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What Are the Best Tips for Shaving Eyebrows?

A.E. Freeman
A.E. Freeman

Shaving eyebrows may seem like the best option for people who have thick brows and who do not enjoy plucking, waxing, or other hair removal techniques. When shaving eyebrows, a person needs to be extremely careful. A sharp razor designed for use around the eyebrows should always be used, and the process shouldn't be performed on dry skin. Shave in two directions to get the closest cut. Using shaving cream or gel around the eyebrows is not a good idea, as the cream can conceal the brows too much, making shaping difficult.

Using a dull razor or even a razor that isn't at its sharpest when shaving eyebrows increases a person's risk of cutting the skin near the eyebrows. The skin around the eyes is thinner than the skin on the legs or cheeks, which further increases the risk for cuts. A person should always use a new, very sharp razor when shaving eyebrows so that she gets the closest shave possible with the fewest cuts.

A razor designed specifically for shaving around the eyebrows should always be used when shaving eyebrows.
A razor designed specifically for shaving around the eyebrows should always be used when shaving eyebrows.

Eyebrow shavers or razors are specifically designed for shaving eyebrows. A razor that's commonly used to shave the legs or lower portions of the face is too wide and unwieldy to shave the hair along the brows without an accident. Eyebrow razors have a blade that is much smaller than the traditional razor blade and usually feature a trimmer handle. The blades may have some sort of safety feature to reduce the number of cuts as well.

Steam from a shower may make it easier to remove hair from the eyebrows.
Steam from a shower may make it easier to remove hair from the eyebrows.

Hair is easier to shave off when the skin is wet and the hair follicle has been opened. Before using a razor to remove hair from the eyebrows, a person should take a shower or at least press a warm, wet washcloth to the eyebrow hair to make the skin wet and make it easier to remove the hair. Steam is ideal for wetting the face and softening the hair. A person can use the steam from the shower for the best results or place her face over a steamer to soften the hair.

A sharp razor is ideal for shaving eyebrows.
A sharp razor is ideal for shaving eyebrows.

Depending on the length of the hair, it may need to be trimmed before shaving. Once a person goes to shave her eyebrows, she should shave in two directions to cut the hair closest to the skin. She should first shave in the direction of the hair and then shave in the direction opposite of the way the hair grows. To reduce irritation, she should wait before applying lotions or makeup to the area.

Discussion Comments

anon345824

I love Stiles Eyebrow Razors! I buy mine at amazon as they can be hard to find. They have a five star customer review and look like tiny, and I mean very tiny disposable face/leg razors.

hyrax53

I never could try shaving my eyebrows. It just seems too risky, and I can be pretty accident prone when it comes to beauty treatments. I do pluck stray hairs pretty regularly, though.

honeybees

I recently bought an inexpensive eyebrow shaver at a dollar store. I have always plucked and waxed my eyebrows, but have noticed them growing longer and want to have better control over them.

This small tool works really well. It is shaped quite small and is hard to do too much damage. I have found it pretty easy to shave off the ends of the long eyebrows without leaving big holes or gaps.

I find it easier to keep my eyebrows in a nice shape and can go longer without waxing this way.

Monika

@strawCake - I agree, shaving is far less precise. In fact, I have a friend who tried to shave her eyebrows and she accidentally took way too much off. She ended up having to pencil in a good portion of her brows until they grew back!

Although, I have another friend that puts the eyebrow shavers to good use. She uses them in between waxing appointments to touch up the unibrow area. So I suppose it does work for some people, but you have to be coordinated!

strawCake

I don't think I would shave my eyebrows as opposed to just plucking the hair out with tweezers. When you are using tweezers on each individual hair, you get much more precise results. I think with shaving, there is too much of a chance for things to go wrong!

And don't even get me started on people who shave off the whole eyebrow and then pencil it back on. I think it just looks completely ridiculous.

Sara007

@manykitties2 - If you are going to be shaving your eyebrows, you really have to make sure the skin is prepared properly beforehand, or you will indeed get ingrown hairs. I have been to some cheaper beauty shops before and some of them dry shave! Yikes!

I wouldn't give up on shaving your eyebrows just yet, all you need to do is get a nice warm, damp washcloth and rest it over your eyes for a few minutes before you start shaving. Plus, you can buy some gel that is made specifically for the eyebrow region. This should really help you to stop ingrown hairs.

manykitties2

A few years weeks I got my eyebrows shaved for the first time at a beauty shop and I actually hated the results. I found that while it looked neat at first, I actually ended up getting an ingrown hair from the procedure.

Before I tried shaving my eyebrows I had always used tweezers on them or waxed them. I loved the results, but found it was too tedious or painful to do very often. I never got ingrown hairs though, and let me tell you, an ingrown hair where the skin is so thin can be really painful to get out! I ended up hurting myself during that whole episode.

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    • A razor designed specifically for shaving around the eyebrows should always be used when shaving eyebrows.
      By: Delphimages
      A razor designed specifically for shaving around the eyebrows should always be used when shaving eyebrows.
    • Steam from a shower may make it easier to remove hair from the eyebrows.
      By: nikkytok
      Steam from a shower may make it easier to remove hair from the eyebrows.
    • A sharp razor is ideal for shaving eyebrows.
      By: April Cat
      A sharp razor is ideal for shaving eyebrows.
    • Tweezing the brows is less risky than shaving them.
      By: Igor Mojzes
      Tweezing the brows is less risky than shaving them.
    • Using scissors to trim the eyebrows may allow for better control over the end result.
      By: Lsantilli
      Using scissors to trim the eyebrows may allow for better control over the end result.