Anxiety is understandably high right now, and even the smallest thing can feasibly tip you over the edge – like thinking about your eyebrows.
Many of us are reliant on regular salon trips to keep our brows in check, but because of restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak, are now worrying about how to take care of them at home.
Unruly brows might seem like a small problem compared to what’s going on more widely, but giving yours a bit of TLC is a brilliant opportunity for a moment of self-care and mood-boosting.
There’s no shame in a bit of pampering either – particularly if you find yourself holed up inside with more time on your hands. If you’re used to getting a professional to tend your brows, now’s the time to learn how to do it yourself.
On the flipside, if you've been meaning to grow out your eyebrows, now’s the perfect chance, as you can weather the awkward patchy phase in private, at home.
Kirsten Maine, from beauty salon Live True London, shares her top tips on caring for your own eyebrows…
To start with, dealing with your eyebrows will mean touching your face, so in light of the current crisis, Maine says to "make sure you wash your hands before and after your eyebrow care routine."
Also, "do let them grow out a bit longer than usual," she notes, "so you can see their natural shape and make them into a fabulously strong facial feature."
Now you can begin.
First, Maine recommends you: "Brush your eyebrow hairs upwards with a brush and trim only the very longest hairs." For the salon-quality look, you’ll need the proper tools.
"Use eyebrow scissors – this is not the time to improvise with kitchen utensils, which are far too dangerous to put anywhere near your face," she explains.
Next, the pampering comes in: "Find your favourite facial serum or oil and massage it gently into the brow bone area," says Maine. "This will help with sensitivity by lubricating your skin, and help prevent hairs from breaking when they are plucked."
Once you’ve taken these necessary steps, you’re ready to start plucking – but not before you clean your tweezers properly.
It’s a good idea to do your brows in the middle of the day, finding an area in front of the mirror with good daylight so you can see everything you’re doing. Maine’s top tips are to "only tweeze the stray hairs" and "pluck in the direction of hair growth and hold you skin taut if you can."
Start between your brows, before gradually moving to under the arch and finishing up beyond the end of the tail. Instead of getting it all over with as quickly as possible, Maine recommends you "regularly step back from the mirror" to "get perspective of the shape you are building".
And remember, less is more. It’s much easier to pluck more out if you really need to, than grow hairs back where you over-plucked.
Finally, Maine says: "Gently massage the brow bone area to promote skin circulation and reduce any potential redness in the area. If you have aloe vera gel, a tiny bit of this will nicely soothe the skin."
There you have it – a salon quality brow treatment, all from the comfort of your own home.
