Many crossdressers want to shape their eyebrows but are either afraid to or don’t know how. In this article I will share my knowledge and experience to make you more knowledgeable in this area to be able to get their eyebrows looking nicer, improving your feminine appearance.
As I’ve mentioned before, my natural eyebrows are nothing short of a disaster. Really, calling them eyebrows would be incorrect because before I started getting them done professionally, they were, in fact just one solid eyebrow. Back in 1999, I first decided to take the plunge into the world of eyebrow modification. For the first several years, I only waxed the middle portion, giving me two ugly, yet distinct eyerbrows.
Fast forward to around 2004 and I started shaping them by having the estechican arch them for me. There are several different methods that you can use to change the look of your eyebrows.
Plucking
Of all the methods I’ve tried, this is by far the least effective of them all. It involves taking a set of tweezers and pulling the hair out of each follicle, one by one. Further complicating matters is the fact that it is more difficult to achieve a desired shape. That’s certainly not to say that it can’t be done, but be warned that it isn’t the most efficient method.
Although the pain isn’t too bad, be warned that it is a slow process and that you will endure pain after pain after pain. . .
Plucking eyebrow hairs typically will not leave bumps on my face.
One great advantage of plucking is that it is cheap and easy to get started. Tweezers are the only tool required and you can either do it yourself or ask a friend.
When I do pluck, it is usually to grab a couple of stray hairs or renegade hairs that pop up in between salon visits.
Waxing
Hands down the most common eyebrow shaping method, waxing is faster than plucking though probably a little more painful because several hairs are being ripped out at once. Waxing was my first professional foray into eyebrow trimming, and I quickly adjusted to it.
Some of the advantages of waxing include the short time it takes to get done, relative affordability, and good results. It lasts a bit longer than plucking and can also be done at home with simple kits that can be picked up at most drug stores.
Drawbacks of waxing include the potential for nasty, irritating bumps on the area that has been waxed. I have been a victim of this wrath plenty of times, although they tend to disappear after a couple of days. Another big disadvantage is that if you wax too much, you can’t go back. The process isn’t usually a gradual one, as beauty technicians prefer to get you done and out the door.
I no longer wax my eyebrows unless I’m desparate.
Threading
This is now my preferred way of shaping my eyebrows. In my opinion, threading is the most precise and most efficient way of removing excess eyebrow hair while also getting a desired result most of the time. It can be painful, perhaps even more than waxing, however.
Threading is (in my experience) cheaper than waxing, and the people who are trained in this art really know what they are doing. There is a salon in Chicago that I went to a few times that only charges $5, though I found a better place downtown that was $15. I started threading at the end of last year on the suggestion of one of my Aunts, and have never looked back. I never get bumps as a result of threading.
My favorite part of threading is how they can target single hairs or remove one row of hairs at a time. This way, your eyebrows come together more gradually, but not super slow like when plucking. Also, my eyebrows tend to look much sharper and more precisely arched than they ever did when waxing.
Of course, unless you are specifically skilled in this, threading cannot be done at home. Another problem is that it may be difficult to find this service in your area, as it is not as prevalent as waxing.
Shaving
Now, I’ve never tried this but had a non TG guy friend who did this to escape his own evil unibrow. As far as I know, he would wash his face like normal, then lather up and shave away. Shaving, however, is a quick fix as hairs grow back much faster because you are not removing them at the root. I would also tend to think that your skin is more prone to irritation after shaving, after all, you are dragging sharpened steel across a delicate patch of skin.
If you have especially thick eyebrows, it is possible to use a beard trimmer with a guard attached to thin them out a bit, but I’ve never tried.
OTHER METHODS
Yet another shaving technique involves shaving your eyebrows completely off and then drawing them on or having them tatooed on. You can also cover them up with heavy concealer and draw them on.
What Shape to Get
The most obvious difference between men’s and women’s eyebrows is that women have arches whereas most men don’t. Therefore, any male who wants to look more feminine has to incorporate arching somehow. You can go extreme, but I compromise. My eyebrows, while arched, are not too thin, so they fit my face better.
Keep in mind that the more feminine you make your eyebrows, the more noticeable they will be when in male mode. If you are full time then there is no need to worry about that.
Here’s a suggestion: you want your eyebrows more arched than most men but a little less than most women.
I hope that with these tips you can achieve your desired eyebrow look. Feel free to add your own tidbits of info or questions if there is something more that you would like to know. Enjoy and may your eyebrows be shapely!
