- Shaped brows help accentuate the eyes, shape the face, and play a powerful role in communication.
- Shaping eyebrows, is a lesser known anti-aging secret.
Image: FILE
Eyebrows protect the eyes from moisture by helping direct any moisture away from your eyes toward the side of your head.
They can reduce the amount of light that gets into your eyes and keep dirt away from them, too.
They are also essential for nonverbal communication. They are necessary for expressing happiness, surprise, and anger.
Most people must be wondering why the strong wind of obsession with shaped brows among ladies majorly in between the age of 18-35 years.
To quench the curiosity, here are a number of findings on why most ladies have adopted an always-shape-the-brow lifestyle.
The first question you might be having is why the need to shape the brow.
Speaking to Mike Mayende, a beauty expert from Cheska Royals, I gathered that there are a number of reasons to shape the brow.
"Apart from the most common reason for shaping brows which is to highlight the eyebrows thus emphasizing them as a part of the face beauty, there are other reasons for the same," Mayende said.
Shaped brows help accentuate the eyes, shape the face, and play a decisive role in communication.
"Of course, not everyone is born with perfectly manicured brows, so to achieve an aesthetically pleasing look, eyebrows are routinely trimmed, shaped, and filled," he said.
The second reason for shaping eyebrows, probably unknown to many is that beautifully groomed eyebrows are an anti-aging secret.
"As one of the very first things people notice when they look at you, no amount of makeup can atone for bad brows," he said.
He added that what properly plucked brows can do is give a lift to your face and make the eyes appear larger and more youthful.
Thirdly, the right eyebrow shape can frame and flatter the eyes whilst the wrong one can make you appear aged, tired, or angry.
"However, there is not any single 'right' eyebrow shape and the only way to establish the right brow shape is by examining one's face and eye shape," Mayende said.
A well-groomed brow also creates a polished look that enhances your appearance.
"Even without any makeup, a woman with well-kept brows will automatically appear cleaner and more refined," he said.
He talked about how unsymmetrical brows can throw off your facial balance, making one eye appear larger than the other or changing your entire look altogether.
Well structured and more symmetrical brows, on the other hand, are naturally pleasing to the human eye.
Shaping the brows also enhances your natural beauty since they are like the perfect frame around the face.
"There are four common eyebrow shaping procedures; razor shaping, threading, tweezing, and waxing," Mayende said.
"All of them bring out a good finish though waxing and tweezing last long in terms of growth since they remove hair roots,"
Razor shaping
Razor shaping simply entails the use of a razor to attain the desired shape and size.
Shaving is done under the brow in the direction of hair growth to avoid nicking the skin and possibly creating ingrown hairs.
Threading
This is a form of hair removal that uses a cotton thread to remove the stray hairs above and below your brow shape.
Tweezing
Tweezing entails plucking or mechanically pulling the brow hairs with the use of tweezers.
Waxing
Waxing is a process of eyebrow shaping where hot wax is applied to the skin and then pulled off, along with the trapped hair at the root.
The beauty expert mentioned that after these shaping procedures, one may prefer more lasting effects which is why some clients henna their brows or have them laminated.
Brow Henna
Henna is used as a brow tint that dyes the skin in addition to the actual hair follicles. It is painted onto the eyebrows and skin beneath.
Advantages of brow henna
It dyes the skin darker creating the illusion of thicker, fuller brows.
Henna also nourishes the skin and hair follicles, helping to keep them healthy.
It lasts for up to two weeks on the skin and up to six weeks on the hair, which gives longer-lasting results than regular brow tints.
Disadvantages
Stains the skin, can be messy, and is not suitable for everyone.
Brow Lamination
Brow lamination is a chemical treatment process to the eyebrow hair, with the intention of taking out any curls or kinks or texture and chemically straightening the hairs for easier re-positioning.
Advantages of brow lamination
A brow lamination is simple to prep for and upkeep, it's not painful, it tames unruly brows, and can be paired with other services.
Disadvantages
Just as perming the hair on your head can lead to dryness and damage, brow lamination could potentially damage your eyebrows similarly.
The chances are however greater if you repeat the process too often, or sooner than six weeks.
The most serious risk is eye damage.