Where to get my eyebrows back to normal?

February 21, 2008 6:09 AM

My overgrown eyebrows are starting to look ugly and unsightly. On occasion, i've taken to myself to pluck some out. Recently, (many months) i've left the area unattended and now i almost have a unibrow and both brows are really bushy/thick. Where can i go in Chicago to get them worked on?

I think my eyebrows are at a point of no return where some 3rd party help is required. I'm male (24y/o) and am worried wherever i go to get them 'waxed' or 'threaded' will lead them to them looking...girly or gay. I just wanted them cleaned up with possibly some styling action ONLY adhering to how they'd naturally look if they weren't so overgrown.

I need recommendations in Chicago - hell i'll even drive out of the city if i have to. The method doesnt really matter though threading sounds less intrusive.

posted by AMP583 to health (11 comments total)

LaGena at the Benefit boutique on Armitage is an eyebrow genius. Tell her exactly what you want and she'll treat you right. It'll cost around $20.
posted by bonheur at 6:43 AM on February 21

I'm not in or from Chicago but in Atlanta, pretty much any nail salon has waxing capabilities and will clean them up for you. Some higher end hair salons can help you out too. I would call around and ask about their eyebrow capabilities. And don't be scared of waxing, it stings a bit but only like a band-aid coming off. I hope somebody local can give you more specifics but if not, that's a place to start.
posted by pearlybob at 6:45 AM on February 21

I will second that any nail salon will do guys eyebrows correct as well. Waxing can be a little iffy as it does leave a very clean line and you may look a little girly. Threading is more precise and can leave a softer line of hairs.

If you do want to try to do it yourself its really easy.

1st. Hold a pencil up on either side of your nose, that line going straight up is approximately where your eye brow should start. Tweeze in that area.

2nd. Get an old toothe brush and brush your eyebrows straight up. Take a little pair of scissors and try any hair above the main eye brow line.

For a dude, this should be sufficient, you will look much cleaner.

If you need a little more cleaning up, go ahead and take a little underneath the arch out and any obvious strays.
posted by stormygrey at 7:03 AM on February 21

I don't think getting your eyebrows done will make you look gay (ahem). More like a female impersonator out of drag.

Be careful with the professionals -- I've never seen them do a job on men that looks like anything but women's eyebrows on a guy.

Instead, follow the excellent instructions, above, by stormygrey. You just need to remove the center of the unibrow and trim up the rogues. Good luck.
posted by Work to Live at 7:13 AM on February 21

I got my eyebrows done (trimmed) for free at Great Clips by flirting with the stylist. Her idea. YMMV.
posted by mpls2 at 7:46 AM on February 21

Also remember that there's no such thing as "how they'd naturally look if they weren't so overgrown." How they look now is their natural look. Anything else is going to be artificial.
posted by 1 at 8:05 AM on February 21

Rules of thumb for heterosexual male eyebrow waxing: Don't wax them too thin. And don't wax the underside of your eyebrows.
By leaving the underside unwaxed it will keep your eyebrows from looking sculpted, therefore, more masculine.

This is all according to my gay hair stylist, a reputable salon owner. Just his 2 cents.
posted by enobeet at 8:24 AM on February 21

I really like threading as I feel it gives a cleaner look and allows for more precision in shaping the brows. You MUST tell them that you don't want to look like a drag queen; it is possible but sometimes you have to specifically tell them. My ex came out looking like a drag queen, but once they grew out after a week or so, his brows looked GREAT! Her mistake was making the ends too pointy, the arch too pronounced and taking off too much of the hair under the eyebrow (which is something you would do with women's brows).
posted by kenzi23 at 8:28 AM on February 21

Michael Anthony salons have stylists particularly practiced in grooming the brows of manly heterosexual males. That place is my recommendation, but generally, call the salon, ask if someone there regularly does men's brows, in a natural style. If they say "no" or hesitate in saying "Well, Susan does all our brows", just call someone else.

But I would just do what stormgray suggests: buy a good pair of tweezers, pull out the few hairs that annoy you above and below your eyebrows and remove the ones between them above your nose.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:46 AM on February 21

Plucking eyebrows can hurt.

Place hot towel/warm water on brow prior to plucking. Pluck a few hairs using stormygreys method. Rub ice on the spot to help if it hurts. Repeat.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 11:27 AM on February 21

The guy who cuts my hair always checks my eyebrows and trims the bits that get long and stick up. (which admittedly I tend to make worse as I have a bad fidgety habit of pulling at them with my fingers while reading or watching TV.)

I don't have a real "unibrow" issue but I do get one or two darker hairs in the center there. I shave those off with one of those electric nose hair trimmers - just run it up the center line between my eyebrows.

I know there are now a couple "salons for guys" in Chicago. I haven't actually been to any but I'd assume they'd do a good job without ending up looking "too gay."
posted by dnash at 12:45 PM on February 21