Skin
Fix Those Sperm Brows
11 • 05 • 2017
Anyone have skinny ’90s brows (still)? With microblading you can have finally have beautiful, full brows without penciling them in every morning. Although I wasn’t personally a candidate for microblading, I was eager to cover it for the blog. So I needed a guinea pig. Alana, a ridiculously pretty former colleague of mine, was perfect: despite her mother’s warnings, Alana plucked her brows into non-existence in high school and they never grew back. Then I asked Trishia, owner of Winx Lash (Houston, Galleria area) to do the microblading because her @winxlash feed shows we share the same brow aesthetic. And I am *super* picky when it comes to brows. Here is our microblading review and daily account of the healing process that followed:
What is Microblading?
Microblading is a semi-permanent way to fill in and shape sparse eyebrows. A licensed brow professional inserts pigment into the upper layers of skin with a tiny pen-like blade to create the look of individual brow hairs that lasts up to 18 months. To clarify, with microblading there is no actual hair added- it is just a semi-permanent pen stroke that looks exactly like a hair. I was looking at it as closely as I could, saying, I cannot believe that is not hair. Somehow it looks exactly like eyebrow hair.
Microblading is not the same thing as getting your brows tattooed! Tattoos are done using a machine, microblading is done by hand. A tattoo machine goes into the dermis, but microblading only goes into the top layer of the skin, the epidermis. Trishia explained to me that microblading does not go into the lymph system, that’s why tattoos get fuzzy as opposed to looking like individual brow hairs. As far as preparation for microblading, Avoid Retin-A for 2 weeks before, and for like 1 week after.
Trishia applied numbing cream for 15 minutes before starting the procedure. As far as the pain, Alana said, “It feels like a sharp scraping feeling, it doesn’t feel like a needle feeling, just like scraping. It is the scraping sound more than anything.” Totally manageable.
Healing Process:
Immediately after the microblading procedure, your brows will look perfect and amazing (redness, if any, goes away after the first hour). But the biggest downside to microblading is that after the first day, your brows turn strangely dark for a few days. That’s because the pigment starts to oxidize as it is a naturally-based iron oxide pigment. Do not despair! The darkening is a normal part of the healing process and happens every time.
For first 3 days after the procedure there is a sealant on it and you are advised not get your brows wet at all. Take off with gentle cleanser and apply balm (provided by your technician) on your brows for another 7 days. There’s no scabbing like with eyebrow tattooing, but do not itch your brows while they are healing. The brows will get less dark when you take off the sealant.
Microblading is a two appointment procedure: in the first appointment, the technician does 70% of the strokes, with a touch-up appointment six weeks out. During that six week period your skin will naturally recycle and regenerate itself, causing some of the strokes to disappear and then come back.
Ever the diligent attorney, Alana took progress photos everyday and texted me her daily updates. Here is a chronicle of her day-by-day post-microblading experience:
Day 1:
“Just got really excited and made a quick before and after. So amazing! Thank you both so much! I can’t stop looking in the mirror!”
She reported that her eyebrows felt sore and tight the evening of Day 1. “Not bad though.”
Day 2:
“Only a tiny bit itchy. Got caught in the rain yesterday and was nervous I got them wet but it wasn’t too bad. Just patted them with paper towel to dry. They seem SUPER dark to me right now, but I know you said they would get darker then lighter, right?”
“I’m pretty self conscious about them but trying to be patient! My four year old said “Mommy your eyebrows are black. You don’t look like mommy anymore.” Eek!” Trishia reassures her, “Awwww it’s only a couple of days! They will lighten, I promise!” Also says that it should look lighter after she washes the aslant off but can take a full week to lighten back up.
Day 3:
“Washed off sealant today! Kind of hard to tell but they did lighten a bit– enough that I’m not really self-conscious now. They are a little splotchy.”
Day 7:
One week out from the first microblading procedure. “Color is definitely lightening. Patchy now. Peeling started Day 5, but it is better now. I’ve been using the cream Trishia gave me and hoping the patchiness will either get better of be corrected at the follow up appointment. Overall I am very pleased!”
Day 14:
“I only had some minor flaking that started at Day 5. Lasted about 3 days. Not bad at all. Also my brows didn’t really disappear. I just have a couple patches where it’s thin and hasn’t come back yet. I used a brow pencil (Ed. note: I recommend It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil) to fill in a tiny bit this morning and they look AWESOME! The color and shape is great. Definitely see why a touch up is needed but I’m pretty thrilled with how it looks already.”
“I’m obsessed with my brows! Love them. So happy. Trishia is amazing.”
Microblading Touch-Up Session:
“Touch-up was slightly more painful than first session. Not awful though. However I was not as sore after the touch-up as I was after the initial session. I had the same flaking but to a lesser extent than 5 days after my first session. They didn’t seem nearly as dark after the touch-up as they did the first time around, and they lightened to a more natural color more quickly. I’m totally hooked!”
10 Days after Touchup:
“My brows look so good and it’s literally life-changing for me to have brows! I get compliments literally all the time.” Personally I was so pleased with the results that I started asking Trishia how I could get licensed to do microblading myself so I could fly around like a goodwill ambassador, fixing brows across the country.
Remember: friends don’t let friends have sperm brows. If you or someone you love may have a brow problem, please book a microblading appointment at Winx Lash immediately. Price is $595 (which includes the touch-up session). Pricey, but the results last up to 18 months.
xoxo,
Curious why you weren’t a candidate for microblading??? Wondering if I would also be knocked out of the running…
Because of the baby! Breastfeeding moms are out