Fuller brows depend more on what you do every day than on what you buy. Everything from how often you use tweezers to how you remove your makeup at night can make your brows look either thick and soft or thin and patchy. The following are habits to follow and a weekly schedule that puts them together.
Habits That Make Brows Look Fuller
Brush Them Up Before Anything Else
A clean spoolie is the most inexpensive brow tool you can own, and it can do more than a pencil. Sweep the tails slightly outwards and brush the brows up. This lifts flat hairs off the skin, spreads them on the thinned hair, and reveals the true bald spots.
Many people fill in their hair in the brow area when the hair still lies flat. That results in overdrawing. Brush first, and you may only need product on two or three small areas. Brush again after filling to ensure the color blends into the hair, not resting on the skin.
Draw Strokes, Not Blocks
Avoid solid fill because it can make your brow look drawn on, especially during the day. A fine-tipped pencil or brow pen lets you make short, flicky strokes in the direction your hairs grow. Use a light touch on the front of the brow, and a slightly more distinct touch toward the arch and tail.
Pressure matters. Hold the pencil towards the end rather than close to the tip; your strokes will be softer. If desired, apply a tinted fiber gel afterward to add depth. The fibers attach to the existing ones and thicken them, but not in a stiff, pomade-like way.
Give Them Time to Grow Out
It takes 3-4 months for brows to grow back completely after being plucked. That is why a two-week break from tweezers often doesn’t do much. If you want a fuller shape, schedule a 12-week grow-out period, and remove only the strays that are clearly below the brow or between the brows.
The middle weeks are the awkward times. Use a clear or colored gel to keep those odd-looking short regrowth hairs in place until they grow in. Once the time is up, a good brow artist will ask you to book, which is when they can start shaping the hair that’s already there.
A brow serum can support you through those 12 weeks. For instance, Nulastin eyebrow enhancing serum, a blend of biodesigned proteins and signal peptides that helps anchor brow follicles at the root and reduce shedding, so the hairs you’re growing are more likely to stay put. Apply it to clean, dry brows morning and night, and expect to wait 6 to 12 weeks of daily use before you see fuller-looking results.
Tint the Hairs You Already Have
Mild or light brown hairs are lost from the skin. A professional tint darkens each hair, even the fine, fuzzy ones on the front and sides, and typically lasts four to six weeks. You have to wear less makeup every day and still have plenty of hair showing.
Do not go too dark; it should be only 1-2 shades darker than your normal shade of brown. If you tint on your own, do a patch test 48 hours before, as tint dyes can cause allergic reactions. Avoid applying scalp hair dye to your brows – it is not designed for skin near the eyes.
Habits That Work Against You
Tweezing Every Day
It is hard to get a better shape by tweezing every day. You hold your face close to a magnifying mirror, look for those tiny hairs, and pluck them one by one until you notice a significant thinning of the brow. Years of plucking can also damage follicles, and some hairs may not regrow. Many women still suffer from too little tail due to overplucking in the late 1990s.
Establish a rule: tweeze every two weeks, in front of a regular mirror, in daylight. Step back before you pull anything. If a hair is not apparent from a distance, no one else will notice it, either.
Picking a Shade That’s Too Dark
With dark pencils, you can create the impression of heavy, full brows while keeping them from looking thick. Density and texture create fullness, and a hard color just adds contrast. Very dark product further accentuates all gaps and irregular edges.
If you have dark hair, select the lightest color of the brow hair. For blonde and red-haired women, tone down one shade from your brows and go a shade darker for dark hair. Cool taupe suits ash blonde and gray brows, while warmer shades of brown look good with auburn and golden hair.
Rubbing and Scrubbing the Brow Area
Rough makeup removal, scratching your skin with a towel, and rubbing your brow when you’re tired or stressed can all cause you to lose brow hairs. This is especially true with waterproof brow products, which require more friction to remove.
Use an oil-based or bi-phase remover. Hold a soaking pad to each brow for 10-15 seconds and gently wipe in the direction of hair growth. Avoid strong exfoliating acids and retinoids in direct contact with the brow line, as they can irritate and itch the skin, which can lead to more rubbing.
Trusting Oils to Regrow Hair
Castor oil is known to help thicken hair, though clinical evidence is limited. It can make existing hair look shinier and darker for several hours, which may be why many people trust it.
If you are after a growth product, be sure to seek out a serum that contains peptides and conditioning ingredients and apply it to your face every night for 8-12 weeks before you make any judgments. If thinning or patchy hair loss is sudden, a dermatologist should investigate it first. The brows can reveal thyroid issues, low iron, and alopecia areata.
A Simple Weekly Brow Routine
Schedules are what make habits stick. There’s no need for a complicated program, just some steps that you repeat at regular times:
- Daily: Brush up, add strokes as necessary, set with gel.
- Every night: Gently remove product and use serum if you use any.
- Every two weeks: tweeze strays in natural light using a regular mirror.
- Every four to six weeks: tint at home or book a salon tint.
- Every three months: assess shape and determine whether to continue growing or not.
Take monthly pictures at the same time and in the same position. The hair color on the back of your head will change gradually, and side-by-side photos reveal progress you wouldn’t otherwise see.
The Final Word
Most of the fullness you’re after comes from doing less: less tweezing, lighter strokes, gentler removal, and patience to let hair regrow. Add a matching shade and a typical tint, and your brows will appear thicker after one growth cycle.
