I meant to add, how do you deal with your eyebrows?

(sorry about the mess-ups above!)

Do you have a magnifying mirror? I can't live without mine! I can see everything. And some stuff I would prefer not to see.

Our Bed, Bath and Beyond has them displayed so you can see which magnification and size works best. Between the magnification and the store florescent lights, well, be prepared.

I'm nearly 50 - have LOTS of gray on my head, which seems to be winning the fight with my monthly at home dye. I have a few grays in my brows and do occasionally slap some dye on them when I am doing my hair.

I have actually been using a brow growth serum. My brows are thin at the ends and over plucked (too short) in the inner corner. It seems to be working slightly. Thicker (not bushy) brows do seem to make me look a bit younger.

If a magnifying mirror doesn't help, I'm sure they do brows where you get your hair cut.

Have mine waxed at the salon when necessary. My right eyebrow has a spot which has turned gray. Freaky, but I just deal with it. To even them out, and attain a "finished" look, I use brow gel in light brown. Right now I am using the Revlon's Brow Fantasy #2 which matches my natural haircolor. If color isn't an issue, buy clear brow gel just to shape them.

Due to a bit of a language barrier, I always make it crystal clear to the Vietnamese tech that I want them shaped, clean up the strays, but DO NOT make them thinner. Cautionary tale from just asking for shaping. I notice that the girls who work in the salon have very thin brows. Two years ago I had the misfortune of assuming that the esthician knew not to thin them. No, she waxed them to the same thickness as her own. Thankfully, they did grow in to their former thickness.

One drug store brand company sells a brow powder to use if you have very thin brows or spots where the hair is missing. Use the small stiff brush w/brow powder to fill in a little bit, and then finish with the brow gel to even it all out and make the products stay where you apply them.

HTH

Oh dear, you are all scaring me. I'm 46 and haven't had the experience yet of thinning or graying eyebrows, but I guess that's in my future. Anyway, until then... all I do is have them shaped (not thin, just "cleaned up") usually at the nail salon I go to. I usually only have it done every couple of months, and pluck a few myself (yes, with the magnifying mirror) myself in between appointments.

I guess I should consider myself lucky at 73 to have bunches of brows, they haven't greyed at this point although I have enough grey in my locks, colored!! I pluck the strays but don't thin them too much....I would like to get a nice shaping by a professional but haven't. Mirror, mirror on the counter......I have a 2 sided one, one side is magn. and other side is reg. and works just fine when I sit at my kitchen counter to operate!! Mirror is a round one that's about 9" across and swivels, places like Walmart, Sallys and Walgreens have a good variety and they aren't too expensive, I couldn't live without mine for up close work. Good Luck!

Try threading. I had it done in a salon (not the mall, lol). Stung for second or two, but I was pleased with the end result.

I always read in magazines that you shouldn't use a very powerful magnifying mirror because many people tend to over-groom when using one. What you can see in the mirror cannot be seen by the naked eye (well duh, that's why you use the mirror)so you might pluck too much.

I do use a strong magnifying mirror because I couldn't see to do it without one. But I keep the over-grooming thing in mind and check in a regular mirror in good light frequently. I've never had very thick brows and they only require a little maintenance on my part.

My suggestion or warning is to BE CAREFUL when using a magnifying mirror.

How dark is your hair? I don't know if gel or powder will do much for graying brows.

In general I wanted to mention I've been using regular hair gel on my brows since I was about 15. If I don't, they somehow end up all over the place. Nothing like having my pic taken and my eyebrow is messed up, lol. Keeps them neat and doesn't look wet or stiff.

Thank you all for your responses. I learned something from everyone! Shee, my haircolor is dark blonde so the white hairs in my brows don't contrast as much as they would in someone with dark brows- I think they even make my brows look sparser. But I get a lot of strays.

The Revlon #2 brown brow gel totally covers the grey in my one semi-grey brow. I use it on both brows to make everything look uniform. Best of all, the brow gel washes off when I wash my face at night. While, I need to apply it daily, it works perfectly for me.

I would be careful with permanent/semi-permanent professional coloring. If the color isn't right, or worse, if it turns out too dark, you are pretty much stuck with it until it fades out.

Here are my questions for those who have their brows waxed or threaded: Since you have to wait at least six weeks between applications, don't you look rather stubbly in a week or two, and downright shaggy in weeks 4, 5 and 6?

