Some costumes call for drastic brows. Blocking them out with a glue stick for a dramatic character, bleaching them to platinum, or shaving part of them off for a cleaner canvas can make a look. Then November arrives, and you want your own brows back.
The good news is that brows are resilient. How quickly they recover depends on what you did to them, and a little patience and care makes the process much smoother.
How brow hair grows
Brow hairs grow in cycles, like the hair on your head, but their growing phase is much shorter. Each hair grows for a few weeks to a few months, rests, sheds and is replaced. That short cycle is why brows never grow very long, and it is also why they can recover relatively quickly when the follicle underneath is healthy.
The key point: shaving, bleaching and gluing affect the hair you can see. As long as the follicle has not been damaged, it keeps producing new hairs.
If you shaved them
Shaving cuts the hair at the surface and leaves the root untouched, so regrowth starts right away. You will usually see stubble within days and a recognizable brow shape within a few weeks. Full length and density typically return over two to three months as each hair works through its cycle.
Shaving does not make brows grow back thicker or darker. Regrown hairs can look coarser at first because the cut tip is blunt, and that evens out as the hairs grow.
If you bleached them
Bleach lightens the hair you can see and can leave it dry, brittle and prone to breaking. The new growth coming in at the root will be your natural color, so you will notice a two-tone effect as the bleached hairs grow out and shed over the following weeks.
While you wait, a brow tint or a tinted brow gel can even out the color. Be gentle with bleached hairs: no harsh scrubbing, and avoid more chemical treatments until the skin underneath is completely calm.
If you glued them down
Gluing brows flat with a glue stick or spirit gum is a common theatrical technique. The brows themselves usually come through fine, as long as removal is gentle. Pulling or scrubbing off dried glue is what costs you hairs.
- Glue stick dissolves with warm water and a gentle cleanser. Let it soften, then wipe in the direction of hair growth.
- Spirit gum and stronger adhesives need the matching remover. Hold it on the area until the glue loosens, then wipe gently.
- Brush brows with a clean spoolie once they are clean and dry to separate the hairs.
If you plucked them
Plucking removes the whole hair, so regrowth takes longer than with shaving, often several weeks before you see new hairs. A one-time pluck usually grows back. Repeated plucking of the same area over the years can damage follicles so that some hairs stop growing back, which is worth keeping in mind before you reach for the tweezers again.
What helps while they grow
- Put the tweezers away. Resist tidying the in-between stage. Strays that look messy now are part of your future shape.
- Brush daily. A clean spoolie trains hairs to lie in the right direction and shows you where the real gaps are.
- Fill, do not block. Use a fine pencil in short, hair-like strokes or a tinted gel instead of heavy pomade, which can clump new growth.
- Be gentle when cleansing. Pat the brow area dry instead of rubbing it.
- Eat well. Hair needs protein, iron and other nutrients to grow, and your brows benefit from a balanced diet like everything else.
When to check with a professional
Most costume brows recover on their own. See a doctor or dermatologist if your brows have not started to grow back after about three months, if the skin is red, scaly or sore, or if you notice hair loss elsewhere at the same time. Those signs point to something other than a costume, and they are worth having checked.
The costume was one night. Your brows have plenty of time to recover. Treat them gently, give them a full few months, and they will be back to framing your face before you know it.
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This article is for general information. If you are concerned about brow hair loss, please speak with your doctor or a board-certified dermatologist.
The Shigeru Beauty Team