Unibrow / Monobrow: Pluck it, Shave it, Wax it or ROCK IT?!
Depending on your preference or your culture you most likely have an opinion on whether you'd love to have a unibrow or you would die going in public with one.
In recent years having a unibrow or a monobrow has become a fashion trend for some bold & brave wearers. You'll even find women rocking it on social media.
In Oman and Tajikistan the unibrow or monobrow is a sign of beauty and if their unibrow isn't very prominent or they don't have a thick unibrow, they will draw it on with a makeup pencil as a regular makeup routine to make it stand out more.
In the Americas and Europe it's generally undesirable to have a unibrow and it will be removed using their preferred hair removal method. That said, there are a handful of people who it is their trademark to have one, including the renowned painter Frida Kahlo.
In this article we go into more details about how to remove your unwanted unibrow eyebrows or how to feel more comfortable rocking the unibrow. We hope this article will help you decide what's best for you.
What is a unibrow?
A unibrow (AKA monobrow) is where you will have hair between eyebrows. It's having one eyebrow going above your eyes rather than 2 separate eyebrows (one above each eye). It’s a genetic trait that not everyone has.
Having unibrow eyebrows is most likely more common than you think. This is because in some cultures it’s not popular to have a unibrow, therefore if someone is born with a unibrow, they will remove the center of their brow and you will just think they always had 2 separate eyebrows.
That said, in some cultures it’s very popular to have a thick unibrow and even considered a sign of luck and beauty to have one.
How to rock the unibrow
If you like to stand out in a crowd or go against the norm, why not rock the unibrow!
Seriously, there is nothing wrong with a little hair between eyebrows on the top ridge of your nose. It's natural hair growth, and therefore there is nothing wrong with leaving your face as it is and going natural.
That said, you might not be comfortable going natural and rocking the unibrow or monobrow. Most people in the west aren't. Most want to follow fashion trends and stick to the popular trend of having two brows rather than one big one. And they find it weird or gross to have a unibrow. To each their own!
Just know there is a unibrow movement out there in influencer land that will support you all the way if you decide to rock the unibrow! #unibrowmovement
The unibrow can be rocked, as you can see from all these beautiful women showing off their unibrow on instagram.
That said, if you're still not excited about keeping a unibrow, then the following section of this article is all about how to get rid of your unibrow naturally and safely and shape your brows into 2 rather than one.
How to get rid of a unibrow naturally
There are many methods of getting rid of unwanted hair or removing your unibrow. Some last longer than others. Some you can do at home and others you have to hire a professional to do them for you.
Here is a short guide of 7 methods of unibrow or monobrow removal:
1) Pluck it
Plucking your unibrow is the simplest and probably the cheapest way to remove unwanted hairs. It might take a bit longer than waxing or shaving, but all it takes is a pair of tweezers and you just pluck each hair out until you have the brow shape you desire.
Tips:
- use a magnifying mirror, this will help you see tiny and thin hairs and make sure you’re getting all the stray hairs.
- plucking after a hot shower or placing a hot rag over face before plucking makes it easier and less painful because it opens your pores.
- pluck in the direction of your hair growth for best results.
- you could hold your skin taut and then pluck each hair out which might make it a bit easier.
- When you’re doing a large plucking job like plucking your unibrow, make sure to step back and look at what you’ve done a few times to make sure you’re not plucking too much and make sure you’re doing the shape you want.
- When you’re done, wash the area with facial soap and apply facial lotion or aloe vera.
- It’s normal for your skin to turn slightly red or be irritated for a bit after plucking. You could apply ice, if needed.
2) Use hair removal creams
Also called depilatory creams, these can be purchased at a pharmacy or cosmetic store. The process involves putting the cream onto the area you want to remove your unibrow hairs, leaving on the recommended time depending on which product you use and then washing away. Always follow the instructions on the package.
Tips:
- Keep out of eyes, it will cause irritation and redness in eyes. Wash thoroughly with water if you happen to get into your eyes and read the product instruction of what to do.
- Be sure to test on another part of your body before putting depilatory creams on your face. A small spot of cream can be put on your hand or leg to see if it causes an irritation. If you already have sensitive skin you should especially test before using any product. Leave on test spot as long as is the package instruction advise. If your skin seems fine, then it’s ok to use on your face, but if your skin gets irritated, try another depilatory cream instead, or a different method of hair removal.
