In the same way that tiny brows from the 1990s are still popular now, bleached eyebrows are divisive and controversial.
Take a look at all the A-list celebrities who have sported the style this year, including Bella and Gigi Hadid, Julia Fox, and Amelia Gray, who recently walked the catwalks at 2022 Fashion Week wearing the look, as well as Kendall Jenner, Lizzo, Lily James, and Dove Cameron, who bleached her brows for the 2022 Met Gala.
Most famously, though, was Kim Kardashian (of course), who for Interview’s “American Dream” issue revealed bleached brows and an exposed bottom, sparking yet another upsurge in interest in the trendy look. In fact, “bleached eyebrows,” “bleached brows,” and hashtag #bleachedbrows have racked up a combined 515 million views on TikTok, according to Cloud Nine, while Google searches for “bleached brows” more than doubled after Kardashian shared the picture to social media.
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Translation? Here is everything you need to know about the trend because bleached eyebrows aren’t going away any time soon.
The bleached-brow trend
It’s obvious that celebrities and fashion designers adore the bleached brow trend, but why is it so popular right now? The craze is simply another evolution of the 1990s and Y2K look, claims famous eyebrow expert Joey Healy. Healy tells Glamour that “people are looking backward while they are moving forward, and people are willing to take more risks these days.”
People want to remake themselves with something new and fresh in this environment where we are attempting to claw our way out of the pandemic, Healy says. People are willing to take a risk and think outside the box because it is also a highly fashionable appearance, even though it can be challenging to carry off. Additionally, he claims that the look was developed by makeup artists like Kevyn Aucoin and was inspired by the runway, where it is evidently still dominant.
A guide to bleaching your eyebrows
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If you’re feeling particularly motivated, please be aware that brow specialists almost uniformly advise against whitening your own brows and recommend instead seeing a professional. But if you must, Healy advises that you start with Jolen Bleach, a bleach for facial hair, to lighten the intensity of the pigment in your brows.
As he points out, the product doesn’t contain toner. “It works best when you’re taking a brow from black to dark brown or dark brown to medium brown, but if you leave it on too long, they can start to look orange,” he explains. As a result, whether you desire a particular blonde colour or style (and to be as safe as possible)
Healy highly advises exercising caution and bearing in mind that bleach is significantly more potent than conventional brow dyes if you do decide to go the DIY route. Healy suggests to remove it off right away if you get skin irritation and to make sure it isn’t dripping or close to your eyes. In order to prevent the brow hair from processing further after you’ve removed the beach, be sure to properly rinse the brows with moist cotton balls. Realize that removing the colour can be slightly detrimental to the brows if the hair is a little bit thinner or drier, he advises.
How to care for bleached brows
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Maintenance can be difficult after bleaching your eyebrows. You are limited in what you can do to maintain the look. When your eyebrows grow back in, they don’t just have roots, which is a little problematic, Healy tells Glamour. “They sort of develop, relax, and shed. The best course of action is to wait until your brow has returned to its natural form before lifting it once more because bleached brows get flecked with natural-colored hairs.
To put it briefly, it’s preferable to let them grow out since else it will be nearly impossible to properly touch them up. Healy emphasises that you won’t be able to spot-treat [the bleached regions] when you go to apply bleach again. The natural hairs lift well, however previously raised or bleached hairs sometimes appear orange or look strange. You need to be sure to bleach “virgin” hairs every time because you can’t specifically target those with brow dye because you’re lifting out the colour instead of just depositing it. Because of this, it’s best to wait to rebleach your brows until they have fully grown in again because otherwise, the shade won’t be consistent.
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Despite this, there are steps you can do to preserve your brow hairs and cover the specked new growth. Healy explains that if you’re not sure if you want to commit to bleaching your brows, you can always try a lighter brow gel. “Tinted brow gel can help camouflage the brows as they are growing back in, and provide a more even look,” she says. The bleached brow look may be achieved using an opaque brow gel like [Joey Healy] Brow Lacquer since it actually coats and covers each individual hair. Depending on your complexion, this might be a lighter blonde or a soft brunette for you.
Another choice? Just use cosmetics to cover up your brows. Healy advises, “You can use your concealer, so it kind of looks like your skin tone, and a mascara wand.” At the very least, “[do this] before you bleach them, simply to preview the look.”
Healy concludes by advising the use of a nourishing eyebrow serum to repair any damage your brows may have endured: “Bleaching specifically does lift up the colour, and sometimes lift lubricating oils that make the brow a little softer, so you’ll want to replenish them with peptides, botanicals, and vitamins.”
Feeling motivated? Begin your brow-bleaching adventure below.
