what's a better 'brow?

September 10, 2006 8:36 AM

This morning I work up and realized that my eyebrows need a good trim. I'm a guy and the thought of doing this is disturbing although I think it must be done. Although my eyebrows aren't as anywhere close to being as bad as Grandpa Munster, they are pretty thick which does give me the appearance of looking a lot older than I am. Can I get this done professionally with a stylist? The thought of messing this up really scares me and I want them done right. I don't want to look like the kid who woke up after he had passed out only to find that his right eyebrow went AWOL.

Also since I shave my head, is there any style of eyebrow which would looks particularly good? And what exactley is overkill on this? What are examples of trimmings that have gone too far? Please avoid obvious examples, this would include Boy George.

posted by j-urb to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (26 answers total)

Go to any hair salon and get them waxed by a pro. They know how to do the right shape, which is something you don't.
It hurts a bit but is cheap - about 10 bucks - and you will be *amazed* at the difference in your face.

(This from a girl who didn't get it done until 35 out of fear/scorn but who found it a revelation and will never let them grow out again.)
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:40 AM on September 10, 2006

Just so you know how it works, the stylist will smear a tiny bit of hot wax on the outside and inside of your brow, press cloth into it and yank. Your eyes will water but don't be a pussy. Then they will likely trim a little with scissors and then maybe pull a few strays with a tweezer. The whole process takes about 5-10 minutes. Lots of guys do it and it really is the cheapest, easiest way to make your face look good.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:43 AM on September 10, 2006

I'm not sure what the norm is for other cities, but in Philly, you can get waxing done at nail salons, and I see LOTS of men go in when I'm there to get brows and backs and all sorts of weird hairy places de-fuzzed. Being a woman, I've never had them overwax my brows--I'm not a girly girl, and they seem to recognize that immediately and just give me a clean-up waxing to get rid of the random hair.

A stylist should certainly be able to do your brows in terms of trimming and un-Munster-thickening them, but I have no idea what it costs and since you shave your head, I wonder if you have a stylist who you trust anyway.

Go with the waxing for sure, for all the reasons cunninglinguist offered.
posted by monochromaticgirl at 8:46 AM on September 10, 2006

Just make sure you (or your stylist) don't overdo it and end up looking feminine. (Funnily enough, having your eyebrows done to look like a girl's seems to be getting popular with the gangbanger types around here). They should still be bushy and masculine but not overgrown looking. Better to look like a Gallagher brother than a drag queen on her day off. In my opinion, anyway.
posted by Jess the Mess at 8:50 AM on September 10, 2006

A good salon will know whether it's a thickness and distance together (needing wax) or length (needing a good trim). I see the stylists using scissors and a comb with eyebrows for gentlemen all the time as well.

If you're one of those muscular shaved head guys whose neck is about the same width as your head, a shorter, rather square shape will suit. Otherwise, it should accentuate the strength (or minimize the weakness) of your brow bone.
posted by Gucky at 8:50 AM on September 10, 2006

My husband gets his trimmed with scizzors everytime he has his hair cut. No waxing.
posted by LadyBonita at 8:52 AM on September 10, 2006

I suggest you trim them yourself, with a pair of sizors. Ten bucks for a wax job sounds rediculous. If the're not perfect the first time, practice makes perfect.
posted by Chessbum at 8:57 AM on September 10, 2006

If you don't need them shaped (a la waxed), and you just want to cut down the bushiness, you can get a little trimmer thing that is shaped like a pencil and comes with a couple different sized guards to adjust the length of trim. It runs on a couple AA batteries. Look in the shaving area of your local Target.
posted by MrZero at 8:58 AM on September 10, 2006

For your first time, definitely go for the professional wax / trim job. It won't cost more than 15 bucks or so, and they'll know what style / shape looks best on you.

After that one salon visit, you can trim them / tweeze the stray hairs yourself. If they start getting out of shape again after several months, you can always go back for another one.
posted by boomchicka at 9:09 AM on September 10, 2006

Best answer: j-urb, ask your girlfriend or friends who are women about salons that specialize in men *and* women. If you were in Vancouver (and not in Lincoln Nebraska), I'd tell you about two or three places that specialize in all sorts of manscaping and they do it with professionalism and experience.

My most important piece of advice - get a referral from friends that you trust, don't just walk in. after all, this is your face that we are talking about.
posted by seawallrunner at 9:12 AM on September 10, 2006

Make sure it's a trusted place. Messing with one's eyebrows (waxing, trimming, bleaching, coloring) can make you look like a totally different person. I'm not sure why this is, but it's true.
posted by gramcracker at 9:34 AM on September 10, 2006

If you live in a location where it's available, a faster, cheaper, and less messy procedure is threading. I've taken a bunch of friends to get threaded and all swore that they'd never get waxed again.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 9:50 AM on September 10, 2006

I think you should just clip or trim them, not wax them. You'll have to keep doing it or suffer eyebrow stubble. I don't think any of my straight male friends do this -- and even some of my female friends have just said no. If you clip and find that you have a couple of stray hairs, just tweeze minimally.
posted by theredpen at 10:00 AM on September 10, 2006

Forget about shaping! Your eyebrows have a shape, and that's the shape they will have. Sure, right now their shape has is distorted because long, wiry hairs are going outside the lines.

The barber or stylist will just shorten the hairs enough so they lie flat like they used to. Tell them you're wary. They can take off a little, and then a little more if you give the word.

