The 5 Biggest Brow Myths, Debunked

From bright and bushy to straight and slender, eyebrows come in all shapes, sizes and textures. How you choose to groom them? Well, that’s up to you. Still, attaining the “perfect brow” is no easy feat. That’s why we’ve turned to Gina Petak, European Wax Center Education Manager, to bust the brow myths that have led us astray.

1. MYTH: Over-plucked brows are a lost cause

Tweezed yourself into a Pam Anderson-squiggle mess? Deep breaths. While overplucking can damage the follicle, the hairs will grow back in after a few weeks of no tweezing. In the meantime, you can grab an eyebrow pencil or gel to fill in where it's looking sparse. After a couple months of TLC, your full brows should start to reemerge.

2. MYTH: Your brows need to match the color of your hair

WWMMD: What Would Marilyn Monroe Do? While it’s generally smart to keep your brows at least one shade darker than your natural hair color, blondes and redheads can definitely go darker for a more dramatic look. You also don't need to make sure your brows are identical to your roots if you color your hair.

3. MYTH: You should never tweeze above the brow line

We’ve all heard the story: Girl plucks above brow line, never achieves arches again. Not so fast. While you should mostly leave your brown line alone (it’s how brows get their covetable fullness), you are definitely entitled to remove any hairs that fall in the murky region between eyebrow and hairline. (You know…those pesky guys just above your temples?) This will help give your brows shape while making them appear fuller and more defined.

4. MYTH: Your brows grow back faster (and thicker) if you wax

Whether you wax, thread or tweeze, all techniques will cause the hair to grow back the same way. The benefit of waxing is that it allows you to remove a larger area of hair all at once. This means even smaller blonde or fine peach fuzz hairs will be removed, giving your brows a much cleaner look. It's also much less painful than tweezing hair by hair.

5. MYTH: Both eyebrows should look exactly the same

Repeat after us: Brows should look like sisters, not twins. To put it simply, no two brows are the same. Whether it's from genetics, natural hair patterns, scarring or even what side of your face you typically sleep on at night, face asymmetry isn't limited to your brows. Your eyes, cheekbones and nose are not perfectly symmetrical either (unless, ya know, you're Ava in Ex Machina). Really, really want symmetry? Brow products are a great way to shape, add fullness, and also fill in any areas making brows more symmetrical.