Bleached Eyebrows: How to Get and Maintain the Look

“In this world where we are trying to crawl out of the pandemic, people want to experiment with their looks and reinvent themselves with something fresh and new,” Healy continues. “It’s also a very fashion-focused look, and while it can be difficult to pull off, people are ready to take a bold stride and really step outside the box.” Healy also explains that the look was inspired by the runway—where it clearly still reigns supreme—and pioneered by makeup artists like Kevyn Aucoin.

How to Bleach Your Eyebrows

If you’re feeling inspired, please know that brow experts universally suggest against bleaching your own brows: You should see a professional. That said, if you absolutely must, Healy explains that you can start with Jolen Bleach, a facial hair bleach, to take out the severity of your brows’ pigment. 

“It works best when you’re taking a brow from black to dark brown or dark brown to medium brown, but if you leave it on too long, they can start to turn orange because you’re lifting the hair but you’re not necessarily able to tone it,” he continues, noting that the product doesn’t have toner in it. Therefore, if you want a specific shade of blonde or look (and to be as safe as possible), it’s best to see an actual hair colorist who can color correct after you lift.

If you do decide to go the DIY route, Healy strongly encourages you proceed with caution and acknowledge that bleach is much stronger than regular brow dyes. “Make sure it’s not dripping or near your eyes, and if you feel a skin irritation, immediately take it off,” Healy advises. Then once you’ve removed the beach, be sure to rinse the brows thoroughly with wet cotton balls so the brow hair doesn’t continue to process. “Realize that it can be slightly damaging to the brows if the hair is a little bit thinner or drier because you are removing the pigment,” he says.

How to Maintain Bleached Eyebrows

Once your brows are bleached, maintenance can be…complicated. There’s not much you can do to keep up the aesthetic. “It’s a little tricky: when your brows grow back in, they don’t just have roots, they kind of grow rest and shed,” Healy tells Glamour. “Bleached brows get speckled with natural colored hairs, so best thing to do is wait for your brow to get back to its natural state before you lift them again.”