- When using hair removal cream be extra careful when applying to brows because it will remove any hair you apply it to and so don’t get any cream on areas you want to keep.
- Your unibrow will most likely grow back faster with this method than it would with plucking because you’re only remove hair at the surface level and not the roots like you would with plucking or waxing.
3) Wax it
Waxing your unibrow involves applying a hot wax over the hair you want to remove, then press a strip of cloth on top of the wax. Then the strip is ripped off in a swift motion which rips the wax off and pulls the hair out of your unibrow.
Tips:
- There are also cold and room temperature wax if you don’t like hot. Find the one that you like best and use that.
- You can purchase wax kits for doing yourself at home or you can get your unibrow waxed in a salon by a professional cosmetologist or esthetician.
- If you do it at home yourself, follow instructions carefully. You run the risk of burning yourself with wax the first time.
- There are also readymade wax-covered strips you can purchase that make it even easier. Follow instructions for how to press onto the area you want to remove hair from and rip off.
- Waxing is more recommended over plucking because it takes a lot less time to create the brows you want by pulling out all the hair at once rather than one at a time.
- Waxing might lead to unwanted issues like ingrown hair, burns, or small red bumps if it isn’t done correctly. Be cautious when doing your own waxing or have a professional do it for you.
- A bonus of waxing is that it lasts a long time because it pulls hair out from the roots.
4) Thread it
Threading is a method of removing facial hair that removes hair by its roots. The process is done by using a threading tool which loops around the hairs you want to remove and then plucks them out one by one.
Tips:
- It is usually done by a trained professional. Although you can thread your own eyebrows if you have the right tools.
- Threading is like waxing or plucking in that it will last longer than hair removal creams or shaving because the unibrow hair is plucked from the root with threading.
5) Shave it
Just like you would shave your legs or underarms, you can shave your unibrow. It’s a temporary fix, but it’s a good choice.
Tips:
- There are eyebrow razors that have been designed specifically for your eyebrow area that you can purchase in a cosmetic store or pharmacy-type store.
- Apply shaving gel or shaving cream to the area before shaving.
- Be sure to go through the shaving process slowly making sure not to shave away any areas you don’t want to shave away.
- When you’re done, wash away the leftover shaving cream or gel and use tweezers to pluck any stray hairs.
- Soothe your skin after shaving by applying aloe vera or facial lotion.
- Shaving doesn’t last as long as waxing or plucking because it only removes hair from the surface of the skin rather than the roots. You may need to repeat every couple of days to a week.
6) Use Electrolysis
Electrolysis is a permanent hair removal method done using a special tool (epilator) that sends electrical currents to kill your hair roots using a fine needle (usually finer than a thread of hair).
Tips:
- The electrolysis method is done by a professional esthetician or dermatologist.
- There are at-home devices you can purchase, but still it's best to go to a trained professional for the procedure.
- It can take a long time to do, usually a few hours and sometimes it requires more than one session to completely remove a unibrow.
- It can be an expensive procedure and most likely won’t be covered by insurance because it’s a cosmetic procedure. You will also have to pay per session usually.
- One downside is there is a chance that you could have scarring or get an infection from this method of hair removal. Although this is rare.
- For at least the first 24 hours after your session(s), you will want to avoid anything that might irritate your hair follicles like applying makeup, sweating, or too much sunshine.
7) Laser it
Laser hair removal can be semi-permanent to permanent, depending on how many sessions you have. It's definitely a longer lasting, hair removal method, but if you have 6-8 sessions, it could be permanent.
The procedure is done by pointing powerful beams of light directly at the hairs you want to remove. It automatically damages your hair follicles in this area of your body which will slow any hair growth in the future.
Tips:
- Make sure you're wearing protective glasses/goggles when getting this procedure done to protect your eyes.
- Laser hair removal for unibrow is only done by a professional dermatologist or esthetician.
- It can take a handful of sessions to complete. The more sessions you have the more damage you do to your hair follicles which will reduce the possibility of future hair growth.
- It’s not covered by health insurance usually and can be a little pricey, and you will probably have to pay per session, which can add up.
Conclusion
Removing your unibrow or keeping it, that's the question. We hope you found our advice about how to keep it or remove it helpful.
