Depending on the look and style you are striving for, the alignment and shaping of your eyebrows has a direct impact on your self image. Improper shaping of the brows can leave a noticeably unbalanced look or unwanted expression to your face, whereas proper shaping of brows gives your face a more polished and balanced look. For this reason, eyebrow shaping should be considered top priority for facial balance.
There are many aspects to consider when shaping brows, such as length, depth, shape, colour, and skin sensitivity. Before any brow shaping procedure, skin preparation steps should be followed, such as cleansing of skin, and disinfection of tweezers. Proper preparation steps ensure protection from any infections or skin irritations. There are various methods in shaping brows. Laser methods, stringing are some methods used, however the most common method still being: Waxing.
Wax comes in a variety of forms such as cold wax, heated wax, sugar wax, sensitive skin wax, colourful wax, honey wax, etc. To keep the choice simple, opt for sensitive skin wax, as this is the most logical choice concerning the eye area. Warm wax applications also give best results, as warming of the wax aids in removing the sometimes stubborn stubs of hair. Dusting a little talc powder before applying wax helps in the ease of wax removal. Warm wax is traditionally removed from the skin using a cloth or muslin strip, then gently removed opposite the direction of hair growth. At no time should warmed wax be hot when applied to the skin, the wax should be applied with the direction of hair growth, and the strip should always be pulled in the opposite direction of the hair growth. Pulling the strip upward can also cause skin trauma and pain, the strip should be pulled closer to the surface. Waxing can cause some mild pain, however, following proper applications can help ease the experience, and for waxing chickens, pre-numbing spray is made available. After waxing, applying a soothing after-care lotion is recommended, such as aloe vera lotions or zinc creams, most at home waxing kits provide some type of aftercare solution.
So, how do your eyebrows measure up in the alignment department? Grab a pencil, ruler, or even a coffee stir stick and a mirror, and see for yourself. When considering the shape and alignment of your eyebrows, take a good look at your eyebrows in the mirror and follow these tips.
1. Starting at the inner points of your brows, located above the inner corner of the eye, Use your measuring tool and hold it up along the bridge of the nose, holding it straight up, your eyebrow should start at this point. If your eyebrows grow past this point, toward the centre of your forehead, this is known as a potential Uni-brow! Unless you are striving for the Uni-brow look, all of the hair in-between these two points should be removed.
2. Holding your tool straight up, now measuring the centre or high point, the highest point of the brow should line up with the outer part of your eyecolour circle, on the temple side. If the highest point of your eyebrow lines up with the outer circle of your eyecolour, this is good. If the high point shifts more to the left, or to the right, adjustments need to be made. Sometimes a simple tweezing of a few hairs can save the day. If there is no hair after that point, you have a major part of your eyebrow missing, and most likely giving yourself a demeaning look. Brow pencils can correct this problem by filling in the missing section, or possibly looking into a more permanent solution, such as micropigmentation, which is a form of tatooing.
3. Now checking the ending point, hold your tool at the outer part of your nostril, and angle the stick up to the outer corner of eye area. If the brow stops there, this is very good. If the hair trails down past that point, the shape is too long and needs to be shortened. The longer downward hair can create a look of empathy or saddness, removing the excess length hair gives the face an instant look of an eyelift.
Now that you have a better idea of where your eyebrows are in the world of eyebrow alignment, you are now better able to to make the right decision on how the hair is to be removed. If you only need to adjust a few hairs, preparing the hair then tweezing works fine. If you are new to the world of waxing, having a professional wax them for the first time is a good idea, then you can tweeze the new hairs yourself as they reappear. Trimming the eyebrows also helps manage stray hairs and thickness if necessary. There are also a wide range shapes that can be created for eyebrows, ranging from soft and thinner looks, to bold angular shapes. Most prefer a more natural, soft angled looking brow. If you are waxing or removing your brow hair on your own, be sure to follow some of these guidelines as well as the wax packaging guidelines for best results. Happy brow days!
