By Katrina Simyab
From pencil-thin to full and fabulous, eyebrow trends have changed over time. While basic plucking can be managed at home, many turn to professional brow artists for help to find and maintain perfect brows. Here’s what you need to know about the latest techniques to raise the bar when it comes to your brows.
WAXING AND SHAPING
A classic go-to, waxing removes excess hair to help shape brows. This hair removal method is ideal for those who might not know where to start when shaping their brows at home.
“So many people mess up their brows at home by taking too many brow hairs from the inside front or tail,” says Kylene Gehrke, aesthetician, microblading artist and owner of Buttercup Beauty Brow and Skin Centre in Waunakee.
A brow professional can expertly use a combination of hair-removal techniques and strategic trimming to give the illusion of a proportionate eyebrow shape, explains Lulu Azizi, a licensed tattooist, aesthetician and owner of Luxe + Lulu Permanent Makeup and Aesthetics in Sun Prairie.
TINTING
Take a step up from shaping with tinting to amplify brow definition — no makeup needed. During this treatment, a semi-permanent dye is applied to brow hair to subtly “enhance light hairs and increase the look of fullness,” says Gehrke.
Tinting typically lasts up to four weeks and is routinely combined with waxing and shaping. Henna can also be used as a tint by some providers to achieve slightly longer-lasting results, which will also temporarily stain the skin under the brow hair as well, adds Gehrke.
LAMINATION
While tinting adds color, lamination changes the structure of the hair to give it a lift. If you pair these services up, you can achieve dimension and fullness. Lamination is “a semi- permanent eyebrow treatment that involves three main steps to chemically alter the hair texture and direction,” says Azizi. An application of a chemical relaxer, a setting solution and a post-treatment oil allows a brow expert to mold each individual brow hair into a masterpiece — which stays in place for four to six weeks.
MICROBLADING
Microblading places pigment in the skin with a needle, similar to a tattoo. This semi-permanent to permanent service is good for those with sparser brow hair, but doesn’t change the color of the hair fibers like tinting. A special tool with tiny needles is used to scratch a medical-grade pigment into the skin to create hair-like feather strokes, says Gehrke. Over time, the pigment may fade or blur (but still be visible) so results can last from six to twenty-four months, until a brow touch-up is needed. There are some restrictions on who can undergo microblading, and how many times, so you’ll want to check with a brow professional.
NANOBLADING (NANO BROWS) AND POWDER BROWS
The latest option in brow beauty, Nano Machine Hairstrokes, or nano brows, uses a hair-stroke technique similar to microblading, but instead of a hand tool, the tattooist uses a tattoo machine and needle cartridge. This provides “more artistic flexibility to create a realistic eyebrow,” says Azizi. Nanoblading also lasts longer than microblading — results can last one to three years.
Powder brows are also created with a tattoo machine, but uses a slightly different technique. Since the machine is also less abrasive, this service is suitable for a wider variety of skin types.
