Everything You Need to Know About Eyebrow Extensions

Oh, the things we won’t do for a set of thick brows. Once considered a beauty faux pas, lush eyebrows now continue to catch the world’s fancy, with everything from microblading to brow lamination adorning salon menus across the globe.

The latest to join the brow bandwagon is eyebrow extensions, ie the process of gluing individual strands to existing brow hair to create the perfect brows. If you think the new approach may not be popular, think again. With thousands of searches on both TikTok and Instagram, the treatment is becoming a favorite for its painless application, realistic finish and natural shedding.

What are Brow Extensions?

Similar to eyelash extensions, brow extensions involve attaching color matched synthetic hair fibers in this case to the eyebrow using medical-grade adhesive to add fullness (cover gaps of lost hair), correct shape, to extend the eyebrows, enhance, or to fully reconstruct brows with little to no hair. With lash extensions, you need natural eyelashes to attach the extension to, but with eyebrow extensions, the fibers can be attached directly to the skin or the eyebrow hair itself.

The hair fibers are different, too. With lash extensions, you have your choice of mink, silk, or cashmere—all of which are full and thick in appearance to mimic a mascara-coated lash. Our eyebrow extensions are much finer, and matched to the client’s hair color and skin tone allowing for the most natural-look. It’s worth mentioning that many extension providers avoid using the finer hair fibers as they require more work.  We prefer to use the finest strand possible as it’s the one that appears the most natural-looking—if the hair is too thick, it’s going to look unnatural, like hair plug.

Brow Extension Benefits Versus Microblading

Brow extensions offer all of the benefits of microblading, but in addition provide texture and dimension, all without the pain, risk, or the commitment of microblading. Eyebrow extensions add definition and volume along with the opportunity to try something different as often as you’d like. And because brow extensions are applied to the surface of the skin using adhesive (as opposed to a needle that pierces the epidermis), there’s less risk of possible infection, or being stuck with results you’re not happy with. That is, if you don’t like how your microblading turns out, you’re essentially stuck with the results. As a result, eyebrow extensions are also great for those considering microblading / nanoblading and looking to fine tune their brow design and to get an idea of what having them permanently would look like.

How Important are Healthy, Well-Sculpted Brows?

Brows frame the face — they’re not just a feature, they’re a focal point. Well-sculpted, healthy brows can lift the face, balance proportions, and give a more youthful appearance.

Lamination. Microblading. Tinting. Waxing. What Differentiates Each of these Treatments?

Threading: Threading is a precise hair removal technique using twisted cotton thread to shape brows by removing hair from the follicle level.

Waxing: Waxing uses warm or cold wax to quickly remove hair from the brow area in larger sections. Ideal for those who want a clean, sharp brow shape.

Tweezing: Involves manually plucking stray hairs with tweezers to refine the shape or maintain brows between appointments.

Laminating: Brow lamination is a treatment that sets brow hairs in place using a chemical solution, creating a fuller, brushed-up look that lasts several weeks.

Tinting: Eyebrow tinting temporarily dyes the brow hairs (and slightly stains the skin) to add depth, definition, and the appearance of thicker brows.

Microblading: Microblading is a semi-permanent tattooing technique that creates fine, hair-like strokes to fill in sparse or uneven brows with a natural finish.

The Eyebrow Extension Process

The process of eyebrow extension application is simple – a client consultation is performed, during which the brow artist selects the correct shade of extensions to match the natural brows. After a cleanse and any necessary tweezing of unwanted hairs, the artist starts the extension application by thoroughly cleansing the skin before making sure the brow area is completely dry. This helps ensure optimal adhesion of the extensions and prevents any residual moisture from interfering with the adhesive bond. The artist then brushes the eyebrows up to get a better look at how much natural brow hair the client has to work with and how best to attach the extensions. The synthetic hairs are then picked up using tweezers and dipped into the adhesive before attaching to the client’s skin, or their own brow hairs. The esthetician will usually work starting from the outer corner of the brow inwards, creating a natural-looking brow and filling in any bald spots.

The entire process can run from 30 minutes to two hours. Each fiber is meticulously applied, strand by strand, with tweezers. Unlike lashes, where extensions are glued on in one direction, these strands follow the grow pattern of your brows and are placed in different angles to create the shape. The final result can potentially boast hundreds of fibers of varying lengths.

When done correctly, the end result should look like a beautiful threading or wax job. Brow extensions should look like your natural brows, but better—the bottom should be sharp, clean, and aligned, and the overall shape should look neat. If it’s done poorly, it can actually look fake, like a tattoo—that means the brow artist used too many strands, it’s too thick, and too dense. The good news is if you receive a bad application, it’s extensions and an easy fix that involves the simple application of the remover and they’re off.

Tip: Be wary of lazy techniques. Some Eyebrow Extension Salons tint the skin underneath first, which is the wrong way to do brow extensions. When the skin is tinted, it gives a darker look, so they can get away with applying extensions every which way and adding much fewer strands of hair.

How Long Do Brow Extensions Last?

Eyebrow extensions lasts up to two weeks, depending on your skin type and how you care for them. It is crucial that the brows not touch water for the first 48 hours. Avoid touching them, sleeping on them, using oil-based products, and applying makeup over them. Only dab the area with water using a damp cloth. If someone has an oily complexion or is constantly rubbing their face, their application won’t last as long.

How Much Do Brow Extensions Cost?

The bigger the brow, the greater the cost however, generally speaking the cost is between $150 to $350. A bigger, bolder brow will require more work, so it’s priced accordingly. But it’s beautiful when it’s done (and done right), and it’s is well worth it.