If you are fascinated by the appearance of your eyebrows, quirky eyebrow trends on Instagram will significantly inspire you. While many of them vanish as fast as they come, the others stay around for a while, even though we do not embrace them in a friendly way. Eyebrow bleaching is one such styling practice that has become quite a thing. Yes, the old bleached brows seem to be back for one more time. From runway models to celebrities – lighter eyebrows have become the hot favorite of women these days. But how apt is this ‘stance’ for the girls next door? How does it work for our brows? What are the pros and cons of eyebrow bleaching? Let us explore this in this article.
What is Eyebrow Bleaching?
The practice of eyebrow bleaching has been around forever. As we already know, bleaching is a chemical procedure to make thick and dark hair considerably lighter in appearance. It is mainly used to turn the body and facial hair light blonde instead of completely removing them. Similarly, eyebrow bleaching treats eyebrows with certain chemical compounds to remove their natural colors and make them appear lighter. You can either get your eyebrows bleached by a professional through salon appointments or do it yourself home by purchasing a branded eyebrow bleaching kit. However, knowing the pros and cons of eyebrow bleaching beforehand is always good to ensure you do not accidentally hit the runway no-brow look.
Eyebrow bleaching is subtly different from eyebrow lightening. Bleaching the brows create strong, intense, and a statement style that is more suitable for an editorial look. On the other hand, lightening the brows causes slight changes to their appearance by softening them to a few shades lighter. (1)
Also Read – Top 10 Ways To Get Thick Eyebrows
How Does Eyebrow Bleaching Work?
Before attempting brow bleaching, it’s essential to grasp the process. The technique involves a gentle hydrogen peroxide solution that effectively lightens eyebrow hairs, creating a beautiful, lighter appearance. Bleaching disrupts the natural pigment bonds, leading to their decomposition and lightening. The duration the bleaching agent is left on the brows varies for distinct results. Adding color post-lightening helps achieve the desired hue, typically by warming or toning down the eyebrows.
Who Can Opt for Eyebrow Bleaching?
Anybody with medium or light brown eyebrows can bleach them without any worry. However, if you have dark eyebrows, proceed cautiously, as the process may turn them orange or brassy. Women with sensitive skin should also avoid bleaching their eyebrows to prevent adverse reactions to bleaching agents.
Read Also – Top 5 Natural Facial Bleach Recipes for a Pigment-Free, Polished Skin
How to Choose the Right Color?
When choosing the perfect color for bleaching your eyebrows, start by considering the original tone of the brow hairs. Most women look great with light brown, medium brown, or dark brown eyebrows. You may also want to match your hair and eyebrows in shade.
The Procedure of DIY Eyebrow Bleaching
Whether it is a DIY attempt or done professionally, the technique of eyebrow bleaching is the same in both cases. You will need a DIY bleaching kit to bleach your brows, and it should comprise a pack of bleaching powder, a developer, an applicator, and an instruction manual. Check out the step-by-step procedure below:
- Clean your face properly by paying attention to the areas around your eyebrows and patting it dry.
- Read the instruction manual thoroughly and prepare the bleaching cream by mixing the developer with the bleaching powder.
- Do a patch test; if there is no reaction, go ahead with your brow bleaching.
- Apply the cream to your eyebrows gently and carefully with a cotton swab. Make sure that all the hairs in your brows are fully covered.
- Wait for 10 minutes.
- Wipe it off with a warm and wet washcloth.
- Repeat the last three steps to go even lighter with your brows.
Be extremely careful while applying the bleaching agent on your eyebrows as going overboard will leave them too light or even washed out. Also, do not leave it on your brow hairs for too long if you want them not to become more than two shades lighter.
Read Also – How to Dye Your Eyebrows Naturally with Henna
How to Re-Bleach Dark Brow Roots?
While bleaching your eyebrows at home, the darker brow roots visible after regrowth can get you in trouble. The trick is to re-bleach them without going overboard. Take a small, thin eyeliner brush and carefully reach the dark roots of your eyebrow hairs. Ensure you apply the bleaching agent by staying as close to the skin as possible. However, the rest of the already bleached hair should not be touched at all. You are done!
