Common eyebrow mistakes to avoid for over-60s

If our eyebrows used to be full and beautiful, once we hit that big 6-0, we’ll notice that they become sparse and not to mention discoloured. It’s not just our hair that suffers but our eyebrows are also affected to the change in hormones. Our eyebrows play a huge part in ‘framing’ our face, so getting it right is important. Luckily, with a bit of tweaking, our eyebrows can look amazing – and we don’t need to spend a fortune.

And how do we do that? Here are 10 common eyebrow mistakes we should steer clear of and how to fix them:

Mistake #1: Making the gap between your brows too wide

Have you heard that putting a pencil on the side of your nostril until it touches your eyebrows will show you where to remove hair? This and removing too many hairs from a monobrow can make your eyebrows look too small.

Your eyebrows should actually align with the top bridge of the nose.

Mistake #2: Trying to match your brow colour to your hair colour

Whether it’s dye or a brow pencil, picking a shade of brown with a slight tint that goes with your hair colour is the best option. For grey, you can opt to go several shades darker than your hair, say a light brown.

Mistake #3: Not filling them in

Eyebrows with hairs sparse enough to let the skin underneath show could be ageing you. If you’ve noticed your hairs are few and far between, you’re a great candidate to use an eyebrow pencil. Carefully fill in where your natural eyebrows would be and use feathery strokes instead of colouring in.

Mistake #4: Tweezing before a shower

The hot water in your shower sometimes loosens up hair follicles meaning if you’ve just plucked, you could rattle some nearby follicles. Instead, tweeze after a shower so they hurt less when you pluck.

Mistake #5: Getting them tattooed on with black ink

Older women particularly seem to have a penchant for black tattooed eyebrows but this in not only ageing, but can look very unnatural especially if your skin has lightened and your hair is grey. Instead, there are new ways to get tattooed brows without them being overpowering and permanent.

In the past, tattooed brows were filled in completely making it look solid and unnatural. These days, tiny individual hair strands are drawn in to mimic your own brow hair, resulting in a very natural and enhanced look. They’re also semi-permanent and fade into nothing before they need to be redone! This is different to black eyebrows which fade to purple, blue or green.

Mistake #6: Overfilling your brows

Everyone wants fuller brows in their 60s but some women can overdo it, whether it’s because the colour is too dark, or because they look too noticeable and unsubtle. Also avoid going too far outside your natural shape with a too-dark shade.

Mistake #7: Using the wrong product for your brows

If you have sparse brows, you should use pencil instead of an eyebrow powder. This is because the powder needs something to cling to and can slide off without hairs. If you have bushy, wiry brows, trim them, then fill in with a natural powder.

Mistake #8: Trying to make them identical

When you try to make your eyebrows look exactly the same, you can over-pluck them. Your eyebrows are supposed to be sisters, not twins!

Mistake #9: Plucking them into a tadpole-like shape

Tadpole-shaped brows are very unnatural. If you want the perfect shape, visit a professional then mimic how they did it. Before you go, take some time to let your eyebrows grow back without being plucked or waxed.

Mistake #10: Using a magnifying mirror

Magnifying mirrors are great for a precise makeup application, but contrary to popular belief, are not great when it comes to hair removal. By viewing your brows too close up, you lose perspective on how much hair you’ve already taken off.

Were you aware of any of these mistakes?