Men's eyebrows: How to trim and shape bushy male eyebrows- MBman

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Men’s eyebrows: How to trim, shape and tidy up bushy male eyebrows

July 8, 2022

Taming men’s eyebrows may seem tricky but it doesn’t need to be – here’s a step-by-step guide from expert Leisa Roberts, founder of Brow HQ, with tips from CEO of Rubis Tweezers

J ust like hair elsewhere on their face, men’s eyebrows are very different in texture and growth than female brows. Firstly, they tend to grow super long, wild, and free.

Secondly, they’re usually much more coarse and thicker than women’s eyebrow hairs. And while we know most of you won’t be looking to get a full-on precision brow, it’s easy to keep your bushy brows groomed.

Here’s how to trim your eyebrows and keep them in shape without changing their natural look.

Men’s eyebrows

What you’ll need

To groom your brows you will need:

A pair of sharp tweezers and precision scissors: This set from Amazon is decent for just £8.49
A comb or spoolie brush: You can get a pack of 50 for £2.99
Eyebrow pencil (optional): Leisa recommends the Brow HQ Skinny Pencil but it costs £15.99, which is quite pricey. In reality, any eyebrow pencil will do and we like the Rimmel London Brow This Way (£4.99)
Eyebrow gel (optional): We like the e.l.f Wow Brow Gel (£4.50) but in reality, a small amount of regular hair gel brushed through with a spoolie will do.

FURTHER READING: Best tweezers UK: Get rid of ingrown hairs and rogue eyebrows

How to trim and shape men’s eyebrows

Getty Images/iStockphoto

When looking to shape or tame men’s eyebrows, you only need to do the bare minimum. If you start plucking and cutting too much, your brows will go from naturally neat to unnaturally precise. So take it easy – less is more!

Step 1: Brush your brows

Using your comb or spoolie, brush your hairs upwards so that any long, unruly brow hairs are visible.

Step 2: Trim long hairs

Take your precision scissors and trim the brow hairs that are poking out above the main bulk of your eyebrow. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until there aren’t any more hairs long enough to poke above the brow.

Step 3: Pluck strays

Using your tweezers, pluck out any hairs that are growing out of the brow area – those that meet in the middle and any long ones at the end of your main eyebrow shape.

MBman tip: If you have very thick coarse hairs, place a hot flannel on the brow area before tweezing, the heat will open the pores and make it easier for the hair to come out. You can read more about this in our How to shave your face, head and balls like a pro, according to science

Step 4: Measure your brows

Take a pencil or your comb and place it vertically at the bridge of your nose, creating a straight line up to your brow. This is where your brows should start. Any hairs that are in the middle of brows and outside of this line should be plucked away. This includes the hairs underneath.

MBman/Superdrug

“Go easy here and just pluck the obvious hairs,” Leisa explains. “Take a good look at the brows in your mirror and any rogue hairs that are growing underneath where the natural brow is should be plucked away. Taking too many from underneath will make the brows look too perfect so be sure to just take the strays.”

Step 5: Style

Brow styling soaps and pencils are great for keeping hairs in place or filling in areas where there may be gaps. After you’ve groomed the brows, don’t be afraid to use natural gels to keep your brows held in that neat formation. If there are patches, or scars or similar, that stop hair from growing, gently shade these in with an eyebrow pencil in a shade as close to your natural colour.

Men’s Eyebrows: Tips from the experts

In addition to Leisa’s step-by-step guide, CEO of Rubis Tweezers, Fides Baldesberger also gave us his top tips.

1. Use natural light

“Shaping your eyebrows under the influence of fluorescents or dark lighting is just begging for a bald spot. Only ever tweeze your brows in natural light because, not only will you be able to see stray hairs you’ve never noticed before, but you’ll have a more accurate idea of how your eyebrows are actually looking as you’re shaping them,” says Baldesberger.

2. Don’t use magnifying mirrors

Magnifying mirrors are common on shaving mirrors but they’re not a great idea when shaping men’s eyebrows. This is because you’ll end up looking too closely and potentially overplucking.

Baldesberger advises “taking frequent steps back to get the full effect of your grooming efforts.” This is because men’s eyebrows look different at a distance, and that’s how most of the world is going to see them. He even suggests plucking one hair at a time, moving back and checking, before plucking another hair if needs be.”

3. Trim using scissors first

Often you want to cut the hairs shorter, rather than remove them completely. This can often calm a lot of the bushiness without having to tweeze at all.

Baldesberger says: “Keeping your brow hairs at a uniform length is crucial. The best way to do this is with hair-trimming scissors. Don’t be tempted to use just any scissors to trim hairs as they are too big for this delicate task.”