Unruly or unkempt eyebrows can distract people from the more attractive and distinguishing aspects of your face. By plucking regularly, you can ensure that your eyebrows remain well groomed and tidy. This guide on how to pluck eyebrows will introduce you to the process and offer some tips to make plucking more effective and less painful.

Plucking your eyebrows can be a delicate process. Although you want your brows to look well groomed and attractive, removing too many hairs from your eyebrows can make your face look awkward and unnatural. The steps detailed below will help ensure you are plucking the right hairs and will also help make the process more efficient and less painful.

1. Tweezers
   • To get a good pair of tweezers, you may have to spend a little more money, but it will be well worth it. Although opinions differ on what brand and type to use, most people agree that tweezers with slanted tips work best for plucking eyebrows. Sharp tweezers work better and make for less painful plucking, so replace your tweezers regularly
2. Two small straight sticks for measuring
   • You can use long toothpicks, pencils, or any other narrow straight implements, as long as they are straight and at least four to six inches long
3. A washcloth moistened with warm water
4. A cotton ball or pad
5. Witch hazel
6. Eyebrow brush
7. Mirror

(Creative Commons photo by me and the sysop)

Before you begin, brush your eyebrows up and out with your eyebrow brush. Take a good look in a mirror and make note of any particularly problem areas or any hairs that appear noticeably out of place. Do not attempt to change the natural shape of your brows, as they are naturally shaped to complement your facial structure.

To make plucking easier and less painful, lay a washcloth moistened with warm water over your brows and leave it there for a few minutes. This will help open your pores and make the hairs easier to remove. Moisten your cotton ball or pad with witch hazel and then swipe it across your eyebrow. This will slightly numb the area, thus making plucking less painful and will also act as an antiseptic to help prevent infection. Apply the witch hazel to the eyebrow area regularly during the plucking process.

Use your two sticks to measure your eyebrows. Lay one of the sticks along the outer edge of your nostril and straight up toward your forehead. The other stick should also be placed at the outer edge of your nostril, but should extend diagonally past the outer corner of your eye and up toward your forehead. As a general rule, any hairs that fall outside your two measuring sticks can be removed.

Brush your eyebrows up and out regularly during the process. Re-measure your eyebrows regularly using your sticks as you pluck. Although you will need to get close to the mirror or use a magnifying mirror to pluck effectively, take a step back and reexamine your eyebrows in a regular mirror at regular intervals. Switch back and forth between plucking your right and left eyebrow to ensure that they remain even and you are not removing too many hairs from any one side.

Using your free hand, keep the skin around the hair you are plucking taut to make it easier to remove and reduce the chance that you will pinch your skin. Remove hairs by pulling in the direction of growth using a short, quick tug. As a general rule of thumb, do not remove hairs from above your brow unless they are obviously out of place. Remove hairs from below and either side of your brows. Avoid over-plucking: Keep in mind that it is much easier to go back later and remove another stray hair than it is to wait and hope that your eyebrows grow back.

Being aware of which eyebrow hairs you should remove is key to plucking your eyebrows, as it will ensure that your brows remain natural looking. Although plucking can be mildly painful, using a warm washcloth to help open your pores and swabbing with witch hazel to numb the area will make the process less so. Remember to be careful and examine your eyebrows regularly during the plucking process to ensure you are not removing too many hairs or creating brows that look awkward or uneven.