eyebrow tint the secret to perfect looking brows
Not everyone would be blessed with sleek and dark natural Eyebrow. Some of us would have to rely on filling our brows for that perfect dark Eyebrow look. Don’t you just think there is something special about a perfect eyebrow that gives the most transformed beauty look?
Now, paint this picture – you wake up in the morning, follow your morning routine, apply your makeup and you’re on your way out in no time. You do not have to bother about drawing the perfect brows again, you can now avoid that annoying brow filling and you can also stay in bed longer.
Glorious, right?
The process that can bring that your painting to life is called eyebrow tinting, and it involves easy steps that you can quickly breeze through.
Consider reading this: eyelash tinting – a guide to beautiful eyelashes.
What is an eyebrow tint?
Eyebrow tinting is the process of adding a permanent cream-based dye or semi-permanent plant-based dye to your eyebrows with the aim of darkening and improving their color. In other words, a brow tint which focuses on dying the eyebrows isn’t a procedure for defining eyebrow length or even shape.
Would you consider getting an eyebrow tint done?
What are the benefits of an eyebrow tint?
The benefits of brow tinting include spotting weeks of dark, fuller brows without the help of an eyebrow gel or pencil. People with blonde or light brows generally experience the most significant difference with a brow tint when compared to people with dark brows. This set of people already have dark brows and there won’t be a noticeable change in the color of their brows post-tint. The only change that would be identified includes a slightly darker and fuller eyebrow.
How much does it cost?
The price of a brow tint greatly depends on the location you’re getting done from, but expect to pay between $20 – 40 for this service.
How long does it last?
A brow tint is expected to last anywhere between 2 – 3 weeks. And this depends on some factors like; how much you touch your eyes, how often you wash your face, the type of cleanser you use and so on. Oil-based makeup remover and oil cleansers could wash the tint off faster, you would want to keep away from them. To get the best, longest and lasting result, keep the eye area dry for the first 24 hours after getting your brows tinted, use oil-free makeup removers and cream-based products on your eye area.
Have you tinted your eyebrows before?
How long does it last?
Brow tinting is a relatively quick and painless procedure. The whole process takes about 10 minutes, right from applying the dye to waiting for it to set.
Does eyebrow tint hurt?
No, brow tinting is a painless process. The dyes used are semi-permanent colors and they are gentle on eyebrow hair.
Still stuck with mascaras? Read our guide to achieving a curly eyelash without a mascara or eyelash curler here.
Is an eyebrow tint safe?
The answer to this question depends on who you ask. Currently, the FDA hasn’t approved any form of color additives for dying Eyebrows, so, this service is illegal in some states. However, if you take this question to the internet and people in the beauty world, they consider brow tinting as a low-risk beauty treatment, a small price to pay for the result you get.
As a general rule with beauty services, ensure you visit a brow studio that uses an experienced brow technician who employs the use of high quality products. The eye is a very sensitive area and as long as the correct brow tinting procedure is followed to a T, brow tinting is perfectly safe.
The issue of allergy is the only negative aspect experienced by a handful of people. The solution used to dye the brows can cause irritation to people with sensitive skin.
In essence, we are asking you to do due diligence before making any brow tint appointment – read reviews online, ask your friends and definitely call the brow studio before going in.
What is the tint made of?
The only dye recommended for tinting brows is a vegetable or plant-based dye. So, always make sure you or your eyebrow technician do not make use of regular hair dye to color your eyebrows.
As a client, if you have doubts, visit your doctor and get a written note to give to your brow technician.
Can you tint your eyebrows yourself?
Eyebrow tinting should be performed by a licensed provider. The pro should ensure they carry out a patch test or consultation step before the actual thing. The consultation process helps to determine if a brow tinting procedure should be administered on a client.
In a situation where you are confident of your application skill and you have considered the associated risks – the eye area is pretty delicate and the worst that can happen is going blind (scary, right?) – You can purchase a range of at home brow tint kits to get the service done by yourself.
Finding out about the ban on eyebrow dye, are you still considering this procedure?
