Monday
Oct162006
Step away from the tweezers
Monday, October 16, 2006 at 11:00AM
Help! I have what they call a bit of a tweezing problem: I can't stop plucking my eyebrows!
For many years in middle and high school I essentially had two bushes living above my eyes, and I had no idea. This is back when I wore pasty coral lipstick and ineffective brown eyeliner, so you can imagine. Then one day I finally noticed my fuzzy caterpillar problem and took action. I haven't gone more than a week without a good tweeze since.
It was a slow process over many years that whittled my eyebrows down to the tiny brush strokes they are now. At one point I actually had very shapely brows that received more compliments than any of my other facial features. As recently as six months ago I'd gotten the question, "Who does your eyebrows?" to which I always proudly answered, "Me."
However, in the last few months it's gotten out of control. I truly enjoy the process of plucking eyebrows (I do Brad's whenever he lets me), so when I get out my tweezers and magnified mirror, I can hardly help myself. Suddenly I'm pulling out hairs for all the wrong reasons. Oh that one is a different shade of brown. This one's too long. Too short. Too straight.
I realized it was out of control when I tried to tweeze my eyebrows one morning and there were no stray hairs, I had conquered them all, and it made me mad. I knew my tweezing had become about something more than just creating shapely brows, and it needed to stop.
So I tried to quit for awhile. I heard the best way to reshape eyebrows is to let them grow out and start all over again. I put the down the tweezers and my magnified mirror, and I was prepared to do that. Except they didn't grow. I waited and waited and all I got were 10-15 stray hairs that showed up way above or below the eyebrow. Nothing that was helping the process even a little.
There was one hair that grew in at the inside edge of my right brow, but it faced the opposite direction of the rest of the hairs! I let it go for a few weeks, hoping the brow would fill in around it, but nothing ever happened. How long does it take you stupid eyebrows just grow already! Finally I gave in. I grabbed the tweezers and ripped that sucker from my face. Along with the 10-15 other strays. And I was back where I started.
So I'm at a loss. How does one resurrect a shapely brow? How does one save eyebrows that have gone wrong? My eyebrows are still decent, it's not like I'm walking around with a bare forehead (see this picture for evidence). But I'd like to have more to work with.
But how? How do I start over again, short of going two years without tweezing? I'm thinking after being ripped from their follicles so many times, the hairs might just give up the fight and stop growing back. Am I stuck with my over-plucked eyebrows forever?
For many years in middle and high school I essentially had two bushes living above my eyes, and I had no idea. This is back when I wore pasty coral lipstick and ineffective brown eyeliner, so you can imagine. Then one day I finally noticed my fuzzy caterpillar problem and took action. I haven't gone more than a week without a good tweeze since.
It was a slow process over many years that whittled my eyebrows down to the tiny brush strokes they are now. At one point I actually had very shapely brows that received more compliments than any of my other facial features. As recently as six months ago I'd gotten the question, "Who does your eyebrows?" to which I always proudly answered, "Me."
However, in the last few months it's gotten out of control. I truly enjoy the process of plucking eyebrows (I do Brad's whenever he lets me), so when I get out my tweezers and magnified mirror, I can hardly help myself. Suddenly I'm pulling out hairs for all the wrong reasons. Oh that one is a different shade of brown. This one's too long. Too short. Too straight.
I realized it was out of control when I tried to tweeze my eyebrows one morning and there were no stray hairs, I had conquered them all, and it made me mad. I knew my tweezing had become about something more than just creating shapely brows, and it needed to stop.
So I tried to quit for awhile. I heard the best way to reshape eyebrows is to let them grow out and start all over again. I put the down the tweezers and my magnified mirror, and I was prepared to do that. Except they didn't grow. I waited and waited and all I got were 10-15 stray hairs that showed up way above or below the eyebrow. Nothing that was helping the process even a little.
There was one hair that grew in at the inside edge of my right brow, but it faced the opposite direction of the rest of the hairs! I let it go for a few weeks, hoping the brow would fill in around it, but nothing ever happened. How long does it take you stupid eyebrows just grow already! Finally I gave in. I grabbed the tweezers and ripped that sucker from my face. Along with the 10-15 other strays. And I was back where I started.
