While your eyes may be the ‘windows’ to your soul, your eyebrows sure help frame and draw attention to your peepers— making them just as important! We checked in with beauty and skincare experts for 3 timeless, go-to tips to follow if your goal is thicker, healthier and more noticeable brows. Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from clinical dermatologist Dr. Enrizza P. Factor and Dr. Firdous Ibrahim, MD, cosmetic dermatologist, trichologist, and aesthetic physician at Aesthetic Visions Clinic.
Tip #1— Lay Off The Tweezing
Whether you already have thick-ish brows or wish you could grow more hair, Factor stresses the importance of tweezing less to promote growth. While this isn't encouraging you to have a unibrow by any means, letting a little more hair grow near your arch area and peak can make your brows look thicker and fuller. "If your thin brows result from grooming or a medical issue manageable with medication, the hair can grow back thicker," she explains, adding that the only real way to thicken brows naturally is to "stop tweezing, waxing, and threading and let them grow." While this may seem simple enough, it can be "tempting to tweeze one hair here and one hair there," she says, so resisting the urge could lead to the results you desire.
#2— Apply Hair Growth Serum/ Oil
Along with putting down those tweezers, Factor also advises to apply a serum and/or oil to your eyebrows daily to promote growth. In addition, she says to "exfoliate and moisturize." Before applying any brow hair treatment, she suggests "cleansing the skin under your brows." Next, "condition with oil, again take a break from tweezing," and lastly, "apply a hair growth serum." Ibrahim adds that there are "several eyebrow serums and oils in the market that can help nourish the hair follicles and promote growth." These products, she says, can help to stimulate hair growth and make your brows look fuller.
"Go for natural products and look for products that contain ingredients like biotin, keratin, or rosemary, caster, almond oil," she advises, noting to use products "free from sulphates, silicones, parabens, and mineral oils." Castor oil, in particular, Ibrahim notes, is a popular home remedy to grow thicker eyebrows. "While the exact mechanism by which castor oil promotes hair growth is not clear, some theories suggest that it may work by moisturizing the hair follicles, which can promote eyebrow growth." There is also some evidence to suggest that castor oil may help to reduce inflammation, she says, which could also contribute to hair growth. However, she stresses, more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness.
#3— Eat A More Balanced Diet
While a well-rounded, nutrient-rich diet is truly the key to everything, Ibrahim suggests that there are some foods that can target and promote brow hair growth. "A healthy diet is important for overall health and can also impact the condition of your skin and hair," She says. She deems salmon to be a "great source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D," all of which are necessary for healthy hair growth.
"Nuts are an excellent source of biotin, a nutrient that is essential for hair growth," she adds, and "eggs are a great source of protein and sulfur, both of which are necessary for healthy hair growth." Ibrahim concludes that "dark leafy greens are a great source of iron, folate," and other essential nutrients that are necessary for healthy hair growth.
