By Ashlyn Robinette
In the last decade, doing your eyebrows has become a vital step in beauty routines. With eyebrow creams, gels, pencils, pens, pomades, powders, etc. the eyebrow market has expanded exponentially. In the past, thin brows were popular, but now thick brows are all of the hype.
Since then, we’ve seen an array of eyebrow fads come and go such as Instagram brows, ombre brows, feather brows, and even fox-eye brows where you shave off your eyebrow tail. Recently, “soap brows” have taken over Tik Tok, where people take a wet spoolie brush and drag it across a clear soap bar (in place of an eyebrow gel for a longer hold) then apply it to their eyebrows for a brushed up, fluffy look.
The soap brow technique is actually intended to mimic the hottest beauty trend of 2020: Eyebrow Lamination.
What Is It?
Eyebrow lamination is essentially a perm for your eyebrows, giving them a fixed shape for 4-8 weeks. A brow lamination won’t make your eyebrow hairs curly like traditional perms, but rather do the opposite, helping your eyebrow hairs stay brushed and lifted upward.
Whereas the past eyebrow craze usually involved heavy makeup. Eyebrow lamination requires no makeup whatsoever for that effortless model look. This new technique adds fullness and fluffiness to your natural brows by taming and holding them in place to enhance your natural beauty.
After getting your brows laminated, you’ll wake up every morning with fuller brows in a beautiful shape, having the eyebrow step of your beauty routine already done so you’re ready to go.
The Process
Eyebrow lamination is typically geared towards those with unruly, thinning, or over-plucked brows. At your appointment, you should arrive with a clean and clear face. Your licensed esthetician or cosmetologist will cleanse your brows. Next, they will paint a lifting cream onto the brows to chemically break down the bonds of the hair so that the hairs are able to be moved into a more vertical direction.
Following that, the brow hairs are brushed up into your preferred shape and a neutralizer is applied in order to reform the bond shape of your hair. If you have lighter hair then you may also get your eyebrows tinted during the process, meaning that your eyebrows will be dyed darker to help better define them. They may also clean up your eyebrow shape with some tweezing or shaving. The entire process takes between 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes. Once finished, your eyebrows will have a bolder, more defined, slick, and shiny appearance, hence the term lamination.
Laminated brows have relatively low maintenance. With a traditional perm, people must wait at least 48 hours before getting their hair wet. Similarly, you must wait at least 24 hours before getting your laminated eyebrows wet. Once that time has passed, you should apply a nourishing oil, such as castor oil, nightly to strengthen your eyebrows. In addition, daily brushing of your eyebrows with a disposable spoolie brush is encouraged to help keep your hairs in place.
I Tried It (Twice!)… Does It Actually Work?
YES!
While I already have thick, dark eyebrows due to my Colombian side, they were completely unruly, going every which way, so I decided to get them laminated. Boy, am I glad I did!
Admittedly, I was apprehensive at first. I’ve had some traumatic experiences with people doing my eyebrows, which is the sole reason I will never get my eyebrows waxed ever again. I had some fears going into the lamination. I feared that the solution they apply would make my eyebrow hairs fall off or that the person laminating them would over-pluck my brows. I was completely wrong.
After reading reviews, I decided to get my eyebrows done at “Brows By Ana.” Ana was very kind and professional, ensuring that I was comfortable every step of the way. Before the process began, the preparation was relatively simple. I just had to do the following:
Stop using Accutane or retinol two weeks prior to treatment and 2 weeks post-treatment
Have no cuts/wounds/abrasions near or on the brow area
Have no severe acne or eye infection
Once at my appointment, Ana and I went over my allergies and discussed possible side-effects of the treatment. The side effects consist of slight redness or irritation if you have sensitive skin.
She then asked me to explain exactly what I wanted my brows to look like. I personally prefer a messy, fluffy brow. Ana listened, shaping the top and tail of my brows with a small razor while leaving the bottom of my brows very natural, only plucking a few hairs here and there.
During the process, which took just under an hour, Ana played music and kept talking to a minimum because of COVID (we were both wearing masks). After the treatment, I looked at my eyebrows and absolutely loved them. They were full, fluffy, and had that editorial model look, which made me feel more confident.
Ana then gave me some castor oil and disposable spoolie brushes so that I could brush my eyebrows daily and apply the oil nightly once the 24 hours of keeping my eyebrows dry were up. I now trust someone other than myself to do my eyebrows.
I really only noticed the effects of the lamination for about 4 weeks, but that more has to do with the rate at which your eyebrow hairs grow and fall out than it does with the actual treatment. It may last longer for others. Regardless, I was pleased enough to get it done again.
The second time I got my eyebrows laminated I had to wait 8-10 weeks before my next appointment in order to preserve the health and integrity of my eyebrow hairs. Again, I loved my eyebrows and foresee myself getting them done again in the future.
Sidenote: castor oil works wonders in growing out your eyebrows, go get it!
Where To Get The Treatment?
Brow lamination is expensive, ranging from $65 to $125+ excluding a tip. For that reason, it may be best to compare prices in order for it to be more affordable. What comes before price for me is the person. Do your research before picking someone to treat your brows. This is true for all brow services- lamination, microblading, waxing, etc. Read the reviews and make sure you trust whoever is doing your eyebrows so that you are happy with the results.
As mentioned earlier, I, like ASU influencer Luisa Piou got my eyebrows done by “Brows by Ana” in Gilbert, AZ, which is now priced at $125.
Other ASU and non-ASU influencers, such as Keaton Milburn get their eyebrows laminated as well. To achieve the same look, search “eyebrow lamination” and read the reviews of places that offer the service in your area and compare prices.
As for the castor oil and disposable spoolie brushes, if the person treating your eyebrows does not provide them for you, then you can easily find the items on Amazon.
Overall, eyebrow lamination is the perfect treatment for you if you want bold, fluffy brows.
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