How to trim men’s eyebrows with a trimmer or scissors. We’ll also help you fix a unibrow, and blend out grays.
Why Do Men’s Eyebrows Get Bushier with Age?
As we age, our eyebrows, as well as the hairs in our ears and nostrils, become more and more sensitive to androgens, which causes them to increase in density and length.
If left unchecked, they become bushy and untidy, which distracts from the rest of the face.
Overgrown eyebrows also make us look older than we are. Have you noticed how much fresher you look after the barber has trimmed them?
But you don’t have to wait until your next haircut. You can tidy your eyebrows yourself, which you should do every two weeks if you want to keep them presentable.
And you can do more than just that, if you so desire.
Trimming with a Trimmer
With an Eyebrow Trimmer
There are trimmers intended only for the eyebrows that have a mechanical blade over which a guard it placed. I’ve inserted a photo of the one I used to have below. Sometimes, nose hair trimmers include an eyebrow blade adaptor as part of a set.
To use, comb or brush your brows in the direction of growth (with the grain), then attach the long-hair guard to the trimmer and run it over your brows in the same direction. If only a few wayward hairs remain, decide whether you can clip these with scissors.
If not, carefully run over your brows again, this time against the direction of growth (against the grain). Before turning on, push the blade into the brow to see how much hair will be cut off. Pull the guard fractionally away from you if you think it will be too much.
If your brows are still untidy, go over them again with the short-hair guard, but in the direction of growth.
Don’t work against the grain with the short-hair guard. I have short, well-shaped brows that lie relatively flat, and this is too short even for me.
With a Beard and Mustache Trimmer
As I’ve mentioned, the eyebrow trimmer pictured below is the one I used to have. Unfortunately, it stopped working at some point, so I implemented my beard and mustache trimmer instead; results were equally good.
With this, you can work against the grain, but begin with a long guard that will probably miss all hairs. This should be at least 10 mm. Keep going a number lower until you find the guard that gives the perfect length.
I use a five-millimeter guard, but, as I say, my brows lie flat with few unruly hairs.
Source: The Neat and Tidy ManTrimming with a Comb and Scissors
For this you’ll need a fine-tooth comb (best is a mustache comb) and mustache or straight edge nail scissors. I use hairdressing scissors, even if not usually recommended.
Holding the comb flat against your browbone, push through the brow toward the bridge of your nose, snipping all hairs that poke through the teeth. Snip no more than about a quarter of the length of each hair. If your brows are still unruly, go over them again.
How to Define Eyebrows
Once you’ve trimmed the main body of your eyebrows, you may want to define their contours for a more clean-cut look.
- Apply petroleum jelly or a very strong hair gel to your brows and comb upwardly—the petroleum jelly or gel will hold the hairs in a vertical position.
- Using mustache or straight edge nail scissors, snip off any hairs that poke out above the upper contour. Leave the hairs at the arches a little longer. You may otherwise end up with a bald patch.
- After removing the petroleum jelly or gel, you should be left with perfectly contoured brows.
If your brows are too springy to be held in place with petroleum jelly or hair gel, as mine are, you may have to snip along the contour while pushing the hairs into a vertical position with a comb or finger. Or you could use a spoolie brush, but this doesn’t work for me.
Whatever you do, don’t try to change the shape of your brows. There are no eyebrow trends or fashions for men. The basic shape nature has given you is perfect for your face.
Keeping Eyebrows in Place
The idea of applying lip balm to eyebrows may seem bizarre, but it works well as a pomade to keep everything in place.
Stroke a little balm along your brow and brush or comb into shape. A diagonal upward-outward sweep usually gives the best effect. There are brush and comb tools designed specifically for eyebrows, but a fine-tooth mustache comb and/or a soft toothbrush work equally well. I use my mustache brush for this.
Other options to keep eyebrows in place are hairspray, petroleum jelly, mustache wax and eyebrow gel, but lip balm looks most natural and is a great conditioner: you don’t want to look as though your brows are glued into place.
How to Fix a Unibrow
Plucking a Unibrow
Plucking is the most convenient option if you want to correct a unibrow. Shaving offers an alternative, although this will leave a shadow if you’re dark, and would probably need repeating at least every two days.
Extract hair in the direction of growth using tweezers. To make the procedure less painful, pull the skin taut above the bridge of the nose.
Don’t pluck too far beyond the bridge of the nose at either side, or your brows will be too wide apart and appear unnatural.
As a guide, hold a pencil or similar object vertically from the outer side of the nostril. The spot at which it meets the browbone is where the brow should begin. Do not tweeze beyond this point.
Cold Waxing a Unibrow
Use waxing strips designed specifically for facial hair removal. Due to a larger size, anything else may ruin the shape of your brows. In deciding how much brow to remove, use the same parameter as described above.
To use:
- Warm the strip between your palms for about 20 seconds.
- Peel off its backing and place over the hairs to be removed in the direction of hair growth.
- Holding the skin taut above the bridge of the nose, pull quickly against the direction of growth.
If your brow hairs are coarse, you may need hot wax, which is a different product.
You should work in the same way as above, but you’ll need to heat the wax beforehand. This will be supplied as a separate component in the set.
Source: The Neat and Tidy ManHow to Tint Eyebrows
If you dye a mustache or beard, or the hair of your head to blend out grays, you may want to do the same for your eyebrows.
Or, as I discovered, if you’ve accidentally trimmed your brows too short, dyeing can make them seem more abundant, thus correcting the error.
There is also the possibility of tinted eyebrow gel, which is available in a tube with a spoolie brush. But as a man, I want to be able to touch or rub any part of my face, without worrying that something is going to smudge.
Lash and brow dyes are available in easy-to-use kits for home use. As with dyes for beards and mustaches, or the hair of the head, choose the lightest if unsure between two shades. Having said that, the choice is usually limited to black or brown.
Alternatively, use a beard dye (e.g., Just for Men) or any semi- or demi-permanent dye. A permanent dye could be too harsh for the brow area; I don’t recommend it.
If your brows are graying, apply the dye to the gray areas only. This will give a more natural-looking appearance.
For brows that are not gray, dye only from the bridge of the nose to the arch. Do not dye the tails.
Caution
Handle coloring products with great care, following the enclosed instructions exactly. Should coloring products come into direct contact with the eye, rinse with cold water and consult a medical practitioner immediately.
© 2024, J. Richardson. All rights reserved.
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