Hi, I have white hairs that are starting to appear on my eyebrows. Is it dangerous to dye eyebrow hair, because it might cause blindness? If I pluck them, my eyebrows will appear distorted. Do you advise eyebrow tattoo? What should I do? Please help! —CELO
Before you do anything drastic, like dyeing your brows, plucking them or resorting to eyebrow tattoo, you should know there are many ways to hide your little problem.
Being one to constantly fuss over her brows, I understand how you must be feeling. Our eyebrows not only add definition to the face, they strategically frame and highlight our eyes. Any change, no matter how minor, can make a big difference, so great care must be taken to properly groom and care for them.
Dyeing your eyebrows can be dangerous, especially if you get any of the hair dye in your eyes, so I don’t suggest you do it yourself at home. But if you really want to do it, I know there are some salons that offer this kind of service. And since I just cannot imagine committing to any kind of permanent makeup (it is just more fun to try new and different looks), I don’t suggest you get your brows tattooed.
Anyway, your white hairs are just beginning to grow so maybe you should try safer, less permanent alternatives first.
Luckily, makeup can do wonders to camouflage those white hairs. You have a wide range of eyebrow products to choose from, many of which create that perfect arch, fill in gaps or simply keep your brow hair in place. More importantly, these products can hide your grays, and even change the color of your eyebrows to lighter shades of brown, such as taupe, caramel or sand.
Come to think of it, lighter brows may be a welcome change to you, as it will soften your features and open up your face. Not to mention, it will also make your white hairs less obvious.
Now, I know the usual reaction to applying eyebrow makeup is that you will need to wear a full face of makeup everyday. You really do not have to, unless you want to. Admittedly, some brow products can be a little high maintenance, and require some practice in order to do right. But there are also some great products you can use that require little to no makeup (and it takes only a few seconds to apply).
Let me run you through the best eyebrow products that will help hide your problem, and give your brows great shape and definition.
Eyebrow pencil
This is probably one of the most common and familiar eyebrow products around that most of us know how to use. This is used to fill in sparse areas while giving eyebrows a fuller shape.
What most of us forget, though, is that not all eyebrow pencils are the same. Aside from brand and price, each kind of pencil delivers a different shade or color that may look too harsh or too light depending on its wearer. It is important to try the pencil on your eyebrows to see if it blends with the color of your hair, and test its consistency and texture, as some pencils tend to be too waxy.
Its application is another important consideration, as some pencils glide on thickly while others take more than a few strokes to get some color in.
Remember that eyebrow pencils take practice to draw on right. Always use soft strokes following the growth of your eyebrow hairs. If you have unruly brow hair, use a wand to brush your hair in place before using the pencil. Steer clear of dark shades, like black, deep brown and mahogany, and instead look for lighter shades of brown and dark blond.
Brow powder or kit
If you want softer, less defined eyebrows, you can opt to use brow powder, a matte eye shadow or a brow kit. For this, you will need makeup brushes that will give you more precise application. A stiff eyebrow brush with a flat-angled tip (some brow kits already provide this) and a brow wand are what you need to use these correctly.
Some makeup artists use a darker shade of powder from the middle of the eyebrow until its tail and blend it with a shade that’s lighter from where the eyebrow begins, to produce a softer effect. Choosing which shade to use is, again, worth the extra effort, as you’ll find that some powders that look light on its packaging may actually appear darker when applied on your eyebrows. So don’t skip on these lighter powders as they usually blend well with your natural brow color.
If you haven’t noticed, many makeup brands now carry eyebrow kits that incorporate two to three shades of brow powder you can use to blend, shape and fill in your arched pair. This can be your go-to product for your eyebrow needs, but just remember to try them first.
Eyebrow manicure or gel
To give your eyebrows a finished look, to soften or lighten them and keep them in place, try using a brow manicure or gel. Personally, I like using this product after filling in my eyebrows with brow powder. My brows just look fuller and defined when I combine the two products.
Another thing I’ve learned is that you need to use very little of the product. Directly using the wand applies too much product on the brows, making it look messy and clumpy. Use a clean wand to get a little of the product from its wand and lightly brush it over your brows to distribute the color.
If you want to skip wearing makeup but want to camouflage your white hairs, lightly brush some of the brow manicure on your eyebrows. This works really well to blend your eyebrows into a soft, uniform color.
Good luck, and hopefully you find the eyebrow products to solve your problem.
Got a beauty question? E-mail the author at ask.kellymisa@gmail.com.