Maintaining the appearance of your eyebrows is hard work. When choosing a shaping method, it’s important to keep your lifestyle in mind as well as your desired outcome. While tweezing is great for low-maintenance ladies who love a natural-looking arch, busy girls may not have time to sit down for frequent plucking sessions. You’ve heard about a variety of options—waxing, threading, lasers, even on-the-rise microblading—but which one is actually right for you? We’ve broken down each approach here to help make your decision a cinch.
Get Enviable Arches
Probably the most accessible shaping method on the list, it can be done anytime, anywhere. You're in full control of the process and just how thick or thin you'd like your eyebrows to look. However, tweezing does take focus, as you can accidentally overdo it or even miss a few strands—not to mention determining the shape of your arch can be a bit tricky. When done correctly, you'll achieve a clean, feathery-looking finish.
This is a great option for eyebrows that are naturally thick, coarse and slightly unruly. Hairs that just won't catch with tweezers have no chance against a waxing strip. The hair is pulled directly from the follicle and you're left with a very defined arch. Regrowth is softer and thinner. For those who have sensitive skin, wax with caution, as the method can cause redness and irritation.
This trend blew up a few years back, although the practice isn't new and has been common overseas for decades. Thread is twisted and rolled across the hair in a swift motion pulling it directly from the root. You're left with a more natural finish than waxing, and unlike tweezing, threading grabs several hairs at once. Depending on your pain tolerance, the motion can cause slight discomfort, but no skin-aggravating chemicals are used in the process.
Think of microblading as a makeover for eyebrows that have fallen victim to over-plucking, sparse gaps or undesirable arches. The semi-permanent option is different from old-school brow tattooing, as a special pen is used to draw on individual hairs and the process is noninvasive. Because a customized shape is being drawn onto your skin, it can take a few hours. However, there is zero downtime and the results can last up to three years. To minimize pain, technicians provide clients with numbing cream prior and soothing solutions afterward.
Laser is ideal for getting rid of stubborn hairs between the eyebrows and above the brow bone. Regular maintenance is necessary for anything below the brow bone, but after a few sessions you'll see permanent hair reduction. Below the brow bone, electrolysis uses an electrical current to probe the follicles of individual hairs.
