Brow Rehab: Seven Tips to Growing Back Better Brows.
Hello from the other side. Kristie Streicher' client Adele’s transformed her brows.
If growing out bangs is a headache, then growing out over-plucked eyebrows surely qualifies as a full-on migraine. Eyebrow rehab—truly allowing the brows of your youth a chance to return—can take up to six months depending on your genetically predetermined hair growth cycle, and that awkward in-between phase, when recalcitrant hairs sprout out at odd angles, is when many of us fall off the wagon. While there’s no shortage of pencils and powders on the market to help fake fuller brows, here are seven tips to help you make it through the real deal.
1) Have patience. Hair follicles all over our bodies are constantly cycling through various phases characterized by periods of growth (anagen), transition (catagen), and rest (telogen). Eyebrow hair has a relatively short anagen phase (the phase where the hair is growing) of approximately 30 to 45 days.
Catagen is a short transition stage that occurs at the end of the anagen phase. During this stage the hair is cut off from its blood supply and the cells that produce new hairs, growth stops and the hair follicle shrinks. If a hair is plucked during this phase, it won't start growing back until the phase has run its course again (think another two to three weeks).
Finally, comes the telogen, or the resting phase. During this time(around two to four months) the hair does not grow and remains inactive. At the end of the telogen phase, the hair follicle re-enters the anagen phase and a new hair begins to form. Add all these stages together, it can take around four to six months for your brows to fully grow back.
2) Put down the tweezers says brow guru Kristie Streicher, who advocates no plucking, waxing or threading for those whole four months.
While initially you may see hair growth closer to your eyelid, rather than the brow line, Streicher promises regrowth will eventually start to move closer to the brow line. “It is also very common for one brow to grow faster than the other,” Streicher adds. “Eyebrows grow at different rates, so the first one may sprout more hair initially, but the growth will catch up on the other side.”
But whatever you do, she says, do not tweeze. “Every hair counts! Even plucking one stray hair sends a signal to the surrounding hairs not to grow and messes with your hair’s growth cycle.”
3) Exfoliate your brows. Every time you exfoliate your face, spend an extra 20 to 30 seconds massaging the exfoliator in circular motions around the brow area to slough away dead skin cells, prevent ingrown hairs and encourage hair growth. We like SkinMedica’s AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser.
4) Apply Rbrow every morning and evening. Formulated with castor oil (one of the most effect remedies for hair growth and a great source of omega-6 fatty acids, it enhanced the health of the hair follicles, promotes hair growth and prevents hair loss), coffee seed oil (research in the British Journal of Dermatology found it enhances hair shaft elongation, stimulates hair matrix keratinocyte proliferation and prolongs anagen duration), and Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1 (which helps brows appear longer, fuller and stronger by promoting hair bulb keratinocyte proliferation and ensuring optimal hair anchorage).
5) Use concealer to cover the initial outgrowth and hide any unsightly stubble. We like RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up, a creamy, flexible, buildable formula that uses auto-adjusting minerals to cover with pigment rather than weight and never dries out or settles in pores. Available in 16 shades, and free of harmful chemicals and preservatives.
6) Use a brow pencil to fill in the gaps and define the shape you are aiming for. We love the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil. Available in nine shades, this mechanical brow pencil has a triangular-shaped tip that combines the benefits of powder, pencil, and wax to fill brows and is free of parabens, phthalates, and triclosan.
7)See a brow therapist. Once you hit the 16 week mark (and before picking up those tweezers again), treat yourself to a virtual appointment with a brow expert like Jimena Garcia who will give you an online lesson in brow care, maintaining shape, and tinting to keep your hard won, rehabbed brows in good shape going forward.