This soap brows hack means you can ditch brow gel - Kendall Jenner's makeup artist loves it, too

Soap Brows is the TikTok trend to jump all over right now...

soap brows
Getty Images
(Image credit: GettyImages-1253215100/Valentina Pescape' / EyeEm)
Fiona Embleton
By Fiona Embleton
published

If a large chunk of your wage goes on brow gel, this soap brows hack will *literally* change your life. Better yet, this shortcut to brushed up lion mane hairs rivals brow lamination (opens in new tab)for a fraction of the price.

Intrigued? Let's get this bit out of the way first. We know, we know, brow gel is as much of a beauty go-to as the best retinol serum (opens in new tab). But did you know your bar of soap does the same job of fixing longer brow hairs in place - only better and for longer?

The reason for this is soap contains glycerin, a type of fat that coats the surface of your hairs to set them in place. Soap is also a good trick to try if you hate the plastered down look of some brow gels and still want the hairs to stay fluffy.

@teganfairleigh_ (opens in new tab)

SOAP BROWS 😍 ##soapbrows ##fyp

♬ Every time I hear this audio I die a little inside - ☄️ABS👹 (opens in new tab)

First, pick the right soap

There is one caveat though: your choice of soap. Traditional soaps are typically alkaline and packed with fragrance, which could cause redness and irritation if your skin is easily riled.

The Neutrogena Transparent Facial Bar (opens in new tab), is a good alternative as it contains glycerin but uses a pH-balanced cleansing surfactant. Also gentle are Pears Transparent Soap (opens in new tab), which Instagram favours for this hack, and the Dove Beauty Cream Bar (opens in new tab).

Or, you can try the Soap Brows Essentials from West Barn Co, which is the holy trinity of brow kits for this trend (opens in new tab). Nikki Makeup (opens in new tab), Instagram's glow queen who counts Kendall Jenner as a client, is a huge fan. She loves using it on shoots as you have to do to create dramatic effect is slide the spoolie along the surface of the bar and brush through your brows in an upwards and outwards motion.

Neutrogena Transparent Facial Bar, $3.99 for 3, Target  (opens in new tab)

soap brows, Neutrogena Transparent Facial Bar, $3.99 for 3, Target

(Image credit: Target)
Neutrogena Transparent Facial Bar, $3.99 for 3, Target (opens in new tab)

Neutrogena Transparent Facial Bar, $3.99 for 3, Target (opens in new tab)

View Deal (opens in new tab)

Dove Beauty Cream Bar, $1.27, Walmart (opens in new tab) [£0.50, Boots (opens in new tab)] 

soap brows, Dove Beauty Cream Bar, $1.27, Walmart

(Image credit: Walmart)
Dove Beauty Cream Bar, $1.27, Walmart (opens in new tab)

Dove Beauty Cream Bar, $1.27, Walmart (opens in new tab) [£0.50, Boots (opens in new tab)]

View Deal (opens in new tab)

Pears Transparent Soap, $6.03, Walmart (opens in new tab) [£0.90, Boots (opens in new tab)] 

soap brows, Pears Transparent Soap, $6.03, Walmart [£0.90, Boots]

(Image credit: Walmart)
Pears Transparent Soap, $6.03, Walmart (opens in new tab)

Pears Transparent Soap, $6.03, Walmart (opens in new tab) [ (opens in new tab)£0.90, Boots (opens in new tab)] (opens in new tab)


View Deal (opens in new tab)

West Barn Co Soap Brows Essentials, $42 [£30.50] (opens in new tab)

soap brows, West Barn Co Soap Brows Essentials, $42 [£30.50]


(Image credit: West Barn Co)
West Barn Co Soap Brows Essentials, $42 [£30.50] (opens in new tab)

West Barn Co Soap Brows Essentials, $42 [£30.50] (opens in new tab)

View Deal (opens in new tab)

How to do soap brows

Step one: Do a patch test 48 hours before to check for an allergic reaction before swiping on soap.

Step two: Spray a spoolie brush with face mist to wet the bristles. 

Step three: Rub the bristles of your brush against the bar of soap to create a gel-like consistency. Add more moisture to the spoolie brush if needed.

Step four: Comb the soapy spoolie through your brows. Shape the arch using upward and outward strokes. 

Step 5: Use a brow pencil to fill in any sparse patches. Wait until the soap sets though, otherwise you'll just be pushing pigment around. 

Fiona Embleton
Fiona Embleton

Fiona Embleton is a multi-award-winning beauty editor who has tested over 10,000 products in her 10 years +  of writing and shooting beauty stories. For the past four years, she was the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, having previously worked in the role of Beauty Editor at both Stylist and Cosmopolitan. She has recently gone freelance and alongside My Imperfect Life, she has written for titles including ELLE UK, ELLE Canada, Buro 247, Harper's Bazaar Arabia, Vogue Scandinavia, and ES Magazine. Beauty journalism allowed her to marry up her first-class degree in English Literature and Language (she’s a stickler for grammar and a self-confessed ingredients geek) with a passion for make-up and skincare, photography, and catwalk trends. She loves jumping on the latest internet-breaking beauty news, dissecting the best red carpet looks, and having the crème de la crème of dermatologists, make-up artists, and hairstylists on speed dial so she can tap them for the best advice. She’s a discerning beauty shopper and knows it can be confusing trying to navigate what’s hype and what really works. So if she really likes something, you can trust that she has reached that opinion by vetting it against everything else she’s ever tried. Her career highs? Interviewing Cate Blanchett and winning a Jasmine Award for the deeply personal feature Cancer Stole My Mother’s Scent.   

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