Sure, there is tweezing and threading, but waxing is one of the most common – and effective – brow grooming methods. The reasons why people prefer it? Waxing is effective, cost-efficient, and accurate. The shape you get with eyebrow waxing is flawless and all tiny hairs are removed perfectly in one go with either hard body waxes or soft waxes, it's up to your wax expert!
If you are new to eyebrow waxing or you're about to have your eyebrow waxing appointment, you're lucky you found this article! We'll walk you through the important things to do – and not do – after eyebrow waxing.
What to Expect During the Eyebrow Wax Appointment: Basic Eyebrow WaxinAny waxing implies a bit of skin irritation. There will be a bit of pain or discomfort when the hair is getting ripped and also a bit of redness after the waxing. Apart from that, the whole eyebrow shaping and waxing service should last around 20 minutes. It is easy and it goes smoothly. Just make sure the esthetician uses all the tools, no double-dipping, and pre-wax, and post-wax products.
Just in case you're new to eyebrow waxing, here's the basic process:
- Cleaning: your esthetician will use an antiseptic pre-depilatory lotion to remove any makeup, dirt, and oil from the brow area.
- Shaping: this is a crucial step where your brow artist will do the correct brow measurements to perfect your shape or completely re-shape your brow according to your facial features. Look at the handy guide to eyebrow measurements and the best eyebrow shape according to face shape in our related post: "What Is the Perfect Eyebrow Shape to Enhance Your Face?"
- Waxing: this is where the hair actually gets removed. The best technique is applying wax the wax at the bottom and on top of the brow in the direction of hair growth in two sections (first the body and then the tail for the brow) and then removing it in the opposite direction. The space between the brows also gets cleaned with the wax, and excess wax bits are touched up with the wax strip. Many estheticians are now using hard body waxes for eyebrow waxing since they are comfortable to use and help achieve a very accurate shape. Once the waxing is done, the brow area gets cleaned once more with a post-depilatory lotion.
- Perfecting: if any stray hairs haven't been removed with the wax, some have broken, or are way out of the wax application area, they will be tweezed out. Another important step in perfecting the brow is trimming the hairs which are too long. For this, the esthetician will brush the brow in the angle of hair growth and trim any length that goes out of the shape.
- Tinting (optional): some wax bars offer this option. Tinting is done with pigments that have short to medium duration, from a week to a month approximately. A soft tint gives the brow more definition and fills in any bald spot.Now that you know what the process will be about, you should also know that your brow waxing is one of the quickest and least complicated ways to groom your brows.
What to Do (And What Not to Do) After Eyebrow Waxing
Eyebrow waxing aftercare is the best way to ensure that your appointment will be worth it. The flawless brows you just got shaped will look good for longer, and your skin will be healthy in the process. Remember that we're dealing with the delicate skin on your face, and any type of waxing brings a bit of skin trauma. Here's the basic eyebrow waxing aftercare.
General Recommendations
- Do not touch your brow area constantly! You could bring bacteria to the area, clogging the pores and increasing the risk of breakouts or infection. Just leave it alone to heal.
- Do not tweeze in between appointments! This is one of the worst things you can do. Instead of keeping the shape clean, you might completely ruin it, losing the growth you had worked so hard to achieve and making your brow artist's job more difficult. Learn more about this topic on "How to Keep Eyebrow Shape After Waxing."
- If you chose to get your brows tinted and they look too dark, don't panic. The intensity of the tint will fade quicker than you think.
- If you notice unusual reactions like lingering irritation/redness, itching, swelling or burning, call your esthetician. They will probably recommend remedies according to the characteristics of your symptoms.
- To refresh and soothe the area at home, you could benefit from an aloe vera gel. Apply it whenever your skin feels a bit sensitive for instant relief.Skincare and Eyebrow Waxing
- We know you probably keep a skincare routine, and those usually include exfoliation, but you cannot exfoliate for at least three days before or after the appointment! Much less if you use products for acne control (they may contain salicylic acid or other ingredients with extra exfoliating power). Warning: if you are on acne medication, you shouldn't even be thinking of waxing at all! You'd have to stop Accutane at least one year prior to any waxing procedure and most other acne medications at least three months prior. Ignoring this might result in disaster: skin may lift, graze, tear, and bruise more easily, leading to injury and possibly scarring.
- Anti-aging creams (retinoids) don't mix with waxing, either because they have a chemical exfoliating action. Stop products with retinoids at least one week prior to and following the procedure.
- Try not to use facial cleansers on the brow area for at least 24 hours after the procedure, unless they are specifically formulated for sensitive skin and it's very necessary. Mind you, no matter how mild they are, they might discolor eyebrow tinting way fasterMakeup and Eyebrow Waxing
- If possible, avoid makeup on the brow area for around 24 hours after waxing. No gels, pencils or shadow on the brow.
- The skin on top of the brow and below it also needs to be clear of makeup, so apply no foundation or other skin makeup on the waxed area. This is to anticipate any overreaction you might experience. Sun Exposure and Eyebrow Waxing
- Do not expose to sunlight before and especially not after the appointment. This can result in sunburn and eventual hyperpigmentation of the area.
- Avoid sunbeds, saunas, and even spray tans. Sunbeds and saunas raise your skin's temperature and make it sensitive, as well as open more your pores. Give your skin at least 48 hours to rest.
- Don't even think of going to the pool or the beach! Chlorinated or saltwater can irritate the sensitive skin on the brow area after waxing.
- If you thought self-tanners are a good idea just because you 'll avoid sun exposure, think again. Avoid this type of product around three days after your waxing – and before, as well. Once the three-day period expires, you can use a self-tanner, but if you got your brows tinted, protect the brow area and the hairline to avoid discoloration.
Hopefully, we helped you get a better idea of how to take care of that eyebrow waxing. We bet you'll have fierce-looking brows for longer and keep your skin super healthy all the while. Apart from giving you excellent advice, your esthetician will also give you quality care with professional waxes like those in Beauty Image's signature lines. Licensed estheticians can call TOLL FREE 888-513-8815 or fill out the contact form on this website to learn more about our products or subscribe to our newsletter to get our news right to their inbox.
If you found this article helpful then let us know in the comments section below. Likewise, feel free to share it using the share options below. Want us to cover another topic of your interest pertaining to hair removal products? If so, then like us and follow us on social media, and post to any of our social media profiles the topic you'd like us to discuss: Facebook @BeautyImageUSA, Twitter @BeautyImageUSA and Instagram @beautyimageusa
