How to Pluck Your Own Eyebrows, According to the Pros

Plucking your eyebrows is easier said than done. In our attempt to land perfectly shaped arches, we pluck, then pluck some more (and repeat), only to step back from the mirror and realize that we overdid it. Just because thin brows are back doesn't mean that we're ready to unintentionally embrace the trend. So, how do we prevent eyebrow mishaps and avoid embarking on a frenzied search for the best brow growth serums? Why, by turning to the pros, of course.

We tapped Kelli J. Bartlett, Anastasia Soare, and Vincent Oquendo to get their best tips for how to pluck eyebrows without living to regret it.

Meet the expert

Keep scrolling for our step-by-step tutorial on plucking eyebrows — straight from experts.

Step One: Prep Your Brows

Remove any makeup to ensure you are starting with your bare, natural eyebrows. This eliminates the chances of you over-plucking or tweezing your eyebrows in the wrong areas. It'll also give you a clear view of those pesky stray hairs.

"When removing hair, it is essential that the skin is makeup-free and cleansed," said Bartlett. "Use a makeup remover first to ensure the skin has no residual dirt or makeup."

In a time crunch, you can always just use a makeup wipe.

"Always take a shower or apply a warm compress before you tweeze your brows," Soare told InStyle. "The heat opens up the pores, so it's much less painful. Make sure the skin is clean and dry, not greasy, and with no lotion or creams."

Step Two: Gather Your Tools

You want precision for this task, and a slant-tipped tweezer allows you to easily grab hold of individual hairs. Bartlett swears by BrowGal Eyebrow Tweezers. You also can't go wrong with Tweezerman's Slant Tweezer.

Soare added that you should also have a pair of thin-blade scissors handy just in case you need to trim a few hairs. Soare also warned that even if you're tempted, don't ever attempt to wax your eyebrows yourself — simply stick to tweezing for the time being. 

"It takes a lot of skill; you have to keep your eyes open, and the wax could drip, taking off more than you intended," said Soare.

VIDEO: 4 Ways to Do Your Eyebrows

Step Three: Figure Out Your Shape

When the goal is cleaning up random hairs from your brows, Oquendo shared a genius trick. 

"My first recommendation when using tweezers to clean up your brows is to start with a white pencil to outline your shape," Oquendo said. 

This allows you to see the way your eyebrows naturally grow and calls attention to the stray hairs growing out of place. Then, he recommended coloring in these stray hairs with the white pencil. 

"By doing this, you see your shape before you pluck to stack the deck in your favor and give yourself a better chance of nailing it and scoring an identical set of brows," noted Oquendo.

Oquendo continued, "The biggest mistake I see people make is trying to eyeball their shape. By not sketching the shape out ahead of time, they tend to quickly lose control and end up with brows that look like distant sisters and not identical twins."

If you don't have a white pencil at home, Soare offered another solution. "Start with the three steps of the The Golden Ratio shaping technique: Brows should begin directly above the middle of your nostrils, brows should end where the corner of the nostril connects with the outer corner of the eye, and the highest point of the arch should connect the middle of the tip of the nose with the middle of the iris," Soare said. "This technique tailors your brow shape to your unique bone structure."

Step Four: Get Started, Slowly

This isn't something you should try to tackle in 10 minutes. 

"Take it slow ... make it something you do on a lazy Sunday night — the more time you allot to getting comfortable shaping your brows, the better," Oquendo said. "I've for sure rushed through grooming myself in the past and have definitely come out looking lopsided."

When you are ready to get going, be sure to only grab hold of those tiny stray hairs to get a natural finish. Make sure to follow Bartlett's rule of thumb. 

"Pluck no more than two hairs at a time before stepping back and evaluating the shape," Bartlett instructed. "It's easy to get pluck-happy and take too much."

Isolate the hair by slowly lifting it up from the skin; gently pull it in the direction of the growth to avoid breaking it in half or irritating the skin.

Step Five: Aftercare

Immediately after tweezing, Bartlett recommended cleaning your tweezers with soap or a facial cleanser to eliminate lingering bacteria. If you experience any redness, Oquendo suggested patting on a soothing moisturizer to the sensitized skin. Soare added that a gentle toner or aloe vera gel will also do the trick.

Step Six: Dress Them Up

Never apply makeup to irritated skin, but once it has calmed down, Soare noted there are plenty of products to take your brows to the next level. Soare recommended a few from her collection, such as Dipbrow Pomade, Brow Wiz, and Tinted Brow Gel — all of which have a cult following. However, she didn't pick favorites; that's totally up to you.

"Try a few and see what works for you and your brows," Soare suggested. "And if you have the time, developing a several-step brow routine will always be best."

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