How to Trim Your Eyebrows

Last Updated: February 16, 2022 References

Whether you want to just clean your brows up a little bit or you want a complete makeover, there are lots of ways to trim them and lots of styles to go for! The two basic methods, using scissors or tweezers, are perfect for any trim job. After trimming, you can touch up with tweezers for an expertly manicured look that perfectly frames your face!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Trimming with Scissors

1
Brush your eyebrow hairs up. Use a spoolie brush to brush the top of your eyebrows straight upward in a repetitive sweeping motion. All of the hairs that extend up out of the eyebrow when you do this need to be trimmed.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Ashleigh Grounds
Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 22 April 2020.}
2
Hold the hairs in place with the brush. Use the spoolie brush to comb the hairs up to the top edge of the brow. Use the brush to hold the hairs while you trim to prevent cutting them too short.

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3
Use scissors to trim the hair above the brush.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Ashleigh Grounds
Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 22 April 2020.} Use some nail cutting scissors or hair cutting shears to cut the excess length that’s sticking out of the top of the brush. Focus on cutting the longest hairs and slightly stagger the length as you go by cutting each hair a slightly different length than the one before. This will make your eyebrows look more natural.^{[4]
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4
Brush the hairs out at a 45-degree angle and trim them. After you’ve cut the long hairs, use the spoolie brush to comb the eyebrow hairs out at a 45-degree angle. Hold them in place with the spoolie brush, then trim any hairs that are excessively long.
5
Comb the hairs down and trim off the excess. Now, use the spoolie brush to brush the eyebrow hairs downward. Trim away the excess hair on the underside of the brow.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Ashleigh Grounds
Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 22 April 2020.}
- Repeat the entire process on your other eyebrow.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Tweezers

1
Take a shower before you tweeze. Take a hot shower beforehand to open up your hair follicles. This will make the hairs come out easier, which will also likely be less painful and irritating.^{[6]
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2
Pluck hairs above your nose and and underneath your arches. Cleaning up these areas can make a big difference when it comes to perfecting your brow’s shape and making it look neater overall. Look for stray hairs underneath your arches and above the bridge of your nose, grip them one at a time with a pair of slanted tweezers, and yank them out in one quick motion.^{[7]
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- Use your fingers to stretch out the skin you’re plucking the hair from. This can make the plucking process less painful.^{[8]
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3
Pull out each hair in the direction of growth. Pay attention to the direction the hairs grow in before you attempt to pull them out. Make sure to pluck each hair in the direction of growth so that you can swiftly remove the entire strand. Going against the grain can make the hair break off near the root, which can lead to ingrown hairs.^{[9]
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4
Stay away from magnifying mirrors to avoid over-plucking. It might be your natural instinct to zoom in on your eyebrows so that you can see every detail better. Resist the urge to do this, as it can give you the illusion of having more follicles than you really do. This may make you accidentally over-pluck your eyebrows.^{[10]
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- Stop, take a step back, and look at the overall picture several times while plucking. This will also help you avoid removing too much hair.^{[11]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Getting the Right Shape

1
Use the inner corner of your eye as a guide. To find out where your eyebrow should begin, trace an imaginary line from the inner corner of your eye up through the eyebrow. Remove the hairs that extend toward your nose from that line.
2
Go for an eyebrow shape that complements your face shape. Everyone’s different, so no two eyebrows look exactly the same and slightly different shapes look better on different faces. Take a look at your face shape so that you can figure out what subtle changes you can make to your eyebrows in order to look your best.^{[12]
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- If you have a long or rectangular face, an eyebrow that’s flatter and straighter across will make your face appear a little shorter.
- Thick brows can look overwhelming on small faces and heart-shaped faces.
- Thick brows create balance if you have a square jaw.
- A more curved brow can soften the angles of a diamond face shape.
3
Use a brow gel to make the hairs go in the same direction. Keep control of your brow hairs by using a brow gel. Apply the gel by moving the wand upward and outward against the brow. This will help your brows maintain their nice shape all day.^{[13]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

How do you shape your eyebrows?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

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Trim long hairs or ones that stick out. Tweeze minimally hairs that are between brows or strays.
Question

How do you cut eyelashes?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

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You should not cut your eyelashes. Trimming or styling your eyelashes is ok, however.
Question

How should a man trim his eyebrows?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

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Comb them up and trim off any hairs that stick up more than 1/4" above the edge of the brow. Then, comb hair out and trim off hairs that are substantially longer than others.

Warnings

If you go overboard with trimming or plucking, it may take a long time for your eyebrow hair to grow back completely. Take your time and remove little bits at a time to keep from trimming the hair too short or over-plucking.

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