How to Fix Bushy Eyebrows

Co-authored by Shara Strand

Last Updated: April 21, 2024 References

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We've all been there. You're about to walk out the door, feeling great, and you notice a wonky eyebrow. You can learn how to pluck your eyebrows to keep them under control, as well as a variety of quick methods to tame those pesky brows when you're short on time.

Things You Should Know

• Start from the bottom of your brow and move up, use tweezers to pluck stray hairs, and polish off your look with a light eyebrow trim.
• Make sure that your eyebrow shapes suit your face and that each brow ends up looking a little different—but still compatible.
• You can also tame your brows in other ways, like with conditioner in the shower, a wax job, or a professional's help.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Plucking Your Eyebrows

1. 1
   Decide what shape your eyebrows should be to complement your face. Take a pencil and rest it vertically on one side of your nose. Where the pencil rests between your eyebrows is where the eyebrow on that side should reach. If your eyebrow is shorter than where the pencil falls, you can lightly fill it in with a brow pencil or powder.

   • Next, tilt the pencil on your nose toward the eye that is on that side while keeping the base of your pencil on the nostril. Once your pencil crosses over your pupil, stop and look where the pencil reaches. The arch of your eyebrow should be where the pencil stopped over your pupil.
   • Lastly, keeping the bottom of the pencil on your nostril, continue to tilt your pencil to touch the outside corner of the eye on that side. Where your pencil lands should be end of your eyebrow. Like the beginning of your eyebrow, you can always fill in the ends if they do not reach the pencil. If they go past the pencil, pluck the ends to wear they feel comfortable.
2. 2
   Pluck any stray hairs not included in your ideal brow. Use a pair of tweezers and a magnification mirror, and carefully remove any hairs found outside the line of your drawn brow. Match the curve of the bottom of the brow to the top. The end of the brow should be around the end of your eye socket.

   • Do not thin out the head of the brows. It should be the thickest part. Also, do not remove hair from the top of the brow unless you have any especially insane hairs. Use the natural shape of the top of the brow to shape your arch.
3. 3
   Start at the bottom of the eyebrow. Go slowly, taking breaks to see how thin they are becoming. Make sure you don't over-do it. After cleaning up the bottom row of hairs, look at the top of your eyebrows. Many salons suggest not plucking the top of your eyebrows, but this can be helpful to those who have a 'jagged' look to their eyebrows. Plucking the stray hairs from the top will help your eyebrows look neater.
4. 4
   Trim your eyebrows carefully. If you are doing this at home, use an eyebrow brush to sweep your eyebrow hairs upward. While holding the hair up, begin to lightly trim the hairs that stick up above your eyebrow with a pair of sheers. Be very careful to avoid trimming them too short. Repeat this process while brushing the hairs downward and trimming.

   • While this is possible at home, it is advised to go to a professional for this to avoid accidentally cutting hair too short and creating a "hole" in your eyebrow.
5. 5
   Make your brows slightly different. Your eyebrows should not be identical. Use the differences of their natural shapes and the placement of your nose and eyes to guide your plucking. Unlike with most makeup looks, finish one brow before working on the other. At the end, you can compare them both and make sure they look compatible.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Other Methods

1. 1
   Use a toothbrush as a comb. Run some water over an old toothbrush, then shake most of the water off. Dry out the bristles even more by placing your finger at the top of the bristles and sliding down while pressing firmly. You want it barely damp. Then take the (prepped) toothbrush and comb your eyebrow into shape.

   • Use only the top end of the bristles to fine-tune the arch and the corner of your eyebrow. You don't have to do it all again for the second brow, simply comb it as well.
   • If your eyebrows are really wild, put a very tiny amount of hairspray on it as well.
2. 2
   Do a quick pluck. Use an eyebrow pencil to draw the shape that you want. Then, use tweezers to pluck the hairs that seem out of place, then quickly comb your brows with dry toothbrush. Fill in gaps with an eyebrow pencil and then smoothing it in to blend with the rest of your brow.

   • Be sure to make sure that those really long hairs on the edge aren't based in the middle. If they are, you can snip them, but be careful that you keep things even.
   • Get a close-up magnification mirror to help with this process. This really helps locate some of those little annoying hairs.
3. 3
   Wax your eyebrows. Use home wax strips, not cold or hot wax to avoid potential eye hazards. If you decide to wax completely, look up videos on how to draw eyebrows so you do it right, and try several methods over the weekend. Be sure to make them look natural, and get a pencil colour that matches your hair tones.

   • Take it easy on the waxing. It's easy to over-do it, and leave yourself looking witchy.
4. 4
   Consider going to a professional waxing salon. Most nail salons offer this service, and it is generally not expensive. However, you may want to ask your friends for recommendations on your local salons, as a bad wax can be very painful. After the wax, the esthetician will probably apply some creams and tweeze any stray hairs. This is a great option if you're looking for shape to your eyebrows but do not know how to get your desired look.
5. 5
   Apply conditioner in the shower. It might sound odd, but if you apply a little conditioner to your eyebrows, it will help them look smoother, shinier and they will be easier to tame after you get out of the shower.

Expert Q&A

• Question

  What brow shape works best for round faces?

  Shara Strand

  Makeup Artist

  Expert Answer

  A more angular and polished brow. On a round face shape, an angular and more shaped brow will give definition to your face and eye shape. Adding more of an arch and maintaining the shape monthly will greatly benefit someone with a more round face shape.
• Question

  My eyebrows are very thick and I don't like them, but I can't go to a professional salon or anything like that. I tried the toothbrush as a comb, but it did not work at all, what do I do?

  Community Answer

  Remember there is nothing wrong with bushy brows, and many people (myself included) think that thick brows are quite beautiful. However, if that is your personal preference, then I would recommend first drawing out the basic shape you want your eyebrow to follow, making sure to follow the natural brow line and arch. Then comb them up and use small scissors or an eyebrow razor to cut only the hairs. Leave the hairs, just cut them shorter. This will prevent any flare ups that might occur from plucking or directly shaving the hair.
• Question

  I had a lid and brow lift which only lifted the outside half of my brows which changed their shape. How can I get my old brow arch back?

  Community Answer

  You changed the way the skin sits on your face, so you're not going to get your old brow shape back. You can use brow shaping makeup to fill in the shape.

See more answers

Reader Videos

Tips

• Do your eyebrows at least once a month to keep them nicely shaped.
• If you can't find Vaseline, sticky cream will do.
• After your eyebrows are trimmed, every two months or so redo all the steps.

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Warnings

• Only pluck if you know what you're doing.
• Never shave your eyebrows. It will look bad.

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