How to pluck your eyebrows
Brow plucking: it sounds so simple, but so many of us are struggling with it. But why? Well... It's very easy to get carried away, and what was supposed to be a quick tidy up suddenly turns into a pluck-a-thon. The results, overplucked and crooked looking brows. Let's be honest; we've all been there. But don't worry, there's hope! Here's our ultimate guide to tweezing your eyebrows at home. It's time to say goodbye to badly plucked brows and start plucking like a pro.
1. Invest in a good set of tweezers
To pluck like a professional, you need the tools of a professional. Premium tweezers are the key. Choose ones that are handmade as they have the most precise tips and will be able to grip individual hairs much better, making plucking quicker and more pain-free. Ideally, you'll want several tweezers with different tips; straight, slanted and pointed. Why? Each tip is meant for a specific plucking area and will give you the best results.
2. Use the correct technique
It's best to pluck your brows after taking a warm shower or bath. The warm water and steam will open your pores and make removing hairs much easier. Alternatively, you can wash your face with warm water or put a warm cotton pad on your brows for a few minutes. When plucking, be sure to use one hand to pull the skin around the plucking area firm and taut. The better you tighten the skin, the less it will hurt. Plus, pulling the skin taut will also prevent you from pinching your skin with the tweezers which doesn't only hurt, but can also leave red marks.
This will reduce the risk of hair breakage and make the whole process waaaaaay more painless. Last, always grab the brow hairs right at the root - this is where a sharp tweezer comes in handy!
3. Fill in your brows before plucking
To prevent you from overplucking and to make sure you're plucking the right shape, it's best to fill in your brows beforehand. Filling in your brows will help you see where you're at and where you want to be. To do so, grab a brow pencil or powder and fill in your brows as you would usually do. Pomades or creamy products are generally not as good as they can make the brow hairs "slippery", making it difficult to grab the brow hairs.
Don’t know your perfect brow shape or are unsure how to draw the ideal shape for your brows and face? Check out our brow mapping guide. It's super easy and can give brow-changing results!
4. brush your brows beforehand
Grab an eyebrow spoolie and brush your brows into their natural direction of growth. Make sure you don't brush the ends of the brow hairs outside of the drawn brow shape. All brow hairs should lie within the drawn shape.
5. Tweeze in the right order
Now that your brows are all prepped and ready to go, you can start tweezing. Grab a tweezer with a straight tip and start plucking any brow hairs above and in between the brows. Only pluck the hairs that lie outside of the drawn brow shape. Next, grab a slanted tweezer and pluck any stray brow hairs along the browbone, i.e. under the brow. Last, it's time for precision plucking. Brush through your brows again and re-analyse your brow shape and any stray hairs that lie very close to the brow line. Then, use a pointed tweezer to pluck individual brow hairs that you're not happy with.
6. Step back
It's very easy to get carried away, especially when you're using a magnifying mirror. If you can't pluck without one, make sure you stand back and look at your brows from a distance after every few plucks. Remember, brows are not twins; they are sisters. Most of us don't have identical brows (or face features), so it's okay if your brows aren't 100% equal. Luckily, we have make-up products to make them equal.
7. Don't commit the top 10 brow plucking mistakes
Make sure you're not committing one of the top ten plucking mistakes. Here you can read all about them. It's worth the read; you might actually be committing one of them without even knowing.
Plucking your brows is really quite simple when you know what you're doing. The most important part is to keep checking your brows and only remove the stray hairs outside your brow shape. If you follow the above steps and are using the right tools, you'll be tweezing and shaping your brows like a pro in no time.