Eyebrow Update: How to Grow Out Your Eyebrows

I mentioned in passing a couple months ago that I was growing out my eyebrows. It may seem like no big deal, but it actually is for me. I have very full eyebrows naturally. My Middle Eastern and Italian heritage have truly maximized my hair. haha!

In middle school, I was mocked and teased for having “bushman” eyebrows, including by family members. I quickly learned that my eyebrows were shamefully unfeminine. I started getting my eyebrows waxed and tweezed at age 12. I was so self-conscious of them. By the time I was a senior in high school, they were itty, bitty thin lines.

This year, I’ve decided not to buy into the lie that I can’t be beautiful or feminine with my natural beauty. It’s been tricky. Where there was once a clear defined line, there no longer is, so filling in my brows during my makeup routine has become a challenge. There was a brief period where I was scared that I damaged the hair follicles so much in that region that they wouldn’t grow back at all.

So, we’re about 5 months in. They’re definitely still in the “growing” phase. That phase will probably last about a year from what I’ve heard. I’m finding that one eyebrow is growing annoyingly faster than the other. I’ve absolutely had sheer panic moments where I almost grabbed the tweezers and said “jk jk jk” to the whole thing. If you’re looking to grow out your eyebrows or are in the process, I do have some tips below!

Don’t panic

This was my initial reaction. A couple weeks in, they were looking like they were in the need of some TLC. I was positive everyone on the planet was staring at me in utter horror because of the stray hairs. There will come a point where you will get comfortable with them. In all honesty, it is highly likely that no one will notice what you’re up to, especially because it’s such a gradual project. You will get used to them. They will fill in. You will be fine.

You can still shape them

Just because you’re growing them out doesn’t mean you ditch the tweezers completely. I still tweeze a couple strays in between my eyebrows. There are another two ways you can keep your eyebrows groomed and maintained without them looking “wild”:

1. Tweeze the hairs above the brow. I have a couple hairs that like to hang out directly above my eyebrows. They are distinct from my eyebrows themselves. I will tweeze these away and it gives a nice definition to my brows.
2. Tweeze the last row of hairs of your eyebrow. Obviously, this is optional. I don’t recommend doing this until you’ve let them grow out for several weeks. The bottom row of my eyebrows didn’t make an appearance until ~month 3. However, tweezing the last row will give your eyebrows a crisper shape.

Keep the basic principles of filling them in

If you fill in your eyebrows when you do your makeup, it may be a bit trickier. I like to opt for a more natural brow over the drawn-on brow that’s all over Instagram. The basic principles I follow when filling in my brows are:

1. Follow the natural line.
2. Make the darkest point the arch of your brow and the lightest point the inner most part (closest to your nose).
3. Drawing little strokes of hair is better than creating thick, artificial lines.

There’s my main tips so fair! I’m sure I’ll learn more as this continues, but for now, I hope this helps!