Our eyebrows are one of the defining features of our faces. They frame our eyes, give definition to our facial expressions, and make a major esthetic statement. Therefore it’s no wonder that we all freak out a little when we face the possibility of losing them.
Whether it’s due to health concerns, overplucking to match a trend, or plain old advanced age, we all risk waking up one day and seeing sparse, patchy, thin, uneven eyebrows.
PMUHub explains the various causes of brow hair loss and the best eyebrow regrowth strategies. Let’s dive right in.
What Affects Eyebrow Hair Growth?
The rate of your eyebrow growth and the thickness they achieve are influenced by your:
- Overall health
- Age
- Grooming routine
- Skin and brow sensitivity
- Hormonal profile
- Diet
If your eyebrows aren’t growing as strong as they used to, or they’re outright falling out, there are many potential causes to consider:
- Overplucking/overgrooming
- Natural aging
- Pregnancy hormonal shifts
- Postpartum hair loss
- Poor nutrition
- High stress
- Chemical and environmental irritants
- Underlying medical conditions (alopecia, trichotillomania, psoriasis, some forms of dermatitis, hypo- or hyperthyroidism, etc)
- Cancer treatment
You could also just naturally have thin eyebrows.
Read through our guide through the common causes of thinning eyebrows and how to fix them for more insight and actionable tips.
You should also consult your doctor and/or a dermatology specialist for possible causes and a treatment plan.
Is Eyebrow Regrowth Possible?
Possible? Yes.
Likely? We’ll be honest; it’s a gamble.
There are quite a few options you can try, and each of them might or might not work for you.
The primary factor that determines whether you will achieve notable eyebrow regrowth – or indeed any at all – is the type and amount of damage originally done to your eyebrows.
If you simply overtweezed a few times, you probably didn’t do any permanent harm.
However, chronic overplucking will basically teach your body that growing new eyebrow hairs is pointless, and your follicles will simply give up at some point. Severely overtweezed brows will respond poorly, or not at all, to regular eyebrow regrowth treatments.
The same holds true for dyeing or bleaching your brows. A few sessions over a span of time may not ruin them, but a long period of bleach and/or dye might result in permanently thin, sparse, patchy eyebrows.
With all that in mind, here’s what you should know about how to grow eyebrows back.
Image source: Instagram @brows_and_base
How to Regrow Eyebrows with Lifestyle Changes
Before we get into specific tactics like products and treatments, it’s worth considering the little changes you can make first. Sometimes your brows just need a gentle nudge to get back on their growth track.
Leave Your Brows Alone
You have to let each hair grow back completely (as much as it can) to get a clear idea of what you’re working with. If you really feel they’re getting unruly, you can slightly trim them, but that’s it.
How long do you have to do this? At least 1 full month.
Brow hair takes 30-45 days to grow to its natural max length. After that, it takes around 3 more weeks to stop actively growing, and then another 2-4 months before it sheds and grows again.
The specific timeline will depend on your natural hair growth rate. It varies between individuals, but generally speaking, 1 full month is the bare minimum of time you need to let your eyebrows be.
Avoid Irritating Ingredients
If you already did some research on how to get eyebrows to grow back, you probably noticed many guides advising you to stay away from certain ingredients. Avoid any substances that would irritate the skin and follicles.
No more bleach and dye. Stop using any chemical exfoliants, as well as products that contain retinol. Repetitive irritation could cause inflammation in the area, and that certainly won’t help your brow recovery.
Be Careful with Skincare
The oils, creams, gels, etc. that the rest of your skin soaks up with joy are usually too heavy for the brows.
They weigh down the small hairs, especially if they’re thin and vulnerable. This makes them grow in the wrong direction and makes proper regrowth even more difficult.
Moreover, the skin under the eyebrows is thinner and more sensitive than on most of the face. Heavy skincare products could potentially clog it up and further impede your brows’ recovery.
Review Your Habits
Your eyebrows, like the rest of your hair (and skin, and fingernails!) directly reflect the overall condition of your body. Review your diet, hydration, and stress management.
Incorporate more nutrient-rich whole foods into your diet. Avoid processed foods, fast food, and junk snacks. Drink plenty of clear fluids. If you’re bored of plain old water, teas, fruit juices, soups etc. all count!
Consider getting some supplements for an extra boost. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for vitamins and minerals that would be best for your hair, nails, and skin.
Finally, mind your stress levels. Stress-induced hair loss can affect your eyebrows as well. Take a few minutes each day to take a walk, do some deep breathing, pet an animal, or do whatever relaxation activity suits you.
Image source: Freepik
Check Your Health
If you did all of the above and your brows aren’t improving, consult a dermatologist as well as your GP. They can assess possible causes of eyebrow hair loss, especially if it appears alongside other symptoms.
Your doctor can recommend further tests and treatment if necessary, and your dermatologist might prescribe some topical medication to help your brows.
Eyebrow Regrowth Products
If lifestyle changes aren’t getting your brows back, it’s time to introduce some stronger allies. There are many oils, creams, and serums that help improve or restore thin and patchy eyebrows.
Eyebrow Regrowth Oils
Nourishing oils are possibly the most popular natural remedies. They can stimulate and speed up your eyebrow growth cycle, but you have to be patient. Oils act slowly but steadily. You need to consistently apply them over several months.