So I'm at a loss. How does one resurrect a shapely brow? How does one save eyebrows that have gone wrong? My eyebrows are still decent, it's not like I'm walking around with a bare forehead (see this picture for evidence). But I'd like to have more to work with.
But how? How do I start over again, short of going two years without tweezing? I'm thinking after being ripped from their follicles so many times, the hairs might just give up the fight and stop growing back. Am I stuck with my over-plucked eyebrows forever?
in My anatomy, So Annoyed, Women
My anatomy, So Annoyed, Women
Reader Comments (7)
Oh man, have you seen my old post about my former plucking problem? If not, here it is:
http://onenjenifer.blogspot.com/2005/05/tweezer-intervention.html
I tell ya, it's possible to overcome the hold the tweezers have on you. Though, it will take a good couple years before the brows fully recover. Mine are still a work in progress after all this time.
Good luck!
I have the answer to this one!
A while ago, I tried Biotin (vitamin supplements) to help my hair and eyebrows grow. It's supposed to strengthen, but can also help to stimulate growth. It did the trick, but unfortunately also stimulated hair growth across the board. Not what was I was going for.
Then I read a review of Talika (brand) Lipocils (product). It comes in a mascara-like tube, but with a lipgloss-like wand, and you just sort of "paint" it on. I was very skeptical but there were so many raving reviews on the makeup forum/site. And it worked. My brows grew in where they'd be fading, and were fuller. I was thrilled and I highly recommend trying it. It's pricey, but I got it for about half the price on eBay.
Good luck!
Oh yeah, one more thing. After being plucked too much, the folicles do die out and eventually stop growing hair. I read that recently. I have a nervous habit of pulling out my eyelashes on one eye. Very weird I know. ..... Think I may try the Lipocils for eyelashes. :o)
I think your eyebrows look great. Not too thin. Not too bushy. Although I did see, recently, that fuller brows are back in.
I'm in the same boat. I've plucked mine for so long, there isn't much that grows back and, when it does, it's sparse at best. So, let me know what you come up with.
I,now, fill mine in every day with an eyeshadow that is similar to my hair color. I learned this trick from a guy who waxed them once for me. Hmmm...this brings about comparison time...
Now: http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessjessigirl/228354025/
Pre-plucked "Then": http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessjessigirl/274018882/
YIKES!
Lindsay -
Don't feel so weird. I do know someone who has a "plucking" issue. She pulls her eyebrows and eyelashes. She always wore falsies. Thank heavens she introduced me to false eyelashes. They came in handy when I was holding my eyelash curler too tight and ripped out half an eyelid of lashes over Labor Day weekend. They still haven't fully grown back but they are better, nonetheless.
Oh, yay. Now we're using Shannon's comment section to converse. Love it! :oP
Falsies freak me out because I know if I used 'em once I'd use 'em always and that's just another annoying morning ritual. Eeks. ... I feel you on the eyelash curler thing, though. In high school, while curling my lashes, I was walking to my dresser and tripped on something, pulling out ALL the eyelashes on one eye. Yeah, that's hard to cover up.
Thanks for the thoughts though.
One other thing, Shan. If you're trying to fill 'em in, try using a brown eyeshadow instead. It looks more real/less harsh than the pencils.
I suffer with trichotillomania, that is the medical term for compulsive pulling out of hairs. I pull lashes and brows and have a tweezing obsession too. Mine are also not growing that well.
I have tried most things and the only way to see for sure is just to leave them alone. Talika does help but it doesn't work miracles for me. Just keep being patient, that is the key.
k, this is years later but I thought I would chime in with this bit of advice since not a lot of people know about it for some reason. You can buy women's rogaine, or a generic version at that, and drip it on a bit on your brows every day for a couple of weeks and they will most likely grow back.
I had the exact same problem, but I actually over plucked so badly to even them out that one half of one of my eyebrows was basically non-existent. I had to fill them in every day. Pool parties weren't much fun. This went on for several years with many attempts to allow them to grow. A girl at the spa gave me that word of advice and after I used the rogaine a few times they grew back rapidly.