About Fake Eyebrows

The eyebrows frame the eye, give emphasis to your facial expressions, and add to the appearance of alertness, health and well being. Without full, healthy eyebrows, you may look tired and older than your real age. People who lose all or part of their natural eyebrows often seek natural looking replacements.

Significance

When people lose their eyebrows for medical reasons, lose pigment in their brows or just have naturally sparse brows, they can be very self conscious and even psychologically devastated. To have a normal, healthy appearance in daily life, they need natural looking fake eyebrows. Actors and people who wear costumes or disguises may also need fake brows. Professional make-up people use fake eyebrows to experiment and see how different brow shapes look.

Function

Medical treatments like chemotherapy or sometimes even anesthesia can cause loss of eyebrows. So can Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss in millions of people. Other causes are burns and injuries, stress and poor nutrition. Overzealous plucking of eyebrows can retard and eventually slow hair growth. Although eyebrows may grow back in a few months, they may not. And in the meantime, it is good to have a natural looking alternative.

Identification

Fake eyebrows can restore confidence

Fortunately, fake eyebrows made from real human hair are available for less than $50 a pair. High quality fake eyebrows have individually placed hairs that mimic the look, feel and fullness of a real eyebrow. In other words, not a Groucho Marx look. The brows should be sturdy and handmade (see resources below).
Brows are available in colors ranging from blond to black, with brown shades in between. If you are brunette, choose a brow color that is about two shades lighter than your hair, If you have light blond or gray hair, go with brows that are approximately two shades darker.

Comparison

Look closely and you can see the net backing

Formerly, some fake eyebrows were constructed on net, with the hairs being secured between the net grid holes, something like the backing of a rug. The problem was that if any part of the backing became visible, one could see that the brows were artificial. As an alternative, fake eyebrows are available on flesh-colored backing. This is an improvement over net, but at close range it can still be obvious that the backing is not really flesh because it can never be an exact match. The best choice is a full fake eyebrow on an invisible backing.

Placement

Fake eyebrows need to be applied along the brow bone. If you drew a line up from the outer edge of your nostril, that is where the full part of the brow should begin. The arch should be over the edge of the iris of your eye, which is the colored part. The eyebrow should be just a bit longer than the corner of your eye and should not extend into the temple area.

Shaping the Eyebrow

In choosing a shape for your fake eyebrow, remember that an extreme arch will give you an unnatural look of surprise. A natural, graceful curve looks best. One helpful way to decide on an eyebrow shape is to buy a package of eyebrow stencils. Choose from three or four subtly different styles and pencil in the shape you want before applying the fake eyebrow. Some beauty websites provide printable eyebrow stencils. You can trim the fake eyebrow to the shape you prefer, but only a little at a time.

Application

The Nu-Brow brand has an "RR" mark on their package which stands for removable and reusable. These brows bond quickly to the skin with a special adhesive you apply. They simply peel off, and the adhesive can be removed. Next time you wear them, you reapply the adhesive. Other fake eyebrows are self-adhesive with a peel and crack backing. If these become less adhesive over repeated use, you can always use a special adhesive as well. Brows and adhesive glue are available online, as well as at theatrical costume shops.

Resources

• Causes
• Fake eyebrows available to buy
• Eyebrow stencils