You can find an in-depth guide through the best oils for eyebrow regrowth here, but here’s our top pick:
Kate Blanc Cosmetics Organic Castor Oil
Castor oil is undoubtedly the number one choice of eyebrow aficionados around the world. It’s rich in vitamin E, omega-6 fatty acids, and beneficial minerals.
Eyebrow Regrowth Serums
Like oils, brow serums are liquid treatments, but they’re a purposefully blended mix of active ingredients like biotin, peptides, and other nourishing agents.
They act somewhat faster than pure oils, but still require patience. You should stick to your serum routine for at least 4 weeks to achieve visible results.
You can find an in-depth guide through the brow growth serums here, but here’s our top pick:
RevitaBrow Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner
This formula is vegan, paraben-free, and phthalate-free. It features a unique combination of peptides, lipids, green tea extract, and biotin, so it’s ideal for damaged eyebrows and sensitive skin. It’s also safe for microbladed brows and skin that’s prone to allergies.
How to Grow Back Bald Spots in Eyebrows
Thin or missing patches in the brows are usually not a major issue, but they can still be a confidence damper. That’s why we looked into how to make eyebrows grow back when it’s just a specific spot that’s missing.
Good news: you have a few options.
First, see your doctor or dermatologist. They’ll assess the condition of your eyebrow, test for possible causes, and construct a tailored treatment plan for your situation. They might prescribe you some oral, topical, or injectable medications.
In addition, you can take some steps on your own, such as trying natural remedies, applying brow growth serums, and taking hair growth supplements.
You can also take some cosmetic measures to hide the bald spot until your treatment kicks in. Consider subtle makeup or brow lamination + tint, which will darken any baby hairs you may have that aren’t visible.
To round it out, read our in-depth guide through how to fix a bald spot in the eyebrows for more detailed insight.
NOTE
If you opt for supplements, consult your healthcare provider before starting them. Some substances could potentially interfere with the medication they prescribed, so make sure you clear any vitamins, minerals, etc. with your doctor.
Image source: Instagram @saharcurlyk
Treatments to Look Into
If natural remedies, serums, and OTC meds aren’t cutting it, you might want to look into some more intense solutions. The world of permanent makeup and associated skin care actually has a couple of options that might help restore your eyebrows.
Microneedling
Microneedling is a type of collagen induction therapy that‘s typically done to revitalize the skin, but it can have a very positive effect on hair growth too, including eyebrows.
It’s done with either a derma roller or a derma pen. Both work by stimulating the natural production of collagen and elastin in the treated area.
Microneedling for eyebrows is available as both a professional treatment and DIY. It relies on the micro-punctures created at a certain depth by the needles in the brow area.
They have three benefits:
- Stimulated blood flow brings more nutrients to the eyebrow hairs
- Opening the skin means better absorption of hair regrowth products
- Touching the hair bulbs with the microneedles means the follicles are jump-started into faster, thicker eyebrow growth
NOTE
Technically, you can do microneedling at home, as there are many derma rollers and derma pens you can buy online or over the counter. But bear in mind that microneedling with a derma pen is best done in salons by licensed, certified estheticians, to avoid risks and complications.
Microblading or Nano Brows
If you can’t regrow them, fake them!
Permanent makeup for eyebrows is the perfect solution for densifying thinning eyebrows, or completely reconstructing non-existent arches. There are 2 main styles of eyebrow tattoos: shading, and hair strokes.
But since you’re researching ways to regrow eyebrows, we assume you’d be more interested in a more natural enhancement, so we’ll introduce you to eyebrow microblading, and nano brows.
These are 2 forms of eyebrow tattooing which give the look of natural brow strands. Tiny strokes that mimic the hairs are tattooed onto the skin, and they look indistinguishable from natural hairs, albeit they’re not 3D.
While they don’t restore the hairs themselves, they can still give you a perfectly groomed, natural eyebrow look. Your artist will carefully choose the perfect permanent makeup pigment that matches your hair and skin tone.
They’ll map the ideal brow outline for your face shape, and you’ll be set for several years – or longer, if you commit to a few touch-ups every now and then.
Here’s a detailed guide through microblading, a detailed guide through nano brows, and a comparison of the 2.
Image source: Instagram @sophiebrows_
Eyebrow Transplant
If eyebrow tattooing doesn’t cut it for you and you’re adamant on a 3D restoration, you might want to consider undergoing an eyebrow transplant.
It’s a surgical procedure that may be performed by a plastic, cosmetic, or dermatologic surgeon, only in a licensed, certified clinic.
In the simplest terms, an eyebrow transplant takes hair from elsewhere on the body (usually the scalp) and transfers it to the brow area to boost or completely replace your eyebrows.
You can learn everything about the eyebrow transplant surgery process, effects, costs and associated risks in our ultimate eyebrow transplant guide.
Image source: Instagram @drnicolerogers
There’s a Silver Lining to Your Brow Struggles
Here’s the thing – thin brows are trendy right now! And believe it not, so are no brows! People are actively trying to erase their brows by bleaching to achieve a no-brow, so there’s a silver lining to your brow struggles.
Brow regrowth options take time, but the good news is that, in the meantime, no one will think your skinny brows are weird – they’re actually very in.
Cover image source: Freepik
