Help for Coarse Eyebrows

Styling products can help coarse hairs to lie flat.

Eyebrows can be an important facial feature, as they often frame the face and eyes. When hairs are coarse they can curl or stray, creating an undesirable brow line. Women can have unruly eyebrows due to hair texture or mature age. The proper tools can help make grooming easier and allow a woman uncover her brow's best shape. Once brows are manicured, styling products help fill in the gaps and coax coarse strands into submission.

Precision Tools

When working with coarse brows, one of the most important tools is a “spoolie” — a cosmetic utensil that resembles a mascara brush. The wiry brush can help coax individual coarse hairs to fall in line. Other indispensable tools include a pair of brow scissors, which are sharp sheers with a short blade, and a pair of slanted tweezers. Also, a white or light-colored eyebrow pencil can be used to draw the desired shape around the brows, helping to highlight the coarse strands that need to be cut or trimmed.

Plotting the Trimming Course

When it comes to bushy brows it can sometimes be difficult to ascertain where the brow should start and stop. Use a pencil, aligning it alongside the nose, vertically toward the eyebrow, which will pinpoint where the brow should start. Slant the pencil, allowing it to fall through the iris and it will point to the place the eyebrow should arch. Next, turn the pencil, aligning it toward the outer edge the eye. Where the pencil meets the eyebrow is where the brow’s tail should stop.

Shaping Techniques

Shaping coarse brows after a shower or application of a hot washcloth to the face can help the hairs to be more manageable, according to Alfred Fornay's "The African-American Woman's Guide to Successful Make-up and Skin Care." Brush the brows upward with the spoolie so that the natural brow line is more visible. Trim any wiry twists and turns the individual strands might make along the top of the brow. Then, use the pencil measurements as a guide to mark the brow’s beginning, arch and tail with a white eyebrow pencil. If a gal is insecure about the shape, she can outline the entire brows. Once satisfied, pluck any coarse hairs outside the outline.

Eyebrow Products

Once coarse eyebrows have been trimmed and shaped, a styling product can help them to stay in line. Clear brow gel — a mascara-like product that resembles hair gel in consistency and function — can slick the brows and help them to stay in place. For women whose eyebrows have thinned out after trimming, spaces between coarse hairs can be filled in with eyebrow powder or a hard natural color eyebrow pencil.

References

• “Allure”: Groomed Brows: The 15-minute Face Changer; Heather Muir; July 25, 2011
• “Woman’s Day”: Picture-Perfect Eyebrows; Brynn Mannino; March 13, 2009
• “The African-American woman's Guide to Successful Make-up and Skin care”; Alfred Fornay; 1998
• “Prevention”: Don't Let Your Brows Age You; Elizabeth Brous
• “Bobbi Brown Beauty Rules: Fabulous Looks, Beauty Essentials, and Life”; Bobbi Brown, Rebecca Paley, Ondrea Barbe; 2010