7 Expert Tips for Growing Out Your Eyebrows
Right this way for denser and defined arches.
If you've ever fallen victim to overplucked eyebrows (raises hand), you know that it can feel like an eternity waiting for hairs to grow back. In fact, overplucking your brows throughout the years can cause the hairs to become thinner and sometimes halt growth altogether. Sure, thinner brows are making a comeback, but they're not the pencil-thin arches we remember. And while eyebrow pencils will help to fill in sparse eyebrows, according to experts, there's actually more you can be doing to get thicker, fuller arches more quickly.
Related: How To Prevent and Reverse Thinning Eyebrows, According to Pros
Keep scrolling for seven expert-approved tips on how to grow your eyebrows back.
Use a Growth Serum
Unfortunately, there aren't any quick fixes when it comes to growing out your brows. However, according to celebrity brow expert Joey Healy, serums that enhance brow growth can make all the difference.
Applying a serum like the Joey Healy Brow Renovation Serum ($125, joeyhealy.com) can help speed up the growth process and promote healthy brow hairs. "It is the best way to help your brows move along," says Healy. "When using a serum, usually it is twice a day for six weeks."
Related: The 7 Best Eyebrow Serums, According to Brow Experts
Skip Waxing
While waxing the brows can offer clean and sleek results, it can have negative effects. "If you remove the same hairs for a long period, you damage the hair follicle, which can slow down or stop growth," explains Jessica Bartley, brow professional at Boom Boom Brow Bar in NYC. "Usually, this takes more than once to have a lasting effect."
To avoid damage to the hair follicle at all, however, opt for tweezing, says Cheryl Renella, brow expert and founder of Channing's Studio & Spa in Chicago. "Tweezing allows you to be precise and doesn't have as lasting effects should you find your brow a bit thinner than desired," she says.
Related: We Tested 18 Tweezers — These 5 Are the Best at Plucking Every Hair
Avoid DIY Grooming
If you must clean up your brows and can't make it to a professional, make sure you're removing only one hair at a time, emphasizes Healy. "Every so often, hair looks like a stray until there's two more next to it then it looks like a line, but what will happen is if you try to take just the strays, you might be confused, so I would advise taking the things that are the furthest away," she explains.
"Also, I love the idea of setting a timer when you are doing that kind of maintenance. For instance, maybe let yourself do it for a minute on each brow once a week, so you're not sitting there by accident, and then fifteen minutes later, you find you took out way too many hairs."
Umbreen Sheikh, owner of Wink Brow Bar in NYC, cautions against touching the ends of the brow. "Ends get thinner as we get older, and accidentally removing these will make your brow look short," she says.
Related: How to Shape Your Eyebrows, According to Experts
Comb Your Brows Every Morning
"The only other little trick I've heard that can help is to comb through your brows with a spoolie in the morning very gently," says Healy. "Doing this can help release dry dead skin that lives in the brow, promoting a healthier environment for more growth." It also increases circulation and blood flow to the follicle.
Fill In Your Brows With the Right Products
While filling in your brows won't necessarily help with the regrowth process, it can fake the look of a fuller-looking finish while you're waiting for the real thing.
"I love powder and tinted gel in combination," says Healy. "The tinted gel grabs each hair, making them a little bit thicker and kicking up all those baby hairs. And powder sits behind the brow on the skin to close up some of those patchy gaps."
Sheikh adds that brow powders are best because they don't make your natural brows look overdone or fake when you have sparse or thinned brows.
Related: The 12 Best Eyebrow Products—Gels, Pencils, and More
Forgo Waterproof Makeup Formulas
"Avoid waterproof brow makeup too because it can lead to you scrubbing too hard to get it off, dislodging brow hairs like with a rotary brush," notes Healy. "So, if needed, take the makeup off with an oil-based makeup remover or just avoid products that require a lot of scrubbing."
VIDEO: Looking to Tint Your Brows? Here's What You Need to Know
Be Patient
"The number one tip is patience," Healy tells us. "Time will be your friend as it can take three to four months to fully regrow your brows."
And once hairs have returned, all our experts advise letting a professional take it from there. "It can be a long hard road to reach your perfect brow, so listen to your brow specialist, don't tweeze between shaping, and try and get in for a shape-up once a month," says Bartley.
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