How to Thin Eyebrows

Co-authored by Karina Villalta

Last Updated: October 20, 2024 References

Having naturally big, thick eyebrows may sometimes seem like a curse, but count yourself lucky; it’s a lot easier to remove eyebrow hair than it is to grow it! If you want to thin your eyebrows, first get rid of excess length by trimming them. Then, shape and pluck them so that they appear more defined and subtle. If you don’t want to make any drastic changes to your eyebrows, use makeup to make them look thinner and more defined.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Trimming Your Eyebrows

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Use a fine-toothed comb or spolie brush to brush all of the hairs in your eyebrows straight up towards the top of your forehead. This will help you identify any hairs that are unnecessarily long.^{[1]
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After you comb the eyebrow hair upward, stop the comb when the teeth are rested just above the top edge of your eyebrow. Any hairs that extend past the teeth of the comb should be trimmed.^{[2]
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3
Trim any hairs above your eyebrow line with grooming scissors. Use small, sharp eyebrow-cutting or hair-cutting scissors to cut straight across the eyebrow hairs that extend up out of the teeth of the comb. Continue combing up and cutting this excess hair to make your eyebrows thinner and less bushy.^{[3]
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- If you’re unsure about how much to cut, start by trimming a very small amount. Then, brush your eyebrow hairs back to the side where they normally are. If the hairs still look too long, comb your eyebrows up again and cut another very small amount.
- This should make your eyebrows look natural, but not overgrown.
4
Comb down the brows to trim additional hairs. If your eyebrows are still looking too thick, try brushing them downwards with a fine comb or spolie brush. Hold the brush at the lower edge of your brow. Trim away any hair that goes past the edge of the comb. Brush your brows back into place.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Shaping and Plucking Your Eyebrows

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Wash your face with warm water before plucking. Wash your face with your cleanser of choice and warm water beforehand so that your skin is clean. This will also relax your hair follicles, which will allow the hairs to come out easier. Pat your face dry with a clean towel to remove moisture.^{[4]
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Plucking your eyebrows can be painful. To minimize the pain, squeeze a bit of gel, such as Baby Orajel Teething Gel, onto your fingertip. Then rub the gel onto the areas where you’ll be plucking hairs.^{[5]
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3
Mark the shape you want with a light brow pencil. Outline the shape you want with dots before connecting them with a line. Any hairs outside of the outline should be tweezed. Avoid tweezing hairs inside of the outline. You can use a comb to help you find where to start and end your brows.
- Hold one end of your comb vertically over the center of your nose. To find your arch, move the other end to the side until the comb barely overlaps the outside edge of your iris. Mark these points with your pencil.
- Hold a comb vertically against the side of your nose. You may want your eyebrow to start where the top of your comb meets your brow bone.^{[6]
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- Place one end of your comb on the center of your nose and move the other end to the side until the comb barely overlaps the outside corner of your eye. This is where you may want your eyebrow to end.^{[7]
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Hold the skin just underneath your arch taut with your fingers to make plucking less painful and difficult. To create a thinner, more manicured look, use your tweezers to pull out stray hairs in the direction of growth.^{[8]
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Remove the hair between your eyebrows with your tweezers in order to make your eyebrows look less big and bushy.^{[9]
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Use your tweezers to remove excess hair that extends past the end of your brows. This will contribute to a thinner, less intense look.^{[10]
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7
Pluck under your brows at the inner corner. The inner and outer corners of your brows should be the same height. If the inner corner near your nose sits too low, raise it by plucking hairs at the bottom.
8
Pluck any stray hairs above your brows. If any hairs are outside of your outline above your brow, remove them. Avoid plucking too much from the top of your brows, however. Only remove stray hairs beyond your marked outline.
Plucking can cause your skin to become red and/or irritated. Dab a bit of over-the-counter cortizone cream onto the affected area in order to reduce inflammation.^{[11]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Brow Makeup Products

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If your eyebrows are thick because your eyebrow hair is long, consider using a brow gel to hold the hairs in place. Brush the gel on in an upward, outward motion to give your brows a thinner, groomed appearance.^{[12]
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Pomades are similar to gels, but they have a more defining effect and don’t hold the hairs in place quite as well. Apply this just like you would a gel, by brushing up and out, to make your brows look manicured and natural.^{[13]
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If your eyebrows are already thick, go light on the eyebrow makeup in order to achieve a thinner, softer look. If you want to fill in your eyebrows with a pencil or eyebrow powder, go with a color that’s a couple shades lighter than your hair color, and apply it by doing short, feathery strokes.^{[14]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How can I make my eyebrows thinner without plucking them?

Community Answer

Waxing, threading, or trimming them. You can also use makeup by doing eyebrows and covering the excess brows with concealer.

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If you want your brows to look less intense, consider dyeing them a lighter color.

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Warnings

Be careful not to pluck hairs in any direction other than the one they grow in. Otherwise, the hair may break off and cause an ingrown hair to form.

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Don’t use craft scissors to cut your eyebrow hair. Small eyebrow scissors or hair cutting scissors are sharper and smaller, making them more accurate.

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If you use a magnifying mirror while you pluck your eyebrows, you may accidentally over-pluck them. Instead, use a regular mirror in a well-lit room.

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Don’t use a beard trimmer to trim your eyebrows, or else the length may turn out inconsistent.

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Keep in mind that over-tweezing, over-waxing, or over-threading can cause your brows to thin permanently.^{[15]
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Expert Source

Karina Villalta
Certified Esthetician

Expert Interview. 11 August 2020.}

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