How would I go about dyeing my eyebrows?

July 9, 2008 7:19 AM

My eyebrows are greyish, while the rest of my hair is dark blond. What can I do?

My hair color (which is natural) is dark blond, almost brown. My eyebrows are much darker than the rest of my hair. I know this is far from unusual, but they have a very definite grey tint to them that doesn't look good on me. It may just be an effect of having long and slightly sparse hairs, as individual hairs look more or less black.
How can I lighten them? I read somewhere on askmefi that someone accidentally bleached their hair with hydrogen peroxide, which sounds like one possible option, but I'm concerned about making sure the shade is right and that both eyebrows match. Maybe there's a way to bleach them gradually?
I also read about the existence of dye meant specifically for eyebrows, supposedly located in supermarkets. I don't recall seeing anything like that in a grocery store, but I don't really visit the dye aisle often. I'm worried that a kit like this would be too expensive (I've never used one before, so I don't know how well it would work or if the color will come out right).
Final option (that I can think of) : visit a beauty parlor and get them professionally done. I'd rather not do this, as my complaint is so minor it doesn't warrant spending much money.
So, mefi, what do you think?

posted by Baethan to clothing, beauty, & fashion (14 comments total)

The reason you don't see anything like that in the grocery store is that you risk blinding yourself permanently by bleaching/tinting your eyebrows at home. DO NOT tint/bleach your own eyebrows!

Go to the salon if you want them permanently lightened/darkened - they have the correct stuff.

On the other hand, if you just want to make them a little less grey, I've used mascara to good effect - it has the little brush.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 7:28 AM on July 9, 2008

Funny this post come up today, my best friend tried to dye her own eyebrows last night and I've been on the phone all morning trying to keep her from crying, shaving them off, and convincing her that I'm sure she doesn't look like a cave man. Needless to say, it didn't go well.

Eyebrows are a funny kind of course hair and I would really recommend that you get them professionally done. I have my hair highlighted every 6 weeks and my colorist does them for me. She is very careful and exacting with them because she says that eyebrow hair acts completely different with color than head hair. Maybe at your next appointment for a hair cut, just ask about the process and see what your stylist says. It may not be that expensive and it really does make a nice change. Coloring and waxing my brows takes off 10 years and lights up my whole face. Good luck!!
posted by pearlybob at 7:30 AM on July 9, 2008

There's bleach made particularly for facial hair- it's marketed to women who want to bleach their moustaches. I've heard that reccommended for eyebrow bleaching on makeover shows- I would just be really careful to not let it sit on too long.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:37 AM on July 9, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I hate to disagree with you TPS but facial hair bleach is just that. Bleach. Any hair that it touches makes the transition from its natural color to a pumpkin orange to white. Great for fuzzy lips but NOT for eyebrows. Also, those products specifically warn against using on eyebrows because of the danger of getting bleach in your eyes. Bleach for facial hair should not be used on eyebrows by anyone, especially someone who really has no experience at all with these products.
posted by pearlybob at 7:45 AM on July 9, 2008

My sister has dark red hair but very light blonde eyebrows and lashes. She gets them tinted every six weeks or so at the salon (Agreeing vehemently with everyone that you really shouldn't do it at home). She swears by it, and it isn't very expensive (ie. ~12$) I definitely think that is the way to go.
posted by gwenlister at 7:47 AM on July 9, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Yep, yep, go to a salon. I've known a lot of folks who have done salon-level maneuvers on their own hair, and NONE of them would dye their own eyebrows. Seriously.
posted by desuetude at 7:56 AM on July 9, 2008

I've dyed my own eyebrows, quite a few times. *shrug* However - if you've never done it before, and considering your specific concerns - I vote for beauty parlor, too.

I know it seems like a lot of money for a "minor" complaint, but it isn't, really - eyebrows are such a MAJOR part of the way your face looks.
posted by Liosliath at 8:11 AM on July 9, 2008

Nope - you don't need to go to a salon. Trust me. Witha modicum of caution, you can bleach your eyebrows. I do this regularly.

I use Jolen Cream Bleach. It has two parts - the cream and the accelerator. Mix them together as directed. Apply to eyebrows using the little paddle thingie supplied in the kit. The mixture is thick and creamy, so it clings to the eyebrow hairs. Put on an old tee shirt while bleaching, 'cause sometimes a bit of the creamy mixture will dry a little, and fall off. I've never had any get into my eyes, but I've ruined a couple of good tee shirts :(

Let it sit on your eyebrows for at least 15 minutes the first time you use it. Wash it off, and see how you like the results. If it didn't lighten your eyebrows enough, do it again.

I end up with light blonde eyebrows, leaving it on for about 30 - 40 minutes. My eyebrows start out a blend of gray and very very dark brown.

