Split ends on eyebrows. Common? Can it be fixed?

January 21, 2006 11:59 PM

My eyebrows consistently have weird split ends, breaks, hinging. Does this happen to anyone else? Does it mean anything? Is there something I can do to stop this?
posted by weston to health (18 comments total)

I second shaving them.
posted by mildred-pitt at 12:16 AM on January 22, 2006

You must have the wrong room.
This is wingeing highbrows.
Hinging eyebrows is in 12A, just along the corridor.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:05 AM on January 22, 2006 [1 favorite]

In 15 years of surfing I have *never* read anything funnier than that.

WGP, I salute you.
posted by DrtyBlvd at 2:18 AM on January 22, 2006

Sorry to add to the derail, but Mrs. qwip and I did a mutual spit-take on the wrong room comment. Well played my good man, well played indeed.
posted by qwip at 2:56 AM on January 22, 2006

Bravo WGP, and Mildred—your seconding absent a motion from the floor may violate Robert's Rules of Order, but it's charming, nonetheless.
posted by Mo Nickels at 6:51 AM on January 22, 2006

An attempt to answer the question: sounds like regular hair conditioner on your caterpillars and a visit to a salon, rather than your usual immigrant barber, might be in order.
posted by Mo Nickels at 6:52 AM on January 22, 2006

In an effort to address the hinged eyebrow issue, I would consider the fact that hair can often manifest nutritional deficiencies that are otherwise unnoticed. Try a multi-vitamin, plenty of water, and extra B12. And for god's sake, stop picking at them. I guess that's good advice for whingeing highbrows too.
posted by dness2 at 7:09 AM on January 22, 2006

Unlike Mo Nickels' suggestion, I would recommend that you simply ask for an eyebrow trim the next time that you're at your barbers. (Generally they do an eyebrow trim and nose hair snip, if necessary.)

It's something that most barbers do by default, while most beauty-school graduates will be looking to frost your tips and talk on her cell phone.
posted by unixrat at 7:19 AM on January 22, 2006

Trimming them a tiny bit might help. You can use a toothbrush to brush the hairs upward before cutting.
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:20 AM on January 22, 2006

Do you pull them? I have trichotillomania and the hairs break and split sometimes when I pull them. The breaking did not used to happen, and I have wondered if perhaps a change in my diet is now causing it, since I had a major change right around when it happened. Diet may be a good thing for you to look into.
posted by veronitron at 8:42 AM on January 22, 2006

I did a spit take at the question itself.
posted by wsg at 9:23 AM on January 22, 2006

Well, if you wax the surplus and rip them out for about 10 years, they will stop growing. That's assuming you have a spot in the middle you'd like to stop growing, permanently.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:33 AM on January 22, 2006

unrepentant: I like my eyebrows, and they have pretty good separation, but I suppose I could go for the quadbrow.

wsg: I am happy to amuse.

wgp: I am happy to be amused.

Mo: have not tried conditioner, but I will.

dness: Nutritional deficiency was on my mind. Any particular reason why you picked B12?
posted by weston at 10:50 AM on January 22, 2006

I threw out B12 based on my vague memory of reading that somewhere, but I could be wrong. I seem to think that breaking hair could also be caused by anemia, overly-enthusiastic veganism, or overly-enthusiastic fat-free eating. So maybe it's not B12 but other proteins or oils that could be the ticket. I'm having trouble googling up recommendations for things to fortify inside the body, as opposed to slather on outside, but I would guess that whatever you would need would be found in a good multi-vitamin unless you have a specific health problem or something.
posted by dness2 at 12:02 PM on January 22, 2006

(Also, given that this is a virtual room, wouldn't it be Vingean Wingeing Highbrows?)
posted by weston at 12:22 PM on January 22, 2006

do you smoke at all, or ever place a lighter near your face for extended periods of time while smoking (wink, wink). This could be searing your eyebrows. Its happened to me.
posted by Kifer85 at 12:54 PM on January 22, 2006

How old are you? My eyebrows are getting wild, but that's because the dark ones are being replaced with grey ones, and they are less submissive to efforts at control.
posted by megatherium at 7:59 PM on January 22, 2006

Just buy the $20 set of Wahl hair clippers and use the eyebrow trimming attachment (and learn to cut your own hair if you're particularly brave).
posted by BrandonAbell at 9:59 AM on January 23, 2006