Are Eyebrow tints bad for you?
People who have a history of reacting to hair dye aren’t the right candidates for this service. Tinting their eyebrows can result in irritation or even severe contact allergies to the skin, damage to their eyes – if the dye gets into their eyes – that could eventually lead to blindness.
Do I need a eyebrow tint?
Ideally, people with fair Eyebrow hair are best suited to get their eyebrows tinted. This procedure would accentuate their eyebrows making them more noticeable. While people with dark eyebrows should opt for a brow lift as it would give them more volume and make their already dark eyebrows appear fanned-out.
Can you fill your eyebrows after an Eyebrow tint?
Yes, you definitely can fill your eyebrows after a brow tint. However, the main aim of a brow tint is for you to not have to fill them. The primary purpose of an eyebrow tint is to give them a stronger pigment and make them look full.
What not to do after getting your Eyebrows tinted.
Eyebrow tint is relatively low maintenance or even no maintenance procedure, so, you can do everything as you would normally do after the first 24 hours with the exception of putting your eyes underwater.
If you are looking for a temporary fix to your eyebrow game, eyebrow tint is the solution for you – but if you want a longer fix we recommend you look into options such as micro-needling or micro-blading. To cap this up, eyebrow tint is a low risk procedure, just ensure your technician make use of the right eyebrow dye.
READ MORE: Strip lashes VS. eyelash extensions.
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How the treatment actually works
Knowing the sequence removes most of the apprehension, because an eyebrow tint sounds more involved than it is. The whole thing takes less time than a coffee break.
Your technician cleanses the brow area first to remove oil and makeup, since anything on the skin stops the dye taking evenly. This step matters more than most clients realise.
A barrier cream is applied around the brow shape. This is what keeps an eyebrow tint on the hair rather than staining the surrounding skin, and it is the main thing home kits get wrong.
The dye is then brushed through the brows and left to develop. Development time for an eyebrow tint is judged by your natural colouring, and this is where an experienced technician earns their fee.
Finally the dye is wiped away and the shape checked. Most people are surprised how much fuller a simple eyebrow tint makes sparse brows appear.
Choosing the right shade
Shade selection does more for the result than anything else, and going as dark as possible is almost always the wrong instinct.
The standard guidance is to go one or two shades darker than your hair for an eyebrow tint, not four. Brows that are dramatically darker than your hair read as drawn on rather than natural.
Fair and red hair usually suits a warm brown. Cool ash tones can look grey against light colouring, which is a common disappointment after a first eyebrow tint.
Dark hair carries a deeper eyebrow tint comfortably, though pure black almost never looks right on anyone.
Grey or greying hair takes colour unpredictably, so mention it beforehand and expect the technician to adjust development time accordingly.
Tinting compared with brow lamination and microblading
These three are regularly confused, and booking the wrong one is an expensive mistake.
Lamination restructures the direction brow hairs sit in, brushing them upward for a fuller, feathered effect. It adds no colour at all, which is why it is so often paired with an eyebrow tint.
Microblading deposits semi-permanent pigment into the skin to mimic individual hairs. It fills genuine gaps, lasts far longer, costs considerably more and involves a healing period.
An eyebrow tint only ever darkens the hair you already grow. If your brows are reasonably full but pale, it is the cheapest and most reversible answer available.
If there are real bare patches, no amount of colour will create hair that is not there.
Safety and patch testing
This is a chemical treatment performed close to the eye, and it deserves more caution than it usually receives.
Insist on a patch test at least 24 to 48 hours before your first eyebrow tint. Reactions to dye are uncommon but real, and discovering one on your face is considerably worse than on your inner arm.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology has published warnings about the risks of eyebrow and eyelash colouring, and it is worth reading before booking.
Speak up immediately if you feel stinging during the appointment. A qualified technician expects this and will not treat it as an inconvenience.
Avoid home kits. The saving on a single eyebrow tint is small, and the margin for error this close to the eye is not worth it.
Aftercare that keeps the colour
Aftercare is simple, but a few habits noticeably shorten how long the result lasts.