This trimming is totally normal for guys of a certain age.
posted by wryly at 10:35 AM on September 10, 2006

I have a male friend with extra bushy eyebrows - the barber just trims them down for him with scissors, no wax or anything needed. Works for him.
posted by Salmonberry at 11:01 AM on September 10, 2006

I also just shave my ever looming uni-brow.

I would like to hi-jack this question:

I am a particularly hairy fellah for being 24 (soon 25). My uni-brow grows in pretty quickly so I give it a quick shave once or twice a week.

I would goto a salon to get it done, as there is probably work that needs to be done around the brows, but I am worried that it would only be good for a couple of days because of how fast my hair grows.

Also, I'm tempted to get my back and shoulders waxed at a salon. I shave my shoulder (while singing Homer Simpson's should shaving song).

Does waxed hair not grow back as fast as shaved hair. Maybe electrolysis is the answer.
posted by nickerbocker at 11:08 AM on September 10, 2006

nickerbocker: Waxed hair doesn't grow back as fast, since it's been completely removed, as opposed to shaved hair, which still has an intact root so it just keeps growing. Plus, shaving can make hair appear coarser because you've basically blunted it.

Try waxing and see how long it lasts...can't hurt (well, maybe a little!) As you suggest, you might need to look into electrolysis for long-lasting results.
posted by cabingirl at 11:50 AM on September 10, 2006

Just take a beard/mustache trimmer and run it over them on a setting of 3 or so. I do it all the time with no ill effects. Just keeps them from getting bushy and unruly.
posted by chrisamiller at 12:48 PM on September 10, 2006

Trimming brows is easy. You need a comb, you need some little scissors.

Comb your eyebrows straight up to your forehead. Trim anthing that is above the line formed by the upper edge of your eyebrows. Now comb the hairs down toward your chin. Trim off anything that is hanging below the lower edge of your eyebrows. Smooth your eyebrows out, see what you think, and repeat the process as necessary. Ta- da!

PS- Don't style your eyebrows. That's a bit much. A barber will be happy to trim them for you, though, but s/he's going to do what I just told you about.
posted by puddinghead at 12:52 PM on September 10, 2006

Definitely get it done professionally the first time. Try a salon that specializes in men, maybe in a gay area of town. Threading is good because it doesn't take off a layer of skin like waxing so it won't be raw-looking afterwards, but the downside is that it's not just one second of pain, it's a minute or two of pain.

If you don't want to HAVE to go back to get retouched, you can tweeze any stray hairs to keep the shape, and trim the hairs that stick out. I have been told that the best way to trim is to use a eyebrow comb or brush (a toothbrush works fine) and comb your brows straight up toward your hairline, and then trim the hairs that are too long.

I'm a woman and I have to say that I really prefer groomed men; doesn't take much: clean, clipped nails (hands AND feet), shaved or trimmed facial hair, good haircut regularly, clean skin, no unibrow (bushy is okay) and clean teeth. Men have it EASY!
posted by kenzi23 at 12:58 PM on September 10, 2006

I'd suggest getting a haircut the same day (no need to go the same salon unless you want to.) Having your brow waxed does change "your look" just a little bit, and someone may remark on that. If you've had a haircut, it distracts from any differences noticed on the face.
posted by dendrite at 1:09 PM on September 10, 2006

Trimming brows is easy. You need a comb, you need some little scissors.

I just tried your suggestion, puddinghead, and found that it worked really well.

This thread has made me stare at my eye brows all morning. Now they look ridiculous just because I've stared at them for so long.

nickerbocker: Waxed hair doesn't grow back as fast, since it's been completely removed, as opposed to shaved hair, which still has an intact root so it just keeps growing. Plus, shaving can make hair appear coarser because you've basically blunted it.

I think I may wait until I'm going to go to the beach or to a pool before I get a wax and stick to shaving till then.
posted by nickerbocker at 1:18 PM on September 10, 2006

They sell beard trimmers which also work just fine on eyebrows. Start with the longest setting, run it over your eyebrows, see how they look, if they still look too bushy then go to the next shorter notch and do it again. My own problem is actually my eyelashes, which I've had several women express to me their envy of -- they get very long, but they are very hard to trim on one's own. And they do need trimmed because otherwise they continually gunk up the insides of my glasses.
posted by kindall at 1:21 PM on September 10, 2006

It's hard to tell from your post, but waxing may be jumping the gun. Believe it or not, I was at my local barber shop and the guy asked me if I wanted my eyebrows trimmed. I was like "you do that? Um, okay." I think it's a completely normal thing done pretty regularly. They just take a comb and scissors and that's that. Had I known what a simple procedure it was I always would have done it. Don't overthink this is my advice. Also, know they don't grow back weird or longer.
posted by xammerboy at 2:21 PM on September 10, 2006

Your regular barber should be doing this for you as a matter of course. Obviously, if you shave your head, you do not have a regular barber. If I were you, and I'm not, I would let my head hair go for a week or so, go into the local men's barber that has the Playboy's on the shelf and have them shave your head, trim your brows (and any ear hairs if they are sprouting). Trimming the length of your brows is what a good barber will do without even asking.

It is not a wax job you want.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:19 PM on September 10, 2006

I use my beard trimmer, it works great... same as what kindall said.
posted by hatsix at 5:15 PM on September 11, 2006