The Right Treatment Depends on Your Brow's Starting Point
Selecting a brow treatment without understanding your brow's current condition produces disappointing results. Brow lamination on sparse brows produces a flat, laminated look on the few hairs present but does not add density. Microblading on dense, full brows addresses a concern (lack of density) that does not exist.
Assess your brows before selecting a treatment:
- Sparse or thin: Few actual hairs; visible gaps in the brow shape
- Light-coloured: Good density of hairs but low pigment visibility
- Unruly or downward-growing: Dense hair growing in the wrong direction
- Both sparse and light: Missing hairs plus low colour
Microblading: For Sparse Brows
What it is: A manual tattooing technique using a handheld tool with a row of micro-needles to deposit pigment into the skin in hair-stroke patterns. Each stroke mimics the appearance of a real hair.
Who it is for: People with sparse, patchy or over-plucked brows who want to fill gaps with realistic-looking hair strokes. The most appropriate treatment for brows with actual missing density.
The process:
- A consultation where the technician maps the brow shape based on facial measurements
- Application of topical numbing cream (30 minutes)
- Manual pigment application using hair-stroke technique (60 to 90 minutes)
- An initial result that appears darker than the healed result (pigment oxidises during healing)
- A touch-up appointment 4 to 6 weeks later to refine and fill any areas where pigment did not retain
Durability: 12 to 18 months. Oily skin types retain microblading pigment less well than dry skin types (oil breaks down the pigment faster); may require touch-up at 8 to 12 months.
Cost: £200 to £500 for the initial session including the touch-up. Annual maintenance: £100 to £200.
Contraindications: Not appropriate for people who are pregnant, have active skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis) in the brow area, take blood thinners or have received chemotherapy recently. Patch test required before full treatment.
The healed result difference: Immediately after microblading, the strokes appear dark and slightly raised. During healing (7 to 14 days), the skin forms a layer over the pigment that softens the strokes significantly. The fully healed result (4 to 6 weeks post-appointment) shows the accurate final colour, which is typically 30% to 40% lighter than the immediate post-treatment result.
Brow Lamination: For Unruly or Downward-Growing Brows
What it is: A chemical process that restructures brow hairs upward, setting them in a lifted, brushed-up position. Similar to a lash lift but for brows.
Who it is for: People with dense brow hair that grows in the wrong direction (downward, outward, inward), creating an untidy or flat appearance. Also produces a "fluffy brow" effect for those with naturally straight-growing but adequately dense brows.
The process: A lifting solution is applied to the brows over a shaping rod or by combing the hairs upward, followed by a setting solution that locks the new position. Takes 45 to 60 minutes.
Durability: 6 to 8 weeks per treatment.
Cost: £40 to £80 per treatment.
Often combined with: Brow tint and tidy (threading or waxing of strays below the brow line) in the same appointment for a complete brow treatment.
Important limitation: Brow lamination works with existing hairs only. If you have sparse brows, lamination makes the existing hairs more visible but does not address gaps.
Describe your brow density (sparse, medium, full), natural hair colour, growth direction and what bothers you most about your brows currently. The Makeup Advisor recommends the specific treatment and whether combining treatments would address your concerns more effectively.
Get My Brow Treatment AdviceTake the Full Beauty QuizBrow Tinting: For Light-Coloured Brows
What it is: A semi-permanent dye applied to the brow hairs and skin beneath to darken both simultaneously. Produces fuller-looking brows because both the hairs and the skin beneath show colour.
Who it is for: People with naturally light (blonde, red, grey) brow hairs where the brow density is adequate but the low pigmentation makes brows appear invisible.
The process: Takes 15 to 20 minutes. A vegetable-based or henna dye is applied to the brow area and left for 3 to 10 minutes depending on the depth of colour desired.
Two types of tint:
Vegetable/cream tint: Stains the hairs and skin surface. Hair stain lasts 4 to 6 weeks. Skin stain lasts 1 to 2 weeks. The skin stain creates a defined brow shadow that reduces daily brow makeup significantly.
Henna tint: Longer-lasting skin stain (2 to 4 weeks on skin) and similar hair duration. More defined, bolder result. Better for people who want a strong-looking brow without daily filling.
Cost: £15 to £35 as a standalone service; often included with other brow services.
Combining Treatments
Lamination plus tint: The most popular combination. Produces lifted, fluffy brows with enhanced colour. Both treatments are compatible and performed in the same appointment.
Tint plus tidy: Tint the hairs dark, then remove stray hairs via threading or waxing to create a clean-edged, defined brow shape. Takes 30 to 40 minutes total.
Microblading plus tinting: Tinting the remaining natural hairs to match the microblading pigment produces the most cohesive result, particularly where natural brow hairs and microbladed strokes sit side by side.