Keep the area dry for the first 24 hours so the colour sets properly. No swimming, saunas or long hot showers on the day of your eyebrow tint.
Skip oil-based cleansers and makeup removers around the brows. Oil lifts colour faster than anything else and is the usual reason a tint fades early.
Exfoliating acids on the forehead will also strip an eyebrow tint quickly, so keep them away from the brow line between appointments.
Sun exposure fades an eyebrow tint too. Sunscreen protects the tint as well as your skin.
Who should think twice
Most people are suitable, but there are clear cases where waiting is sensible.
Anyone who has reacted to hair dye before should be especially careful, since the chemistry is related. A patch test before an eyebrow tint becomes essential rather than optional.
Broken skin, eczema, recent sunburn or active irritation around the brows all mean rescheduling your eyebrow tint.
If you have recently had a chemical peel, laser treatment or microdermabrasion on the forehead, leave a gap. Freshly resurfaced skin absorbs an eyebrow tint unpredictably.
Common mistakes
Skipping the patch test. The most serious error, usually made because a salon offered to skip it.
Going too dark. The most common aesthetic mistake. An eyebrow tint should darken your brows, not redraw them.
Judging it immediately. Colour looks strongest right after the appointment and softens within a day or two as the skin around the hairs settles.
Using oil cleanser afterwards. The fastest way to waste an eyebrow tint you have just paid for.
How often to repeat it
Most people settle into repeating an eyebrow tint every four to six weeks, though the interval depends on your own hair cycle and skincare routine.
An eyebrow tint fades rather than growing out abruptly. Brow hairs shed and regrow continuously, so the tinted ones gradually give way to untinted growth and the effect softens over several weeks.
Anyone using exfoliating acids or retinoids on the forehead will find an eyebrow tint fades faster, sometimes in as little as a fortnight.
There is no need to rest between appointments. Because nothing is deposited into the skin, a repeat eyebrow tint does not stress the brow the way semi-permanent pigment can.
Pairing a tint with brow shaping
An eyebrow tint and a good shape solve different problems, and the two together produce a far better result than either alone.
Threading defines the outline by removing stray hairs with precision, which gives an eyebrow tint a cleaner shape to sit inside. Our eyebrow threading guide covers the technique in detail.
Most salons perform the shaping first and the eyebrow tint immediately afterwards, since it is easier to judge colour against a finished outline than a messy one.
Booking both together is usually cheaper than two separate visits, and it means only one patch test is needed before the eyebrow tint.
If your lashes are pale too, many salons will add a lash tint in the same appointment. Our eyelash tinting guide explains that treatment.
What to expect from your first appointment
A first visit differs from later ones mainly because of the patch test, which has to happen a day or two in advance rather than on the day itself.
Arrive with clean brows and no makeup. Any residue on the hairs stops the dye taking evenly, and your technician will otherwise spend the first part of the appointment removing it before the eyebrow tint can begin.
Expect a short consultation about shade. Bring a photograph of your natural hair colour if you have recently dyed it, since matching an eyebrow tint to dyed hair is a different judgement.
The appointment itself is quick. Most of the time is spent waiting for the colour to develop rather than on application, and you will be lying back with your eyes closed throughout.
Say something immediately if the shade looks darker than you wanted when it is wiped off. A technician can lighten a fresh eyebrow tint far more easily than you can at home.
Book your next appointment before leaving. Salons that perform an eyebrow tint regularly for you will keep a record of the shade and development time that worked, which makes every subsequent visit more consistent.
Conclusion
An eyebrow tint is one of the best value treatments on any salon menu. It takes minutes, costs a fraction of microblading, and for anyone with pale or sparse-looking brows the difference is immediate.
It darkens the hair you already have rather than creating new hair, so set expectations by what is currently growing. Pairing it with lamination is what turns a modest improvement into an obvious one.
Insist on a patch test, choose a shade only one or two steps darker than your hair, and keep oil away from the brow line afterwards. Do that and an eyebrow tint is about as reliable as beauty treatments get.
