Over-plucked eyebrows are every woman’s nightmare, especially in this modern day and age where full, bold brows rule the runways. However, the problem of too-thin brows is still extremely common. Maybe you stared into a magnified mirror too long and got a little tweezer-happy. Or, you endured a threading or waxing nightmare at an unfamiliar salon. Unfortunately, the possible causes of over-plucked brows are endless.
If your brows are too thin for any reason, remember that over-plucking is not as much of a death sentence as it might seem. Contrary to popular belief, your brows will grow back in full as long as your hair follicles remain intact. In the meantime, there are ways to make the in-between process of hair regrowth a little less painful without opting for long bangs.
1. Don’t Panic
One of the most terrifying and widely spread beauty myths is that, if you over-pluck your eyebrows, the hair will never grow back. Fortunately, this belief does not have any biological truth to it. If you’ve over-plucked your brows, there’s no reason to believe that they will never grow back.
The misconception about permanent thin brows likely originated from the fact that eyebrow hair usually does take longer to grow back than the hair on your head. Head hair generally grows at a rate of about half an inch per month. Your eyebrow hairs grow at a much slower rate. It takes about two months for tweezed eyebrows to fill back in. Waiting for your eyebrow hairs to grow does require some patience, but you shouldn’t panic over the potential permanence of your thin brows.
2. Stay Away From Serums
You’re not the only woman to ever go a little crazy with your tweezers. Over-plucking your eyebrows is very common, which is why many companies capitalize on this problem with brow serums and conditioners that claim to regrow your brows in half the time. While these products are extremely tempting when you’re praying for your eyebrows to grow back more quickly, they’re also overpriced and their effectiveness remains unproven.
If you really want to put something on your brows to try to speed up hair growth, stick with natural substances like castor oil or coconut oil. These oils aren’t proven remedies for over-plucked brows, either, but many women swear by their results.
3. Let Them Grow
As your eyebrows start to fill back in, they will likely look a little uneven. No matter how raggedy or off your brows appear, resist any urge you have to go at them with tweezers again.
There’s no way to know how your brows will really look once they grow back in full. Attacking your new hair growth with tweezers puts you at a much higher risk of over-plucking your brows again. When you’re waiting for your brows to regain thickness, try to leave your tweezers safely hidden in your drawer at all times. If you must pluck, do so very minimally and only tweeze hairs that are far above, below, and in between your natural brow shape.
4. Tame Regrowth
As they grow in, eyebrow hairs tend to be unruly. They often don’t lay completely flat or blend smoothly into the rest of your brow hair pattern, which leads to a messy look. Brow gel can be your best friend when it comes to taming regrowth.
Invest in a tinted brow gel that’s a shade or two darker than the natural color of your eyebrows. Comb the gel evenly through your entire brow to create a smooth and even finish that also gives the illusion of thicker brows. Set the gel with powder for a lasting finish that doesn’t look too shiny.
5. Avoid Harsh Lines
When your brows are much thinner than you want them to be, it’s very tempting to draw harsh outlines around your brow hair to create the thickness you want. Outlining your brows in boxes with an eyebrow pencil will never look natural. In fact, it will only draw attention to the thinness of your natural brows.
Try to avoid using a brow pencil completely when your eyebrows are filling in from over-plucking. If you do use a pencil, never try to outline your brows with it. Instead, use a light hand to apply short, dash-like strokes across the thinner areas of your brow to create the illusion of natural hair growth. Whenever possible, opt for softer brow products like gels, pomades, and powders for a more natural look.
6. Use Powder
Powder is usually the best brow product to use when filling in over-plucked brows. This is because powder is one of the most forgiving brow products. When your brows have an unstable shape during their regrowth process, the forgiveness of powder can make or break how natural they look.
Use an angled brush to apply brow powder that’s a shade or two darker than your natural hair color. Apply lighter layers of powder to the inner corners of your brow and use more powder on the arch and tail of your brow to mimic your natural hair growth pattern. Concentrate on adding depth to the areas of your brows that are the most sparse. Clean up the edges of your brows and keep the powder in place by outlining your brows with concealer using a small, angled brush.
7. Prevent Future Over-Plucking Nightmares
After struggling through the process of over-plucking your brows and waiting what seems like forever for them to grow out, it’s safe to say that you never want to endure such a nightmare again.
If you pluck your brows yourself, only allow yourself to tweeze hairs outside of your natural brow line to maintain a full, thick shape. Never look in a magnified mirror while plucking your brows; no one will ever look at you from such a close range in real life. When opting to get your brows professionally threaded or waxed, always go to a salon you trust. If you must try somewhere new, give clear instructions and request to examine your brows throughout the process to ensure you and your technician remain on the same page.
No matter how thin your brows are now, don’t give up hope on restoring them to their former bold glory. The damage from over-plucking can be undone, and you can use the tips in this post to make sure your brows look presentable through every stage of regrowth.
