What is a Brow Facial?
We spend a lot of time doing the same skincare routine every day an for good reasons, it’s probably working for you and these are carved out precious moments to cleanse and rejuvenate your skin, washing away both the city’s hustle and daily stresses. But have you heard of the half-face facial?
Our brows can hold so much tension and switching up your skincare routine by adding in some simple at home techniques to care for your brows can do wonders.
Grooming your brows can become another moment of mindfulness. The focus required to shape or treat them encourages you to slow down, be present, and tune into yourself, just like meditation or journaling. This small act of having well-groomed brows help to not only frame the face, but to enhance natural features and can subtly lift your entire appearance. That small transformation often translates into a big confidence boost, which positively impacts your mood and self-esteem.
Creating a brow facial at-home starts with cleansing the brow-area, removing any make-up, residue and bacteria that may be making it harder to see your brows recovering any shape and style. It’s important to use a gentle cleanser that won’t pull away the hairs. Using a reusable cleansing cloth with warm water in gentle circular motions will best remove elements from the brow area, whilst keeping hairs intact. If you use a face wipe, you’ll more likely to pull away hairs as you’re putting more pressure through your fingers when trying to remove product.
Once brows are clean, a lymphatic drainage massage technique using a gua sha or ice roller can help stimulate blood flow to the brows, encouaging growth, whilst also creating a temporary lifted appearance. Work the massage in an upwards motion, this will help “lift” the brows and reduce any inflammation or puffiness. A light pressure is fine – too harsh and you’ll end up with redness and potential abrasion/damage caused to the skin barrier. The skin around the brows is very delicate due to being thinner than that on our cheeks, so unlike a full facial, it’s important to take more precaution when giving yourself a brow facial.
A brow facial also differs from an at-home facial with no use of a facial steamer. This is because heat can weaken the hair shaft, leading to brittleness, thinning, or even shedding.
Follow on with a soothing moisturiser, a gel formula is faster-absorbing, and won’t leave any residue. Look for a cooling formula, and avoid adding heat to your brows. You can also substitue a gel moisturiser with an upper half face mask, ensuring the brows are covered, leaving this on for 12-15 minutes. You want to soften and hydrate the brow area to not only create a glowing finish, but to make it easier to tidy brows through shaping and tweezing.
Next, brush your brows into shape with a clean spooly. Never reuse a brow spooly if it hasn’t been cleaned – you’ll end up putting more residue and bacteria back onto the skin, causing breakouts and making it harder to shape to your desired finish.
Depending on your brow length, for longer brow hairs, brush them down first, then up into position. This will create a more natural brow placement. If hairs are out of the brow boundary, it’s a good time to give them a trim with brow specific scissors that have a more precise and sharp edge.
Lastly, grab a pair of tweezers such as Rubis Classic Slant Tweezers, and lift the brows from the inside working outside, plucking any unwanted stray hairs.
To finish, use a brow growth serum to infuse enriching nutrients to help support the growth, strength and hydration of your brows. Avoid applying brow make-up such as powders, pencils or tints for at least 30-45 minutes after your brow facial. The longer you leave them without make-up, the better for their overall skin health.
Written by Fides Baldesberger, Brow expert and Rubis Tweezers CEO