Pros of Eyebrow Bleaching
Here are the advantages of bleaching your eyebrows:
- Bleaching can lighten darker hairs to a great extent so that they become less noticeable and do not stand out from others anymore. Hence, people with a mismatch of color between their hair and eyebrows can go for brow bleaching to get a synchronized look.
- If you want a remarkable makeover to get a distinct look, eyebrow bleaching can help you by transforming your face immensely.
- It is an effective way to cover gray hairs in your eyebrows.
- Making your eyebrows lighter will give you an overall facial glow.
- Bleached eyebrows can offer a youthful look, especially to people reaching their 40s.
- It is a simple (can be done at home just by using the kit), easy (no skill or finesse involved), and cost-effective (the product is inexpensive and readily available in the market) procedure.
- The entire procedure can be performed within 15 to 20 minutes only.
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Cons of Eyebrow Bleaching
Eyebrow bleaching comes with its own set of disadvantages, too:
- The bleaching kit contains a ‘developed with a pack of bleaching powder loaded with chemicals like peroxide, ammonia, etc. Using chemical compounds on our skin or hair is always harmful, and eyebrow bleaching is no exception.
- People with sensitive skin often find it difficult to tolerate the bleaching cream, leading to irritation, rashes, and sometimes severe allergies.
- Over-bleaching eyebrows can give you a ‘no eyebrow’ look, just like some of the runway models, and it is TERRIFIC!
- The outcomes of brow bleaching are short-term. You cannot expect it to last more than 4 to 6 weeks.
- As the hairs in the brows start growing out of the follicles, the hair’s natural color becomes visible at the roots once again. If you want to maintain the bleached look, you have to opt for regular touch-ups.
- A bleached eyebrow look does not go well with all hair tones. It also doesn’t suit all skin complexions well.
- The color of brow bleach might stain the skin in your eyebrow areas.
Also Read – Eyebrow Tattoo: How it Works, Benefits & Risks Of Eyebrow Tattoo.
Words of Caution
Even though it is said that eyebrow bleaching is an entirely painless procedure, you might feel a slight tingling sensation with the cream on your brows. It is widespread and natural. Bleaching agents contain high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, which causes temporary side effects like redness, itching, scaling, etc. (2) However, if you experience an intense burning sensation after applying the bleach, wipe it off immediately as the formulation seems to be too strong for your skin. If the feeling persists for a long time or the skin turns red, contact your doctor.
Read Also – How-to Guide: Bleach Your Eyebrows at Home
Summary:
Eyebrow bleaching is a method of treating eyebrows with certain chemical compounds in order to take the natural colors out of them and make them appear lighter. The process makes use of a milder formulation of hydrogen peroxide, which breaks the bonds of the natural pigment present in eyebrow hairs, thus causing them to decompose and get lighter. The bleaching agent is left on the brow hairs for different periods of time in order to achieve different results. If you have dark eyebrows, proceed with caution as the process may turn them orange or brassy. Women with sensitive skin should also stay away from bleaching their eyebrows. You can either get your eyebrows bleached by a professional through salon appointments or do-it-yourself at home by purchasing a branded eyebrow bleaching kit. However, it is always good to know the pros and cons of eyebrow bleaching beforehand to avoid side effects and ensure that you do not hit the runway no-brow look accidentally.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Long Do Bleached Eyebrows Last?
A pair of freshly bleached eyebrows can last between 4 and 6 weeks.
Are Eyebrow Tints Worth It?
If you want to enhance your eyebrows’ appearance temporarily, eyebrow tints are worth trying.
Should Your Eyebrows Be Darker or Lighter?
If the natural color of your hair is light brown or blonde, your eyebrows should be at least 1 or 2 shades darker than it. Conversely, if the natural color of your hair is brown or black, keep your eyebrows 1 or 2 shades lighter to it.
References:
- “Everything You Need to Know About Lightening Your Eyebrows With Bleach,” Allure.com
- “Eyebrow Bleaching Among Females: A Cross-Sectional Study,” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