I'm 63, have medium-heavy dark brows that I've been plucking since I was 12. I spend less than 90 seconds every few mornings before my magnifying mirror, plucking the strays from under the arches (and, ahem, these days from my chin as well)! I can't imagine what I would look like if I waited to be waxed. My hairdresser is always telling me that I would love the look of the waxing she would do, but I'd have to let them grow out for 6 weeks first and have the waxing done every five or six weeks thereafter! How is that a lovely look? I'd look like the wolfman! She doesn't even know about my chin because I am well-groomed in the stubble department.

Two of my daughters - professional women still in their twenties - have theirs waxed every five or six weeks, and I wish they'd just buy a pair of tweezers. Those last few weeks, man, well, I won't go on about it....but they have stubble and shag for longer than they have nice brows. They even schedule their waxings for just before big events so they'll be "clean" for the big days. Even my hairdresser herself, who has very nice, thin brows, has visible stubble and shag when my appointments with her fall in the week before she has hers waxed. Plus, she waxes her upper lip and often has rather thick blonde fur that I don't think is her most attractive asset. She's in her late 40s, thin, blonde and cute as the dickens, except for that furry mustache!

And, it ain't cheap, either. Where we live, it costs $20-25 plus tip. That's $250 to $300 a year to look good only half the time! I just don't get it!

Oh, I forgot a tip I got from a makeup counter girl. I had over tweezed the inner corner of my brows a bit, in a hurry & not paying close attention, and it was taking forever to grow back! My brows are jet black (but do get stray gray or white hair). I don't care for this method much, less is best as far as makeup and I are concerned. So it was an impulse buy that never gets used now.

Anyway, I want to say it was Bobbi Brown makeup, but other lines probably have it too. There's a clear light wax you brush on in the area you want to fill in. Then you take shadow and softy brush it over the wax. The girl gave me a deep smoky taupe, which I thought was odd given my very dark brows, but once on it did blend well.

To apply the wax you use a small chisel brush, 1/4" wide or so. She told me to lightly dab tips of bristles in wax. Then do a very controlled 'pounce', lightly applying wax onto brow area. Chisel brush is held so short, blunt end of bristles is nearest your eyes and pointed chisel tip is directed toward forehead. (IOW the short blunt end of the brush creates the brow 'root' area and chisel tip creates feathered brow 'tips'.) You really don't move the base of the brush much at all. Just do very subtle angle turns with the chiseled tip, like natural brows would do. Hope that makes sense, I had to have her show me twice ;) It's important tho, and less is more with wax, because wherever wax is that's where powder will grab. You can wipe it off, but it messes things up. If you're doing inner or outer corners you sort of have to create an imaginary space to fill in. While you're letting the wax 'rest' for a quick minute, dab the brush or wipe gently on a tissue or paper towel to get any remaining wax off bristles. Then you get some powder shadow on bristles & apply over wax, in same manner (light pounce). Takes practice, but it's not hard once you get the hang of it. (This from someone who doesn't like to fuss lot when it comes to makeup.) To my eye this method doesn't look as defined or emphasized as an eyebrow pencil. It's more muted and matte due to the powdered shadow. Might be worth a try.

Sherrman, how interesting. That's why I do all plucking and grooming myself...I could never let anything grow out enough to be waxed, lasered or electrolysized away.

I ran into a friend yesterday at the grocery store and the first thing I noticed about her was her visible mustache. It was shaven clean, however, she had a dark mustache line- from stubble? Whatever it was, it was vastly noticeable.
She should have done whatever was necessary to get rid of that look and if that meant letting it grow out for a week and hibernating from public eye in order to have electrolysis- so be it.

The only celebrity I have ever envied: Cher.
She had all the hair on her legs electrolysized off. It took 2 years.
It's probably common as dirt now among celebs, but years ago it was news.

I agree with Sherrman. I really don't find it difficult or time consuming to keep my eyebrows shaped. I could see having it professionally done once to get the correct shape. I do have a few grays in them now, fortunately most of the gray brow hairs are ones that should be plucked anyway, and the lighter color is less noticeable than my brown strays. I did start using a bit of brow color a couple of years ago. I used to just use a bit of matte brown shadow with a small brush, but that would sometimes smudge a bit. I have been using Clinique's brow powder for about a year now. It apparently is mixed with some kind of wax that keeps it in place.

Another one that plucks and grooms my eyebrows myself. My eyebrows are nearly invisible because they are gray, white -- and my hair is currently blonde. When I fail to do (pencil in some color) my eyebrows -- my face seems very old and very washed-out ....

