American scene and has Middle Eastern and Indian roots. Basically, you twist a loop of thread and use that to pull out a number of brow hairs in a row. I haven’t yet tried this, but I’m told it can be done at home or by a professional. I’d suggest getting professional threading first to see how it’s done, or at the very least watch a YouTube tutorial
- PROS: Cheap, can be done at home, requires no special tools, gives a very straight appearance to the brows
- CONS: I’ve heard it can be painful, also seems sort of tricky
Hair Removal Creams can be used in some cases. I use Veet around my brow area to get all the hairs that are too tiny to pluck. If you have fair hair, you probably won’t need this.
- PROS: Pretty cheap, only takes a few minutes, can be used on other areas of the face (chickstache, chickburns)
- CONS: People with extremely sensitive skin might have a reaction (do a test patch first!), can’t be used to shape the brows
Trimming is a great way to make unruly brows just a bit more groomed. You’ll need a spoolie brush and some manicure or moustache trimming scissors. Basically you just brush your brow hairs up and down and trim the hairs that are sticking out.
- PROS: Cheap, completely painless, can be done pretty quickly
- CONS: Doesn’t get rid of stray hairs, just trims the ones that are a bit too long
Eyebrow Razors are so evil that I can’t come up with a single good thing to say about them. They leave you with spikey, stubbly brows and aren’t good at detail work. Also, you will inevitably slip and hack off half a brow one day. Just don’t do it!
I'm brow-stupid so I've been enjoying your brow posts. Here's a question, though – do most people trim their brows in addition to shaping? I knew a girl once with muppet brows – plucked into a good shape, but the hairs were SO LONG and poofy that it looked crazy.
You're completely right! I originally wrote this post while I was sick and meant to include that. Seems like I forgot! Yes, I trim my brows quite a bit and I think most people could benefit from it. I'll amend the post to include details! Thanks for catching that
I have my brows threaded every 5-6 months and maintain in between with tweezing. Threading isn't pain free but an experienced person will do it quickly; the second time I had mine threaded (after letting them grow in fully) it took 10 mins and I've got fairly full brows.