Shaving Vs. Tweezing Eyebrows

Tweezing your eyebrows takes longer than shaving.

Many women shave or tweeze their eyebrows to give them shape and prevent overgrowth while enhancing the shape of their eyes. Both techniques can be done at a salon or at home but require different equipment. Understanding how to tweeze your eyebrows versus how to shave them allows you to choose the method you are most comfortable with. The tools needed for either are available at drugstores or beauty supply stores.

Things You'll Need

• Tweezers
• Small personal hair shaver
• Face lotion

Instructions

Tweezing

1. Feel above your eye to find your brow bone. A naturally shaped eyebrow should follow your brow bone. Being familiar with its placement makes shaping your brows easier and faster.

2. Position yourself in front of a magnifying mirror. Handheld and counter-top versions are available, allowing you to pluck where you are most comfortable.

3. Firmly grasp any stray eyebrow hairs with the tweezers and pull them out. These will be the hairs that fall under and above your brow bone. Some women find stray hairs at the outside corner of their brows as well.

4. Apply face cream to your eyebrows. This will soothe any raw areas that develop from pulling out stray hairs.

Shaving

1. Find your natural brow bone. Your eyebrows should follow this curve, which will prevent them from being too thin or too thick.

2. Stand near a mirror. One that magnifies or lights up allows you to see what you are doing, which means a more precise look.

3. Run a mini personal hair shaver above and below your brow bone. This method is less painful than tweezing and can be done more quickly. Go slowly to prevent slipping and shaving eyebrow hairs you want to keep.

4. Put some lotion on the area. If shaving your eyebrows leaves the area itchy, put a small drop of face cream on it to soothe the skin.

Tips & Warnings

• A sharp, angled set of tweezers makes it easier to grab stray hairs.

• Keep the blades of your personal hair shaver sharp for a closer shave and longer lasting results.

• If you make a mistake and remove too much hair or make your eyebrows look too thin, use an eyebrow pencil that mimics the shade of your brows to fill them in and cover up the error until the hair grows back in.

• Keep all your tweezing and shaving equipment clean to prevent an infection if you have an abrasion or blemish on your brow, which could allow bacteria to enter your body.

• For better results, try shaving the larger areas of your eyebrows and then using the tweezers to get any hard-to-reach hairs.

References

• Seventeen: How to Tweeze Your Brows
• The Cosmetics Cop: Eyebrow Shaping and Shading