How to Pluck Eyebrows: Expert Tips & Techniques

We provide the professional tips on how to pluck eyebrows and get the beautiful or groomed shape that you’re looking for. While using tweezers is more time-consuming than, say, waxing your brows, you do have more control over the hairs you take and keep, which makes for a very precise look. It’s also a very affordable do-it-yourself option that can last for weeks at a time.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 10 - 25 minutes depending on the thickness

What You Need:

• A good pair of tweezers
• A mirror

Buy a Good Pair of Tweezers

If your tweezers are sliding off or breaking hair, it's going to take you a lot more time and give you less than desirable results. My pick: Tweezerman Slant Tweezer ($18).

Decide on the Shape of Your Brows

Refer to choosing your eyebrow shape and the men's eyebrow grooming guide if you need help figuring out which hairs to take and leave.

Pull or Pin-Back Hair

Use a scrunchie or some hair clips to get your hair out of your face. You want to see your eyebrows clearly so you can get the best results.

Trim Eyebrows if Necessary

Brush your eyebrows straight up, and if there are any hairs longer coming out of your natural shape on top, then you need to trim. Use a fine-tooth regular comb or an eyebrow brush to push eyebrow hair up, and then just trim what is outside the shape with small scissors (preferably eyebrow scissors). If you have long or very bushy eyebrows, they may need more bulk removed, see the step-by-step to trimming brows.

Wash Face with Warm Water

You want skin nice and clean, and warm water helps relax skin and hair follicle for easier removal. Wipe off and pat dry to remove moisture. (Cleansing the area and toning before and after tweezing is a good idea as well.)

Select the Hairs You're Removing

Apply white eyeliner on the hair that needs to go on both eyebrows: below, above and in-between.

Start Tweezing the Arches

Hold skin taut and begin removing hairs making the arch by grasping clean tweezers near the base of the hair, pulling in the direction it grows removing the large, dark hairs first (you’ll get fine hairs a bit later). Before removing any more hair on the first brow, put the second brow’s arch in.

Work on Top

If you’re removing any hair from the top of the brow, be cautious. Only take what fine hairs are outside the shape, on the first brow and then the second.

Work on the Middle

Now remove the hair from the middle of the two brows that need to go.

Stand back and Fine Tune

Take a look, standing at a distance from the mirror to see if the brows are looking visually balanced so far. Take out any hairs that are necessary to making brows even. Once the shape is in, get close to the mirror and remove any fine, light hairs. Dust any hairs off of your face with a towel.

Soothe Skin

If skin is red or irritated, you can apply a soothing facial moisturizer or toner with a cotton swab or reusable bamboo pad. Be sure not to get product directly in eyes to avoid stinging and burning.

Tips

1. Don’t dig tweezers into skin to grab really short hairs or you could cut or scrape skin. Wait until it grows out in a couple days so that they can be more easily removed.
2. Gently holding skin firm with your free hand while tweezing means less tugging and pain on the skin.
3. If you're worried about pain, apply a numbing spray to a cotton swab and then to the eyebrow area. Make sure not to get any directly in your eyes!