I do stand up very close to one mirror hanging on the wall in our bathroom -- and then check the results in a magnifying mirror on the counter too.

I use an old toothbrush to brush the brows back and forth -- and then make sure to tweeze out only stray hairs.

The MOST important tip I have is to make sure that the line of your eyebrow continues slightly down toward the outer tip of your eye -- don't make the brow line too short!! I've read about this tip for YEARS ((the first time was in the 60s in my sister's "Seventeen" magazine LOL!)) ... and now ... at my age ... it has made a HUGE difference!! :)

And I use several brow pencils that I found VERY cheap at Sally Beauty Supply. The colors range from lightest brown to a medium brown.

To color the eyebrows -- I lay the pencil flat and VERY VERY lightly run it along the hairs. Then I check them again -- and may color a few more in a different shade.

To finish up -- I brush them again with the old toothbrush.

I am pretty lucky in one way and not so much in another . . .

My eyebrows (and hair) are very dark. I've not had any white or grey hairs in my brow, but do have greying at the temples, areas along my hairline, etc. I use a rinse to cover those. I've never had to do much to my brows - just a few strays here and there, really not enough to justify waxing, etc. That's the lucky part. The not-so-lucky is that for several years (and I'm yet to see 50!) my brows have been thinning and looking shorter because it's the outer ends that thin. My doctor even did some additional thyroid tests - apparently losing brow hair or thinning of brows can be a symptom of some thryoid disorder. Nope, everything is fine. I have to use a pencil and/or powder to extend my brows just a bit and sometimes I will need to fill in the rest of the brow a bit. The funny thing is I get compliments on my brows. Maybe they look more "defined", but I'd like them to grow back!

I'd like to know what brand of brown thickener/grower you use Dee? Thanks in advance!

It's funny that I have a head full of THICK hair but arms, legs, face, etc. I have little problem.

Oooh Moon, I need to check that wax/powder out also!

tina

Forgot to mention laser hair removal is an option and it's permanent!

My friend had a kidney transplant several years ago. Due to anti-rejection meds she takes, she has developed some facial hair. Not really noticeable because the hairs are so light in color, but still, it bothered her. She went to a salon that works under a local plastic surgeon and had laser hair removal. It was surprisingly lower in cost that we thought! She had 2 or 3 treatments and then 6 months from the last treatment she will have a final treatment. A slight sting while they did the treatment, but no redness or down time afterwards. If the sting bothers you (it didn't her) they will use a numbing creme.

tina

Tina, I thought laser only worked on dark hairs.

Apparently not. I don't know much about it - other than what my friend experienced.

tina

Okay - I had not heard that so had to look it up. This is from some laser hair removal site:

Hair Color

The second factor that helps to determine the outcome of you laser hair removal procedure is the color if the hair to be treated. Let�s take a look at each hair color type and the result it is most likely to produce.

Dark hair - Dark hair, such as black or dark brown, is going to be the easiest to treat because it contains the most pigmentation which allows the laser light to be absorbed to a greater extent. Also, dark hair tends to be more coarse which will produce a better result.

Medium hair - This is most often light or medium brown hair. This hair type is going to be easier to treat than lighter hair colors, but may require more procedures than candidates with very dark brown or black hair. Also, not all medium hair is also coarse, some can be very fine and thin, so it goes without saying that those with coarse medium hair will produce better and quicker results than those with fine medium hair.

Light hair - There are many varying degrees of light hair, more than any other hair type. Overall, light hair is the most difficult to treat and will require more time, money, and procedures than candidates with other hair color types. The easiest to treat would be dark or medium blonde hair, with light blonde and red hair both being the hardest to treat. This is because they contain phemelianin pigment which makes them less able to absorb the laser light.

White or grey hair - It may be almost impossible to treat those with grey or white hair. It contains no pigmentation and therefore can not absorb the laser light enough to heat the hair follicle.

--------------------------

Maybe the number of treatments has something to do with the hair color?

tina

unfortunately, laser only kills the current hairs/folicles... the body will grow new hairs- especially on the face as we age(but even in the bikini area)... so, even though most of the hair will be taken care of, most likely even with laser, you'll need to go in for periodic touch-ups.

I think busy is right. My friend has been having laser treatments for hair removal for a good 3 years on and off, and she still isn't done. I had similar treatments for sun spots and acne scarring, and it helped, but as soon as I stopped (and got the tiniest bit of sun exposure) all the spots came right back!