It’s a style that you love to hate or hate to love but one cannot deny the power of the bleached brow.
Eyebrows are one of the most prominent features on the face. From accentuating and framing the eyes to shaping the face and playing a vital role in communication, a good, manicured brow can do wonders when refining your look.
Bleached brows aren’t anything new though. W Magazine highlights the history of the unconventional look with '90s supermodels like Tyra Banks and Linda Evangelista’s bleached brows in avant-garde photoshoots and celebrity makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin’s tutorial in his 1997 book Making Faces.
The unconventional style also makes for the perfect base for those who enjoy experimenting with makeup and filling in their brows with hues outside of their natural hair colour.
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Ever since the Marc Jacobs autumn/winter 2022 runway show jumpstarted the trend, stars like Janet Jackson, Doja Cat, local musician Mx Blouse and more have been seen sporting the trend over the past two years.
But the bleached brow isn’t only reserved for the subversive style of the entertainment industry.
Nolithando Ndaba, a 26-year-old public relations account manager, indulges in the trend and shares with us why she loves the look.
“One, I think it suits me but it also just makes me feel a little bit different without having to go out there. I’m also someone who likes to colour my eyebrows with makeup naturally, so it’s nice to just have a base that’s already there for whenever I feel like doing something like that.
“I just enjoy the way I look. I enjoy the way it makes me feel, I like looking different. I kind of like when people ask me about my eyebrows or like kind of give me a look like, ‘Oh my God’ - that’s just interesting to me to see, especially with children. Children seem to really love it when I dye my eyebrows so that’s a very interesting part of it.”
Getting the bleached brow look can be as simple as using an at-home bleaching kit or your go-to highlighting concealer, especially if you’re only looking for a more temporary way to explore the trend.
Here are the tips you need to editorialise your face beat:
Get the bleached brow look with just makeup
For those with sensitive skin or you’re just hoping to attempt the trend to check how it might suit you, your a bright concealer will be a game changer.
L’Oréal Paris explains how an important first step to is to colour correct your brows if you have dark hair. “Simply apply a light coat of a peachy color corrector to your eyebrow hairs and comb the product through with a spoolie.”
Always start with a light application of makeup so that you can add and adjust the concealer to your liking.
Lastly, to lock your brows in place, set the concealer with translucent powder on a fluffy brush and tap it into the eyebrows so that your faux-bleached brows don’t transfer or fade throughout the day.
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How to safely bleach your brows at home
Brow bleaching is a fairly simple procedure but like with any chemical, safety is of utmost importance.
Framing the eyebrows with petroleum jelly before applying the bleach is an easy way to avoid any chemical burns on the surrounding skin.
Vogue reminds us that the bleaching agent should always be used safely and carefully by properly following the instructions on your chosen kit.
Nolithando explains how she achieves her signature bleached eyebrows at home.
“Basically, I buy the normal hair bleach that you would use on your head and then I put Vaseline on the edges of my eyebrows, like around my eyebrows. Quite a bit of Vaseline because you can burn very easily. And then I do the mixture, like literally a teaspoon of each thing, like a teaspoon of the powder and a teaspoon of the mix.
“Mix it, put it on your eyebrows for three minutes. So, I put a timer on for three minutes … then I wash it off, dry it, chill for like five minutes and then I put the Vaseline on again and then I do it again like two or three times but three minutes at a time.”
Cover the brows with a small piece of cling wrap to avoid it drying out. It’s normal to experience some sensitivity, this would be the indication to wipe off the bleach and rinse.
Make sure your brows are completely dry to judge the colour and decide if you’d like to go over them with bleach again. If there are any unwanted orange or yellow tones after your bleach treatments, a bit of purple toner on the brows for a few minutes will do the trick to take away the copper look.
