How to Pluck Your Eyebrows

Co-authored by Camille Sanghera

Last Updated: May 23, 2023 Approved

Are you worried about plucking your eyebrows? You'll feel a little pinch, but using the right technique will minimize the pain. Learn how to pluck and shape your brows like a professional.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using the Right Technique

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1
Soften the skin around your brows. When the skin there is soft and supple, the hairs slide out much more easily. Plucking skin that is dry and stiff will make the experience more painful.^{[1]
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- Plan to pluck your brows right after you take a shower. The warm water and steam will have left your skin moist and supple. Just be sure to dry off your eyebrows before plucking or it may be hard to grasp your eyebrow hairs.
- If you need to pluck at other times of the day, wash your face with warm water and blot it dry. You could also take a washcloth and put it in the hottest water you can handle, then place it on your eyebrows for 2 minutes. It will open the pores, making it easier to pluck.
For most people, the hair grows outward from the nose toward the hairline. In some cases, people's brows have hairs growing in more than one direction. Take careful note, because you'll want to pull the hairs in the direction of their growth when you pluck; this helps them come out cleanly.^{[2]
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3
Hold a pair of tweezers in your hand like you would a pencil. The open end should be up. Give it a few squeezes so you're comfortable with the motion you will need to use to pluck your brows.
- Use fine-tipped, clean tweezers. If the tweezers you use are too blunt or unwieldy, the process of plucking can take much longer and cause unnecessary pain.
4
Place the tip of the tweezer at the root of the hair you want to pluck. (Follow the directions below to figure out which hair you should be plucking). Get as close to the root of the hair as possible and pull, always pulling in the direction of hair growth and keeping the tweezers angled as close to your skin as possible.
- Continue this until you have finished plucking one brow, then repeat on the other brow.
- If you need to stop and take some breaks, that's ok. Resume plucking when you're ready.
- Sometimes plucking eyebrows causes the eyes to tear up and the nose to itch. That's perfectly normal; just keep going until you're finished.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Figuring Out Where to Pluck

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1
Identify the place where your brows should begin. This is different for every face, but the same technique may be used to find anyone's brow line. Take an eyebrow pencil or another long instrument and line it up from inner corner of your eye to the edge of your nose. Use a white pencil to make a dot above the spot where it crosses your eyebrow. This is where your brow should begin. Repeat with the other nostril.^{[3]
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- Feel free to move the dot a little forward or backward. This technique shows you the general spot where your eyebrows should begin, but your personal preferences can also come into play.
- Make sure the instrument you use to find your brow's starting place is very thin. If you use something thick, it will slightly throw off where you place the dot.
Nicely groomed eyebrows arch around the eye, and the place where they peak can make a big difference in your final look. Take the same instrument, and this time line it up from the outer edge of your nostril to the outer edge of your iris. Mark the spot where it crosses your brow, and repeat on the other side.
This time line up the instrument from the edge of your nostril to the outer corner of your eye. Mark the spot where it falls across your brow. This is where your brow should naturally end; repeat on the other side.^{[4]
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4
Figure out how thick you want your brows to be. There is no "perfect" thickness for eyebrows; it all depends on your face shape and style choices. You should have a thickness in mind before you start plucking, so you'll avoid plucking too much or too little.^{[5]
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Research source} Consider the following factors:
- The size of your eyes. If you have large eyes, you might want to balance them with thicker brows. If you have small eyes, balance them with thinner brows.
- The space between your brows and your eyes. If your brows are set high on your forehead, you may want to go with heavier brows to help frame your eyes. If you have a low-set browbone that slightly juts over your eyes, go with thinner brows so they don't look too heavy over your eyes.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Shaping Your Eyebrows

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1
Use an eyebrow brush to brush the hairs straight up. Brush them slightly in the direction they grow. You'll immediately see some long, unruly hairs that need to be plucked.
- Brushing your brows upwards will also help you to identify where you want to trim your brows.
2
Pluck the hairs that fall outside the dots you made. Carefully pluck a hair at a time, shaping your brows according to the plan you made.^{[6]
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- Pluck the hairs that are closer to your nose than the dots you drew over your inner brows.
- Shape the arch areas by plucking a few hairs around the peaks to give them a more defined shape.
- Pluck the hairs that fall closer to your temples than the dots you drew on the outside of your brows.
- Pluck more hairs from the bottom of your brows to make them as thin or thick as you'd like.
When you're shaping your brows, take it slow. Step back and look in the mirror every few minutes to check your progress. Make sure you don't pluck too much; eyebrow hairs can take 6 weeks to grow back, and sometimes they don't grow back at all.
Comb your brows in the direction of their growth and apply a bit of brow gel (or hair gel) to hold them in place.

Expert Q&A

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Question

Is it better to wax or pluck eyebrows?

Cassandra McClure
Makeup Artist
Cassandra McClure is a clean beauty advocate, working to increase use of sustainable and healthy cosmetics, based in Palo Alto, California. She has worked in the beauty and cosmetic industries for over 15 years, as a model, makeup artist, and entrepreneur. She has a Masters in High Definition Makeup from the MKC Beauty Academy.

Cassandra McClure

Makeup Artist

Expert Answer

Pluck, definitely! Over time, waxing causes your skin to lose its elasticity. Plus, the skin around your eyes is so sensitive and delicate that frequent waxing will eventually cause damage to your eyelids.

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What is a good age to start plucking your eyebrows?

Camille Sanghera
Beauty Stylist
Camille Sanghera is the Owner of Lash Envy Cosmetics and Esvee Beauty in the Vancouver, British Columbia area. Camille is trained and certified in microblading, scalp micropigmentation, eyelash extensions, hair and makeup, and lash lifts. She is listed on Microblading Map Canada and has also been featured on TuneIn Radio and in Bridal Fashion Week Magazine.

Camille Sanghera

Beauty Stylist

Expert Answer

Talk to your parents about grooming your eyebrows and figure out what is best for you as an individual.

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What can I do to reduce the pain?

Community Answer

Some people find that pulling up on the skin helps reduce the pain. Other people find that pressing ice cubes (wrapped in tissue or fabric) helps numb the area, and this reduce pain. Aloe Vera gel is also very helpful in soothing irritation and pain after plucking.

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Tips

If you don't have a spoolie brush, use a toothbrush to comb your eyebrows into place.

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Do not tweeze one eyebrow completely and then do the other. You will be able to achieve balanced results by doing a few hairs on one eye and then alternating eyes from there.

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Apply lotion to the skin around your eyebrows to soothe the pain and redness.

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Warnings

Plucking a hair frequently can destroy the follicle and it may not grow back. Be sure not to overpluck.

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The angle of tweezing is important for pain-free removal and to prevent ingrown hairs and irritation. Pull in the direction of hair growth at a shallow angle (at an angle less than 45 degrees), but never pull straight up.

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