When it comes to beauty trends, we love covering all things brows. After all, they do say your eyebrow shape helps frame your entire face. Lately we’ve focused on ways to grow our eyebrows into thick, statement-making brows and learning about the best ways to groom them either at home or by getting them laminated. But the one eyebrow trend we’re seeing as of late has nothing to do with grooming or shaping: bleached brows are making their Y2K comeback.
Want to achieve the bleached brow look? We asked brow expert Joey Healy to fill us in on everything we need to know so you can hop on the trend yourself.
Meet the Expert
Joey Healy is a NYC-Based eyebrow grooming expert.
The Bleach Brow Trend Is Back
Bleached eyebrows have deep history within the beauty world. You’ll notice this beauty look in many Y2K magazine spreads. As of late, you may have spotted bleached brows on celebs like Kendall Jenner at the 2022 Met Gala, Gigi Hadid as she walked down the runway, and Julia Fox sporting them all over TikTok.
“This look is a homage to the Y2K aesthetic, kind of late ’90s look—it was very runway & was pioneered by makeup artists such as Kevyn Aucoin. I think people are willing to take more risks these days. In this world where we are trying to crawl out of the pandemic, people want to experiment with their look and reinvent themselves with something fresh and new,” explains Healy.
He considers bleached eyebrows as lending themselves to a “very fashion-focused” look, and despite being difficult to pull off, people are ready to give the bold trend a try.
How to Bleach Your Eyebrows at Home
While Healy doesn’t recommend bleaching your eyebrows the DIY way (especially for your first try). he does have some tips and product recommendations if you’re insistent on doing it at home.
“There’s a product you can use at the drugstore called JOLEN Bleach, which is a facial hair bleach. You should use it to not necessarily make them white or white blonde, but to take out the severity of them. It works best when you’re taking a brow from black to dark brown or dark brown to medium brown,” he says.
1. Always Patch Test
Like any new product that’s coming in contact with your skin, you’ll need to patch test to make sure the bleach won’t cause a serious reaction. We recommend applying to the corner of your eyebrow or even a small patch on your arm hair.
2. Wash Your Face & Remove Makeup
With any brow treatment, you should be making sure you have a clean slate to start. When you visit a professional brow artist, they’ll clean your eyebrows and make sure no makeup is present on your skin before your treatment. Before you bleach, remove all your makeup and thoroughly cleanse your skin. Don’t use any moisturizers—save those for after the bleaching treatment.
3. Measure & Mix
The JOLEN Creme Bleach kit will come with an accelerator powder and cream. You’ll need to follow the instructions on the package for the right ratio of ingredients to mix together for your eyebrows. Grab a spoolie or two to help with precise application.
4. Apply & Wait
After applying the mixture, wait eight minutes and remove the cream with the spatula. If your eyebrows aren’t completely bleached, you can reapply the mixture for another five to 10 minutes. When you’re done, make sure to wash your eyebrows with soap and cold water.
If you leave the JOLEN Bleach on too long, your eyebrows can start to turn orange. This happens because you’re lifting the color of the hair but not toning it. “If you do want a specific shade of blonde hair, it’s best to go to an actual hairdresser who can then color correct after you lift,” Healy advises.
Maintaining Bleached Brows
Like maintaining any type of hair-coloring, bleached eyebrows require attention as they begin to grow out.
Use a Brow Serum
“Bleaching specifically does lift up the color and sometimes lift those lubricating oils that make brow hairs a little softer. You’ll want to replenish with peptides, botanicals, and vitamins,” says Healy. Using a brow serum is helpful after bleaching your eyebrows to make sure you’re taking care of the brow hairs and inspiring healthy growth.
Fill in With a Tinted Brow Gel
Healy suggests using a tinted brow gel, as it can help disguise your brow hairs as they are going back in to create a more uniform look.
Proceed With Caution
“Bleach is much stronger than other brow dyes, so you want to make sure you avoid contact with your eyes. If you feel skin irritation, remove the bleach immediately,” says Healy. This is why patch testing is an absolute must before bleaching your brows. You can even outline your brows with vaseline as a barrier to minimize how much skin the bleach will come in contact with.
Limit Chemical Brow Treatments
“If you are participating in other brow treatments, such as brow lamination, forget it—your brows are done for! If you decide to bleach your brows, that should be the only chemical process you are doing,” says Healy. If you want to bleach your brows but love the look of brow lamination, just use a strong brow gel or pomade instead to achieve the look.
Still debating if you want to bleach your own brows? Continue to scour social media for bleached brow reference photos that you like. Before committing, Healy suggests trying a lighter brow gel at home. “Maybe for you that’s a lighter blonde brow, maybe a soft brunette depending on your complexion, but the bleached brow look can be achieved with an opaque brow gel like our Brow Lacquer,” he adds.
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