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Love your newest post! I have been shaping my brows for over 20 years. Currently I have received comments from three of our customer service girls at work about how “perfect” my eyebrows are- Do you do that yourself? I humbly reply, “its just natural, I guess”.
I have only had the benefit of a good pair of tweezers AND some hair gel I apply with an old mascara brush. Once you have applied the gel and managed to shape and arch the remaining brows, it is easy to finish pulling the few re-grows or strays. Do it before the gel sets up or you will have the hairs kinda glued to your forehead and you will not be able to grasp them with the tweezers.
If you start slow, the result will not be radical overnight and your secret will still be safe. I progressed this over a few months and now when I get set for a night (or day) I nearly always get comments on my brows when I meet a new girlfriend.
This is a good way to start and still stay under the radar. The gel will not only hold, but allows shaping and MOST importantly compresses the remaining hairs to form a nice tight arch.
Chao
Ellen
Thanks Ellen! You too are an eyebrow veteran
and I appreciate you sharing your insights here.
I have always used tweezers. I find I can be quite precise with. them. Never had mine waxed and I’m not sure I would want to. Although I’m sure the rare esthetician exists, who is able to work wonders with wax, everyone I have ever seen who had their brows waxed, had an artificial look to them, because it’s nearly impossible to get a proper arch, without plucking individual hairs. Waxed brows tend to look too straight across the bottom.
I can’t even imagine anyone shaving their eyebrows. Aside from the potential for some nasty razor nicks, if you have dark brows, shaving would leave a noticeable shadow, that would have to be concealed, and within a couple of days, you would have dark stubble growing out. Imagine how lovely that would look!
The one good thing, or bad thing, depending on individual perspective, is that if plucking or waxing is done long enough, it will virtually eliminate regrowth. People who have plucked their eyebrows for years, often only need to pluck the occasional stray hair, every now and then.
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
I’ve noticed my eyebrows growing in a little more sparsely over the years, though they still grow everywhere
!
Some people who have very little eyebrow hair or hate the shape will shave them and have them tattooed on or will draw them on with makeup themselves. Now, I’ve seen cases where it’s done quite well but others who messed up big time.
Tweezers allow such great precision and are a great way to maintain eyebrow shape in between visits
.
Very nice tips!
i tend to not worry too much about my eyebrows, for my Mistress takes car of them, She plucks, and this last time She plucked them so thin, She advised me to wear glasses to work, while in boy-mode, i didn’t, and no one said anything, wonderful!
Waxing is my prefered method, though i regret i have never tried threading.
However, for quick touch-ups, they make a small lil electirc shaver for just this, its thin and silver/gray, and i see it often at stores, its also good for nose hairs, and any small touch-ups anywhere, but its just a trimmer, so hairs won’t grow back in thicker, but do take them down pretty smooth, and its easy to work with, no pain, but hairs will grow back fast.
Thanks for the wonderful post!
xo
Thanks, Jeanie. I used to use a trimmer to thin out the hairs a bit, and it worked quite well.
I too suffered from the big hairy monobrow. I like to use a razor as it’s quick and painless with a good deal of control. I have never had any problems with nicks or cuts. Yes the hairs do regrow back in again quite quickly but that can be resolved by doing a quick touchup again or grabbing the tweasers.
One thing that I find essential is to trim the length of my eyebrow hairs. If I let them grow untouched the get rather long and bushy.
I stumbled upon your blog, and I must say I’ve enjoyed reading your posts very much, especially those where you share your personal feelings and experiences. You are very brave.
The best eyebrow shape is the one that looks best on you!… It’s important to factor in the facial features when shaping the brow. The size of the forehead and the size of the space in between the brow and eyelid will guide you in how arched, straight, full or thin a brow could potentially be. A small forehead can take a thin brow, a large forehead will look larger with thin eyebrows. If you have naturally high eyebrows , less is more- just clean up the edges. When the space in between the eyebrow and the eyelid is spacious a thicker, fuller brow will balance it. If the space between the brow and lid is small or closed set then obviously thinner brows will look better – it will open up the space for your eye shadow design. Sometimes arched eyebrows can bring attention to the very thing we are trying to balance- masculine bone structure! I prefer a fuller, more straight eyebrow on me, to a thin, arched brow (which looks harsh on me, and photographs even worse). Some of my tranny friends shape their eyebrows to thin, which draws attention to the brow bone, making it appear too prominent.
It’s interesting the way some people believe thinner and arched equals feminine, and full and straight equals masculine. Naturally, eyebrows occur in all shapes and sizes on both genders.