Trichotillomania & Staying On Fleek: Top 10 Eyebrow Products For Missing Brows

Pulling Out Eyebrows

For many of us trichsters, sometimes the eyebrows just disappear. For me, the eyebrow tail hairs suffer the worst of it. I used to pull on my eyebrows a lot, but now only do it when I’m really stressed. However, many of us also have specific locations we prefer.

After pulling, we may look up and realize we’ve given ourselves Starfire eyebrows (from Teen Titan). When I was younger, I used to pull from my outer brows (and still sometimes do but have not in awhile). During childhood I used to watch Teen Titans and Starfire has mini-eyebrows like me whenever I pulled the outer bits out. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t alien space princesses (although I certainly wish I was).

What Are the Best Long-Stay Brow Products?

The products below can be used to cover patchiness or bare skin. I’ve left out most volumizers, tamers, fixers and products which need to be swiped onto brow hairs since trichsters may not have any brow hairs at all. These results are a compilation of combing through manufacturer websites, reading reviews and watching YouTube tutorials and comparisons.

TL;DR – PENCILS (DRY TIP)

PRODUCT REVIEWS: PENCILS (DRY TIP)

Anastasia Beverly Hills – Brow Whiz Pencil ($21)

PROS: User-friendly, easy to blend, smooth, sold at Sephora, many peoples’ holy grail brow product

CONS: Expensive, dries quickly

Nyx – Micro Pencil ($10)

PROS: waxy formula holds in place, long lasting, easy to blend, dupe for Anastasia Brow Whiz, great product for price, sold at Ulta and Target

CONS: some people may not like the dry/waxy texture

Benefit – Precisely, My Brow ($24)

PROS: easy application, some prefer to ABWP, unique packaging, available at Sephora and Ulta

CONS: not cruelty free, expensive

Maybelline – Brow Precise Micro Pencil ($8)

PROS: dupe for ABWP, inexpensive, ultra-fine tip

CONS: tip may break easily, not cruelty-free

TL;DR – PENS (WET TIP)

PRODUCT REVIEWS: PENS (WET TIP)

Maybelline – Tattoo Brow Ink Pen ($18)

PROS: Can draw multiple fine hairs at the same time, microblading effect

CONS: Can smudge a bit, only comes in three shades, not cruelty-free, expensive

Tony Moly – 7 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Pen ($12)

PROS: long lasting 1-2 days, shape individual hairs, rosemary and soybean extract for soothing, microblading effect

CONS: faded areas turn slightly yellow, doesn’t last 3-7 days, only one shade (dark brown)

Stila – Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Pen ($21)

PROS: microblading effect, long wearing, honey, aloe and chamomile extract for soothing

CONS: expensive

TL;DR – POMADES

PRODUCT REVIEWS: POMADES

Anastasia Beverly Hills – DipBrow Pomade ($18)

PROS: creamy, very pigmented, a little goes a long way, easy to use, sold at Sephora, many shades for perfect match, many peoples’ holy grail brow pomade

CONS: easy to go overboard due to pigmentation, not as precise for individual hairs, expensive

Benefit – KaBrow Pomade ($24)

PROS: User-friendly, buildable, long lasting and doesn’t smudge, sold at Sephora and Ulta, packaging has integrated brush in unique design, many shades

CONS: product may not last long/dry out, not cruelty-free, expensive

e.l.f. – Studio Eyebrow Kit ($3)

PROS: left pan section a dupe for ADBP, sold at Target, Walgreens and CVS, inexpensive

CONS: colors are dark, included brush isn’t the best, can wear off a bit

Tips to Remember

1.) Eyebrow pens are great for drawing in individual hairs to get that microbladed look. However, due to formula, a lot of pen products will look weird or spotty in flash photography. Just something to keep in mind. If you’re worried about flashback, use powder or pomade over the top to mattify it.

2.) Just because a product is expensive doesn’t mean you have to spend that much. In fact, there are so many great dupes out there!

3.) For those creating the entire brow, go lightly with your hand and follow the browbone. When in doubt, there are a million YouTube tutorials out there.

3 Trichster Brow Tutorials

I know I said you could watch any old YouTube tutorial for brows, but sometimes it’s nice hearing it from people who understand what you’re going through. Below are three YouTube brow tutorials by trichsters:

makeupbynicole: “2 MINUTE EYEBROW TRANSFORMATION: Eyebrow Tutorial for Trichotillomania/hair loss”

RuthBoonMakeUp: “Makeup Tips for Trichotillomania”

Aggievi Foley: “Perfect Eyebrow Tutorial | Featuring Trichotillomania”

A Male Perspective

When researching this topic, I came across an interesting perspective I wanted to share. His name is Christian and he’s a sneaker collector who has a YouTube channel called SneakerTalk. He’s also a trichster who exclusively pulls out his eyebrows. I just wanted to share his video talking about trich because it’s both brow-specific and also I feel like there’s a real lack of male rep out there.

SneakerTalk – “No Eyebrows? – Living With Trichotillomania”

Will Eyebrows Grow Back?

Short answer: Maybe. Eyebrows grow about 4.2mm/mo. A single eyebrow (or eyelash) hair grows and is shed about every 2-6 months, depending on a variety of factors pertaining to an individual’s body composition. Within that hair growth cycle, it takes 1-2 months to see hair growth. So, wait at least this long to see if growth is still possible. For more on the hair growth cycle and trichotillomania causing grey or white hairs, click here.

What Are Your Favorite Brow Products?

Have I missed your favorite brow products? Feel free to leave a comment down below or on Facebook and Twitter. Also a huge shoutout to the following lovely folks on Facebook who helped me find some of these products: Lyn Oathout, Kayla MaRay LaPan, Becky Jane, Karee Dodson & Sophia Carabetta. I’m so grateful for the beautiful trich support communities out there. Thank you so much! I hope this article was helpful. As always, thanks so much for reading and take care of yourself. xx Rexie

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. If you have an issue with any of the pictures or videos, please let me know and I will take them down immediately. Thanks!**