It’s any annoying side-effect of aging: Eyebrows, just like your hair, lose density over time. “This can be because of hormonal changes, and factors such as stress or lack of nutrients,” says makeup artist Arturo Alba. “The follicles produce thinner hairs less quickly, which reduces the density of eyebrows over the years.” And don’t forget the era of over-plucking—ahem, from the currently trending ‘90s—which resulted in super-thin eyebrows that never really fully grew back.
But hope is not lost. Just because the hair isn’t growing on its own, you can still fake it. Three ways to get thicker, more defined brows, below.
Careful cleaning
Both Alba and Monica Ceño, founder of The Lab Room (which tends to the brows of Vogue editors) say leftover product from the daytime can bring brows down—literally. “It can weaken the hair follicles, causing hair to fall out,” Ceño says. That’s why it’s so important to completely remove makeup at the end of the day, as well as nourish the brows themselves.
“Eyebrows are still a hair fiber, even if the placement is on the face,” Alba adds. “Try a serum with biotin or peptides, and moisturize with an oil like castor oil. With good care, it’s possible to slow the effects products have on eyebrows.”
The highlighter trick
This is The Lab Room’s signature technique for instant brows: Place a creamy highlighter right below the brow, on the brow bone. “This placement optically lifts and makes eyebrows look more defined and polished,” Ceño says.
A hair-friendly diet
The hair across your body will benefit from a diet rich in vitamins A, B, C, and E, as well as omega-3s. Foods like eggs, chia seeds, and vitamins can help, and even kefir (which has zinc, iron, and protein).
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