Eyebrow waxing: what shape? what technique? at home or in an institute?

Plucking your eyebrows is an art. They structure the look and can completely change a face. This is why some are so attached to maintaining them, even to restructuring them. Advice from Amélie, beautician and beauty salon manager Studio by Amelie (Paris), for hair removal!

“To draw the perfect eyebrows, we base ourselves on the morphology of each person’s face. We take into account the capillary implantation, the natural implantation of the eyebrows, the shape of the eyes, but also the gap between the two eyes“, explains the expert. Anyway, do not hesitate to insist on your preferences, the beauticians will always draw the desired shape with the help of a pencil before tackle your hair. Once the eyebrow line is defined, all that remains is to pluck.

The ideal size of the eyebrows depends on a multitude of factors. But the technique of brow mapping allows you to quickly draw a first base: first place a pencil vertically, against the wing of the nose, to determine the beginning of the eyebrow (the head of the eyebrow). The hairs that protrude between the eyebrows must be eradicated. To define the arch of the eyebrow, place the pencil from the nostril and we follow the diagonal which is drawn when we aim at the middle of the iris. We finally move the pencil to the level of the outer corner of the nostril and we follow the diagonal that is drawn to the outer corner of the eye. Epilate superfluous hair, they may weigh down the look.

Be careful, however, not to stray too far from the natural shape of your eyebrows, this may complicate the upkeep and maintenance of symmetry. “A person with big eyes and a large forehead can carry a slightly thick eyebrow in a circumflex accent. But for a person who has a small forehead and a low hairline, we prefer a slightly thinner eyebrow”, specifies Amélie. Also, avoid leaving more than a centimeter and a half between your eyebrows: too much spacing can emphasize the thickness of the nose.

There are several methods to achieve flawless eyebrows. All require meticulousness and patience, because a wrong move can happen quickly, and a badly plucked eyebrow is not always easy to correct. What are their advantages and disadvantages?

Tweezing is the most popular technique for taking care of your eyebrows. It is simple, gentle and inexpensive: “We epilate the hairs one by one, which avoids breaking them and allows the bulb to be removed (thus the regrowth is slower). It is the most precise technique and the most respectful for the skin.“, says Amélie.

• To avoid the ingrown hairswe think of disinfecting the area to be depilated and the tweezers before starting.
• To avoid pinching your skin, pull it taut when epilating.
• Better to give preference to slant jaw pliers for very short and fine hairs. Crab-bit tweezers are ideal for thick and long hair. Finally, if flat-jawed tweezers adapt to all hairs, they are less effective.

We avoid the razor on this part of the face. Not only the risk of cuts is important (not to mention that the skin of the arch and the eyelid is very thin and bleeds very easily), but the regrowth will be the fastest.

Threading is becoming more and more popular. This technique consists of wedging the hairs between two threads and pulling them out at the root. It does not pull on the skin and does not traumatize it. Moreover, it has the advantage of allow multiple hairs to be pulled out at once. In fact, it can be painful at first, then become almost painless over time. “The thread tends to break the hair“, warns Amélie, who prefers tweezers.

Waxing (cold or hot) is the most classic technique, but it is also one of the least recommended by professionals. “Waxing is a quick method, but it is a little less precise, attacks the skin (which loses its elasticity) and risks breaking the hairs”, confirms Amélie. Another disadvantage, and not the least, by dint of being sensitized, the skin is more prone to fine lines. If you still want to use this technique, remember to choose a wax different from the one you use for your legs or your armpits.

This technique, similar to the laser, allows permanent hair removal of the eyebrows. It must be carried out in an institute, by qualified practitioners. Concretely, they use a device emits intense flashes of lightcausing the melanin to rise in temperature and the hair to fall out on its own, which regrows more slowly.

hair removal pulsed light is not trivial and requires special qualification, the eyes being particularly vulnerable to heat. This is why some Protective glasses will be provided to you at the start of the session.

“If you opt for this technique, it is better to reserve some room for maneuver, warns Amélie. Tastes and fashions change ; if you refine your eyebrow a little too much, there will be no turning back”.

In institute, you can choose the moment that suits you the best, the professionals will know how to adapt.

At home, it is better to pluck your eyebrows when you get out of the shower. Why that ? Simply because your pores are dilated by heat and humidity, which facilitates their extraction.

• Always take care to be well lit when waxing. Ideally bet on daylight and stand in front of a large mirror in which you can fully see yourself.
• As in the institute, remember to use a thin eyebrow pencil to draw the shape of the eyebrows you want to get before waxing them.
• When waxing, stretch your skin as much as possible to avoid pinching it by mistake.
• If you use tweezers, be sure to grab the hairs at the rootto prevent them from breaking.
• Finally, whether you chose wax or tweezers, remember to pull them in the direction of the hair. Each hair is connected to a blood vessel which keeps it healthy and allows it to grow back properly. Plucking the hair the wrong way (i.e. against the direction of the hair growth) can lead to a rupture with this blood vessel.
• Once the hair removal session is finished, brush your eyebrows back into place. If necessary, you can make small adjustments.
• Remember that whatever technique is used, your skin will probably be sensitized and reddened. If this bothers you, plan to tweeze your eyebrows a few hours before going outdoors. Also feel free to apply a cream to soothe the area.