For better or for worse, I have been an avid eyebrow plucker ever since I discovered tweezers in middle school. Unlike most facial features, which can’t be changed without some major surgery, it allowed me to have some control over the way my eyebrows looked. But maybe I gave myself too much power, because at some point I lost my way and my dark, thick eyebrows became thin and sad. So I decided to give myself a challenge: Put down the tweezers for a while and see what happens. The results were surprising, to say the least.
Week 1
I took this picture after growing out my brows for a week, and you can see how thin they are even after all that time. This is normally my breaking point, where I’d tweeze any of the shorter hairs that I think don’t belong. The longer hairs don’t seem to want to cooperate either, taking away what little shape my eyebrows had.
Week 2
The hairs are growing wild and it’s driving me absolutely crazy. I’ve noticed I feel very self-conscious about the messiness of my eyebrows, even if it’s just me being paranoid. It’s likely that I’m the only one who has noticed.
Week 3
They basically look the same as the end of Week 2: messy and unkempt.
Week 4
I think I’m starting to see some shape develop that wasn’t there previously. I’m ready to break out the tweezers, but I’m holding out for something better to come.
Week 5
By some kind of miracle, my eyebrows seem to have been given a new life. The ends of my brows, which used to feather off into an undefined nothingness, are now a prominent part of the overall shape.
Week 6
I am so glad I held out; I think my brows have finally returned to the shape they were meant to be, give or take a few stray hairs. I feel comfortable at this point tweezing the ones that clearly don’t belong, but I’m much more careful in doing so than I used to be.
Update: Weeks Later
I’ve barely picked up tweezers since I ended my experiment a few weeks ago. I just haven’t felt a need. My eyebrows are fuller and I’m much happier with how they look on my face. Overall, if you’re a fan of plucking or waxing your eyebrows, I highly recommend trying out this experience for yourself, even for just a few weeks. The results speak for themselves!