I wear wigs every day. Sometimes I wear a blonde wig, sometimes auburn, ocassionally brunette. I use mascara to lightly tint my eyebrows to match my wig color du jour. After much searching, I found the right mascara. Just for Redheads has a wonderful product that does the trick, and looks natural. I use the cocoa shade with blonde wigs, auburn with auburn, and brown with brunette shades.

I have to bleach my eyebrows about once a month. Your mileage may vary.
posted by Corky at 8:18 AM on July 9, 2008

For what it's worth, I've also dyed and bleached my eyebrows at home for years. Very carefully. I am not blind yet. I've even gotten bleach into my eye once or twice, and all it did was sting until I rinsed it out. Still, I wouldn't try it if you're clumsy, or have never dyed your hair before. Go to a salon and check the products they use.

Any beauty supply store will have hair bleach (usually in powder form) - there are many brands, Clairol is one. You'll need developer, too, a low strength like 20 is better. Or you could use a dye + developer - I am fond of the Wella brand, myself. Mix up, put on your eyebrows, check color every few minutes, then remove. I recommend using something like a toothbrush for removal so you don't splash water on your whole face and risk the dye in your eyes.

The first time you try it at home, budget money and time for a salon correction in case you screw up. (That goes for any home hair dyeing.)
posted by Mr Bunnsy at 8:30 AM on July 9, 2008

I think dark eyebrows look kind of neat with blonde hair, and they should be at least a little bit darker than your hair at any rate. Would you consider just covering the gray instead of bleaching them lighter? When I was a redhead, I had them dyed at the salon, and I did them at home, with equally good results. You could try something like this.
posted by Evangeline at 8:40 AM on July 9, 2008

I agree with Evangeline- if you are blonde, your eyebrows should be a teeny bit darker. Unless your naturally blonde hair has a red tint, you run the risk of ending up with pale orange eyebrows when you bleach. If you are the type to happily mess around with dye and bleach products until you are happy (I am one of these people, having colored my hair and eyebrows in one way or another since I was 13), you might enjoy experimenting with bleach. Otherwise, go to a professional, at least a few times before trying it on your own.

Have you tried eyebrow wax or eyebrow tint (like mascara) from the drugstore?
posted by oneirodynia at 10:05 AM on July 9, 2008

Uh, I dye my own eyebrows weekly. I use regular hair color from the grocery store, same stuff I used when I used to color my hair. I just mix a small amount of each part each time I do it, so I'm not using the whole box each time! So one box of coloring lasts for ages. I use Q-tips to apply the color to just the eyebrow area, and after it's applied, I use several additional wet Q-tips to take off the color that is on my skin. (It tends to dye your skin if you don't!) No problemo whatsoever. The hair at my temples isn't much farther away from my eyes than my eyebrows are, so proximity to my eyes doesn't bother me any more than it does for regular hair coloring. I don't really know what all the hubbub is about.
posted by iguanapolitico at 11:14 AM on July 9, 2008

Thanks for all the suggestions! Considering that more or less everything I do goes wrong the first time, I guess I will look into going to a salon, at least to start with. It's good to know that it is possible to do it at home- and I'll definitely try tinting them with something temporary, as it's more the greyness than the darkness that bothers me.
posted by Baethan at 10:21 AM on July 11, 2008

I've been meaning to add that choosing a color can be a science. It took a long time to even find an eyebrow pencil that was the right color for me. (I use it when I'm overdue coloring them; they grow out and/or fade completely within two weeks, and at one week I'm no longer satisfied.) For some reason I was lucky when I chose a dye color. Actually, for a long time I had a color that was a little too dark, and I'd just leave it on for about 10 minutes so it didn't "penetrate" too much (or whatever). But it always faded within about a half a week, so then I thought that maybe if I found the correct color and left it on for 30-40 minutes, the color might actually last longer. And so I tried it, and it did! I hope to retire penciling completely. (It never looks natural. I can't draw individual hairs.)

So anyway, yes, if you ever do it at home, make sure you have some time to correct problems. (One night I spent a couple hours repeatedly applying peroxide to mine before I could leave the house. How unsafe is that.) And I don't have experience with gray, either, so a conversation with a professional might actually be a good idea for that reason as well.

It's funny what we women go through during the course of our lives to fix our perceived problems. For me, some things that have made me immeasurably happier are: 1) eyebrow coloring; 2) flat irons; 3) self tanning lotion. I wish I employed those things when I was in high school; it could have changed the course of my life. Now, I don't waste a moment obsessing over the frizzies or pasty legs. :) As if body image obsessing were a worthwhile use of my time.
posted by iguanapolitico at 2:40 PM on July 11, 2008