We’re all about keeping your brows in tip-top shape, and sometimes that means you need to do some DIY grooming. Whether you’ve gone too long in between appointments or you’re trying to pinch a few pennies, we totally get the need for some at-home brow upkeep. There are upsides to shaping your own brows, but there can easily be just as many downsides. If done incorrectly, things could go south, and fast. Unkempt eyebrows are one thing, but they’re better than no eyebrows.

 

Okay, okay, we don’t want to scare you – plucking your own eyebrows is not going to make them fall off your face. But there are some things you should consider before you try to tweeze, wax, thread, laminate, or color your brows at home (did we miss anything?). Here are some of our biggest do’s and don’ts of at-home brow care:

 

Plucking

We’re starting simple here, because out of all the brow shaping methods out there, plucking is usually the safest. You have complete control over where your tweezers are going, and you have a free hand to hold your skin taught if needed. If you over-pluck, it’s ultimately on you. To avoid this, take a step back every minute or so to look at the whole picture – that way, you’ll be able to see your progress and catch yourself before you tweeze too far. All in moderation, as they say. 

 

Waxing

Moving up the scale of difficulty slightly, waxing will give you a clean, defined brow (if done correctly). It is not without risk though. Since you’re dealing with hot wax around your eye area, you need to be incredibly precise with your placement of the wax. It can also get very messy very quickly, so we usually recommend that you skip the DIY and go straight to a professional for this one. But if you do want to try it yourself, make sure of a few things: don’t use wax that’s too hot, or you’ll end up burning your skin. To avoid over-waxing, map out where you want to wax before you actually place the product. Follow the natural arch of your eyebrow, and don’t try to force a certain shape. Ideally, you’ll save the self-waxing for upkeep, and leave the heavy lifting, regular maintenance stuff to a pro.

 

Threading

Threading, in general, is a great way to shape your brows. It achieves the same clean results as waxing, and is more precise. It’s also much less prep and clean up than waxing, but can be more painful. If you’re going to try threading at home, you might want a brow buddy to help you out. Threading takes both hands, so you have no way of anchoring your skin and holding it taught, which can lead to mishaps and greater pain. Ultimately, we’d recommend leaving threading to a professional, or saving it for touch ups only. 

 

Laminating

So you’re interested in laminating your own brows, oh boy oh boy. We hate to say it, but our biggest tip is: don’t. With all of the products, steps and chemicals involved, unprofessional brow lamination is likely to do more harm than good. The biggest risk here is over-processing your brow hairs. If you can’t make it into a salon, opt for a soap brow or brow gel to get the same fluffy effect in the short term, then schedule a lamination appointment with a pro as soon as you can. Save yourself the trauma.

 

We don’t want to be all negative Nelly here; do-it-yourself brow styling is totally doable, especially once you get some practice in. Remember, it’s important to make sure you have the correct tools, do your research, and have an extra set of hands around if possible. If doing your own brows feels like too much of an undertaking (or you had a mishap that needs fixing asap), we’ve got you. Our books are open and we’re ready to help! Check out our list of brow services here.