Call them feathered, spiky, laminated or soap brows: I was desperate to try the latest iteration of the bushy eyebrow trend for a few reasons. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, laminated brows can best be described as brow hairs that lay plastered and sleek against the skin in an upward direction.
Part of what makes this effect so appealing is that it creates the illusion of fuller brows without needing to pencil in far above or below your natural brow line, a method that can look really obvious and overdone. It essentially utilizes your own brow hairs and brow bone space to create a customized and “naturally unruly” brow while also filling in bare spots, even with sparser eyebrows. It can even create a more lifted or awake facial appearance.
When I attempted this technique using the traditional gels, waxes and brow soaps marketed toward keeping even the most stubborn brows in place, they simply didn’t work. After a few hours, my coarse Latina-brow hairs were back in their original state: growing sadly downwards, exposing naked post-scar patches that I have long been insecure about.
I knew that professional semi-permanent lamination sessions existed, however, when I saw this $30 at-home kit with positive reviews, I was tempted to try it ― and honestly, I’m glad I did.
Not only did it lift the hairs and keep them there long-term, it used my existing hairs to cover a bald patch on my left eyebrow and created the same shape that I normally do when using an eyebrow pencil.
This at-home brow lamination system works similarly to a perming treatment that you would get at a salon, except instead of curling hair, it sets brow hairs semi-permanently in your desired laminated position.
The whole process, which took about 45 minutes, involved gluing down the brows into my upward desired shape, applying the perming solution, waiting for it to set and then finishing up with a fixative solution to help the lamination last longer. The instruction booklet was extremely thorough and clear, so I never felt unsure about the next step.
The maker claims that this treatment can last up to eight weeks, depending on your brow hair texture. I started to notice a slight return to my original downward growth at around the three-week mark, however, if you have finer eyebrow hairs, you might be able to make it longer. Another great thing about this kit is there is enough product to last several treatments, so you can always repeat the process as needed as long as your brows are not brittle or in poor condition.
One thing I did find helpful was waiting for a day to get them wet, like you would with a regular perm treatment. I think this allowed the product to set better and helped the effect last longer. I also conditioned my brow hairs regularly with a facial oil to make sure they were in the best possible state of health.
Another important note is that although the kit claims to be plant-based, there are still some active ingredients might cause potential irritation, so you might want to conduct a patch test prior to use. The company also recommends applying Vaseline on the skin around your eyebrows in order to protect it from the solution.
If you have stubborn coarse brows that won’t stay up or finer, thinner brows that you want to make appear fuller, this at-home kit might be worth a try.
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