How to trim eyebrow hair effectively according to experts—plus the best at-home products to use

This really depends on the person. "Women’s eyebrows aren’t as thick and long as men’s brows, therefore they shouldn’t need to trim them as often," comments Sarah Amelia Fogg, celebrity brow expert and founder of Brows by Sarah. "There also isn’t a specific rule on when you should be trimming them as everyone's brows are different, therefore they all need different care."

For example, Fogg notes that: "If you’re someone with thin, sparse brows who is trying to grow the hairs, brow trimming should be kept to a minimum to promote maximum growth. However, if you have very thick, long brows then trimming may be part of your weekly grooming routine."

Before you start your hair removal at home session and trim your eyebrows, always make sure that your face is clean. Prepare skin with an exfoliant the day before trimming your brows, which will ensure that any excess dirt and oils that are clogging up your pores are removed. (It’s this dirt and oil in your pores that causes breakouts after plucking or trimming.)

Follow with your usual cleanser to ensure that your skin is completely clean. “Always use warm water to wash your face as this helps to relax the hair follicles which therefore makes them easier to remove,” Fogg recommends. It’s a good idea to trim or pluck your brows after a shower or bath when the hair has been softened from the warmth and steam.

“When trying to choose the best way to trim your brows, I would recommend starting with tweezers and then moving to scissors or a trimmer if needed,” Fogg says. Here's how to do it step by step.

1. Before you start trimming your brows, prep your skin. Tie your hair back to avoid any distractions and wash your face with warm water.
2. If you use a lot of product to fill in your brows, I would recommend doing so with your usual makeup so that you can see how you want them to look. This creates an easy-to-follow guide and avoids any over-trimming or mistakes.
3. Next, use tweezers to pluck any stray hairs. Remember to always approach with caution and never overpluck. Simply stick to tweezing hairs that are outside of your brow outline.
4. If tweezers aren’t enough and you need to move on to scissors or a trimmer, use a spoolie to brush your brow hairs upward to see which hair needs to be trimmed. 
5. Take your specially-designed brow scissors and trim the hairs that sit above the hairline of your brow. Be careful not to cut below the hairline as this will create sparse brows.
6. After the initial trim, brush the hairs back to their natural shape to assess your progress. If you feel like you need to carry on, brush the hairs up again and continue with caution.
7. If the hairs are simply too long and thick, use a special brow trimmer for removal. Follow the same process as with scissors, approaching slowly and with caution. 
8. Once you’ve achieved your perfect brows, finish with a clear styling gel to keep the hairs in place.

“The main mistake that women often make is to over-trim their brows. Once you’ve removed a few hairs, many women seem to get addicted and want to make their brows as neat and tidy as possible which often results in the removal of too much hair, Fogg warns.

However, if this is the case for you and you have over-trimmed, don’t panic! An effective regrowth serum, such as Wow Brow from Brows by Sarah, will reactivate your hair growth while also strengthening the weak brow hairs.

Sometimes. “If you are using dull tweezers that are breaking the hair rather than plucking them from the root, this could lead to hair becoming very weak and not growing back as usual,” says Fides Baldesberger, CEO of Rubis Tweezers. “Also, if you are also plucking one area consistently every few days for years, this can also impact if the hair grows back as this will weaken the hair follicle."

Hair growth in general can be linked to genetics, some people's hair grows thicker and faster than others, this includes eyebrow hairs. But if you're starting from scratch to regrow your eyebrow hairs the first thing that'll help them grow is just leaving them alone. “Don't pluck, shave, thread, wax, anything for 6-8 weeks to get the full hair regrowth cycle, and then you can create a brow shape that you'd like,” Baldesberger recommends.

Being consistent with eyebrow regrowth serums is also a great way to get brows thicker and hairs longer. “Look for plex ingredients, castor seed oil, peptides, and biotin in the INCI list, as these will help with strengthening and growing hairs,” suggests Baldesberger. There are also other factors, such as not wearing an eye mask when you sleep, and not sleeping on your front that can help with regrowth, as friction between the brow hairs and the fabrics can cause sparse patches.

Yes, oiling your brows is a good way to condition the hairs and hair follicles which in turn can lead to hair regrowth. Fides recommends using castor oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil, “as these all have hair growth and strengthening qualities, but they are also great for the skin as they won't block hair follicles or cause breakouts. They will also treat the skin underneath the brow hairs that is often overlooked when it comes to skincare." 

"Unfortunately there is little evidence to support the notion that Vaseline can promote eyebrow hair regrowth. It is a very moisturizing component so it could be nourishing the hairs and making them look stronger, but there aren't enough studies to support this,” says Baldesberger.

Prostaglandin is the hormone that signals your eyebrows to grow. “As we get older, our natural prostaglandin production declines, so taking care of your brow hairs at a younger age is very important for how our eyebrows look as we get older," says Baldesberger.