The Eyes Have It

On a recent trip to the mall I decided to get my eyebrows waxed and found a new store that advertised “threading.” Since it cost a few dollars less than what I had planned to pay for waxing, I decided to try it out and save some money. My results were amazing!

Tweezing

I would have to say that by far, tweezing is the most economical way to trim your eyebrows. Other than the cost of tweezers, all it takes is some time. Many people have no trouble with tweezing; however, my eyes water so bad that I can’t see. Now, since I had such a hard time tweezing, I have asked around for some tips that have enabled me to tweeze without the unbearable pain, or the bleeding that I always had due to sensitive skin.

1. Soften the hair first with some hair conditioner.
2. Tweeze after a hot shower or use a hot cloth for 5 minutes to help open pores so the hair will be easier to remove.
3. If the pain is too much, use some baby orajel or other tooth numbing product on the area before plucking.
4. Always pluck in the direction of hair growth.
5. To close the pores after plucking, apply warm petroleum jelly.

If you choose to pluck at home, also keep these tips in mind:

• Use a magnified mirror your first few times if possible. This will help you to really see which hairs need plucked and which ones to leave alone.

• The highest point of the arch should be diagonal from the outer corner of your eye.

• The start of the brow (inside) should line up above the inner corner of the eye.

• In this case, less isn’t more. Pluck one hair at a time to avoid over-plucking. Too thin brows take a long time to grow out.

• Always follow the natural shape of the brow. Don’t pluck above the brow – just pluck the stray hairs underneath and on the side the brow.

Waxing

Those who are avid fans of waxing boast about how long this treatment lasts (usually 3–8 weeks). And, while I admit that it does last a while, it also has drawbacks. Waxing takes off a lot of hair at once. We’ve all at one point or another had a band-aid that needed to come off. Some people peel it off slowly to try to lessen the pain, while others rip it off to get the pain over with. Waxing is more like the latter. With waxing, it can also take off the top layer of skin, and in my case I always bleed when I have my eyebrows waxed. Usually the redness lasts around a day or so (possibly longer for people with sensitive skin). With waxing there are many different kinds of wax, some of which can cause skin irritation.

I personally have not waxed my own eyebrows. Usually if you go to a salon to have it done it costs $15 or less, and by doing this, you have someone who does it all the time and is accustomed to shaping brows and using the wax. However, for those of you who want to try it at home, there are several options for you. You can use a hot wax. This method is best if you are going to have someone else help you. Or, if you have the patience to try it, use wax strips (often referred to as cold wax). I have used them several times, and although it takes some time (and a little pain), it does not affect my skin as negatively as hot wax does. Another plus for this method is that it is a lot less mess than the hot wax and is more economical at around $6 and usually has enough product to wax twice depending on how much product you use.

Threading

This did hurt. However, for me, it was not as bad as waxing, and I didn’t bleed afterward. This technique uses sewing thread to pull the hair out. This cost me $8, which I feel was worth it. My eyebrows looked great, there was no bleeding and only slight redness, and it lasted for 3 weeks. The great thing is that I have found a video how-to that really seems to help. I do recommend, however, that if you decide to try this yourself, practice with the thread for a while before doing it on yourself. Try it out on other unwanted hair first (like before shaving), just to practice. If you practice and are able to do it at home, this method would be about as cheap (or cheaper) than tweezing because all it takes is about 2 feet of thread each time you do it. However, for the price of doing it at a salon, I would recommend having a professional do it, at least at first.

Home Tweeze

If you decide to do any of these methods yourself, there are some things you can do to help ensure that you don’t take off too much hair. It’s far better to take off too little at a time than to take off too much! Use an eyebrow pencil to color what hair you want left. Then only remove the hair around it. Take your time. Trust me, through my own trial and error, I have been that girl who took off too much of my eyebrow and had to let them grow back and start over. And always…always remember that beauty is really what is inside (Proverbs 31:30).

By Sarah J. Ancheta