I’m An Eyebrow Expert — Here’s How To Optimize Your Brows In 3 Steps

As the '90s showed us, eyebrow trends are not as forgiving as those in the fashion or makeup space. For this reason, many people have pushed back against brow trends altogether—and for good reason. The new focus: Brow care. 

Like your skin and hair, your brows deserve a care routine of their own, especially if you’re looking to optimize your brow shape. Brow care knowledge, however, is not as widespread as that of skin and hair. 

Today, we’re taking you to eyebrow school so you can read up on all things brow shaping, growth, and filling. We tapped top eyebrow expert Joey Healy to get the best insider tips on optimizing your brows, so let’s get into it. 

“Tweezing is more precise, it’s more artistic, one hair at a time, for a really detailed, dynamic sculpting of the brow,” Healy said. This is why his non-negotiable tip is to use tweezers exclusively, rather than waxing or threading. 

Tweezing is safer than waxing, too. “With waxing, there’s heat, there’s chemicals, and it can be potentially damaging if you’re dealing with sunburns, if you’re a retinol user, or if you have just gotten a spray tan done,” Healy explained. 

If you have sensitive skin in the slightest, actively use strong chemical exfoliants or retinol products (retinoids included), then you should avoid waxing in general, brows or otherwise.

Threading, while it may be safer than waxing, doesn’t always provide the same results as tweezing. “It’s not hair-by-hair, it treats the brow like the hairs go in straight lines (which they do not), and it can often make the brows feel asymmetrical and unduly sharp,” Healy says. 

If you don’t feel confident shaping your own brows at home, there are tons of brow specialists out there who can help you find your best shape at the salon. 

Most people, regardless of brow shape, experience a few sparse patches every now and then. If you’re looking for consistent growth to achieve your ideal shape, using brow growth serum is a great way to work toward that. 

Here’s the thing—even if you do have symmetrical brows, a serum is still crucial to maintain that shape over time. “As we age, our brows do get patchier and a little bit weaker visually. So, everyone benefits from a serum, not just those in need of growing out their Skinny '90s arches,” Healy explains. 

When it comes to choosing a brow serum, you should look for something natural, yet effective. Some products that are too simple, like castor oil, will hydrate the brow but don’t always show substantial results in terms of brow hair growth. 

Other options may contain hormones or potent ingredients that can unwanted side effects: “Those can make the brows grow rapidly, but then, they have side effects like shedding, darkness of skin around the eye, and a change in iris color,” Healy explains. 

Something that’s safe, with strong data to support its efficacy, is a better bet. Healy’s hero ingredient: Peptides. “A peptide-based growth serum is best because that’s the ingredient that’s the safest, most natural, and most effective,” Healy says. 

With all of this in mind, Healy created his own brow serum that checks all these boxes and more. You can shop the serum here. 

Everyone has different preferences for brow products. Some prefer a light pencil or shadow, while others opt for a waxier pomade. No matter what you choose, you must blend it out for a natural-looking brow. 

Even to an untrained eye, Healy says, bold lines and harsh edges look fake. You’ll want to avoid outlining the brow or filling it in beyond a few substitute hair strokes. 

After you apply the product, whether it be pencil or shadow, you should blend it in with a spooly brush. Think of it like blending concealer: You wouldn’t just put the makeup on your skin and leave it, right?

At the end of the process, your brow should be making the statement, not your filler. “The color should be like background music to the eyebrow,” Healy says. 

Because it’s not easy to find a filler product that supports the brow without taking over, Healy created the Luxe Brow Powder. This is ideal for creating natural, fluffy-looking brows with ease. After testing it out ourselves, we swear by this powder too. You can read more about why our editors swear by this powder for fluffy brows here.

And don’t worry, the powder comes in four shades to accommodate brows of all colors.