How to Trim Your Eyebrows Like a Total Pro

Close up of socialite Lori Harvey, her head slightly to the side — @loriharvey / Instagram

In This Article

Choose the Right Tools Clip Your Hair Back Fill In Your Brows With a Pencil Brush Your Brow Hairs Upward Begin Trimming

Assess and Evaluate Trim More and Tweeze, If Needed Finish With Styling Gel The Finished Look

Truth: Trimming eyebrows is probably one of our greatest fears in life—after all, the only thing worse than an over-tweezed eyebrow is an over-trimmed eyebrow. Even as beauty editors, we've inflicted one too many brow-related misdemeanors over the years to even consider doing it on our own—well, until now, that is.

Turns out, with the help of some expert A-list guidance, trimming our eyebrows is actually way easier than we ever thought possible—as we learned when we asked brow professional Kristie Streicher to give us a crash course, complete with nifty photos. (Add it to the list of grooming-related tasks we've just been overthinking all these years.)

Meet the Expert

Kristie Streicher is the creator of The Feathered Brow and co-owner of Striiike beauty studio in Los Angeles.

Scroll on to learn how to groom your eyebrows in eight simple steps.

01 of 09

Choose the Right Tools

A hand reaching down toward scissors, a brow pencil, and spoolies on a table — Kristie Streicher for Byrdie

As with anything beauty- or makeup-related, the tools you choose will make a big difference in your execution. You'll need scissors that are small and easy to use, as well as a spoolie brush with soft bristles. Try the Kristie Streicher The Essentials Eyebrow Grooming Kit ($225)—it comes with scissors that have lightly curved blades and a pointed tip perfect for precision trimming, a spoolie that allows you to brush through brow hairs easily, and a pair of chic, vanity-worthy tweezers.

02 of 09

Clip Your Hair Back

Close up of a blonde woman clipping back her hair — Kristie Streicher for Byrdie

Clipping your hair back will allow you to see your brows without disruption (especially if you have bangs), minimizing the risk of over-trimming.

03 of 09

Fill In Your Brows With a Pencil

Close up of a woman filling in her brows, her hand on her temple pulling up her brow — Kristie Streicher for Byrdie

Streicher recommends filling in your brows with a pencil based on how you actually "wear" them before trimming. This helps you create a visual guide and avoid over-trimming. To do this, use short, feathery strokes to lightly shade the skin underneath your brow hair, making sure to go against the direction of hair growth to access underneath them. We like Make Up Forever's Aqua Resist Waterproof Eyebrow Definer Pencil ($24).

04 of 09

Brush Your Brow Hairs Upward

Close up of a woman brushing up her brow hairs with a spoolie brush — Kristie Streicher for Byrdie

Start your brow-trimming process by first figuring out which brow hairs need to be trimmed. To do this, take a clean mascara wand (or a spoolie brush) and brush all your brow hairs upward, tails included.

05 of 09

Begin Trimming

Close up of a woman trimming her eyebrow hairs — Kristie Streicher for Byrdieâ

Next, take your brow scissors (use a pair that is slightly slanted, which provides a superior angle) and trim the long hairs that stick out above the top of your brow's hairline. Cut the hair where it starts to bend or curl, staggering the lengths for an even more natural look. Be careful not to trim them too short, as doing so can give the appearance of gaps in the brows.

Byrdie Tip

Streicher says to avoid cutting the hairs straight across or all at once. Instead, use caution to only trim the longer hairs that protrude past the brow line, cutting one at a time.

06 of 09

Assess and Evaluate

A woman looking at her eyebrows in a mirror — Kristie Streicher for Byrdie

After your initial run-through, it's a good idea to move back from your mirror and assess. In many cases, you should likely stop here. (After all, we all know how easy it is to just keep going when it comes to brow maintenance).

07 of 09

Trim More and Tweeze, If Needed

A woman trimming her brow hairs, viewed close up — Kristie Streicher for Byrdie

If you find that your brows still look uneven, continue to brush the hairs up and trim any strays until they all align with your natural brow shape. When it comes to stray hairs, this would be the time to tweeze them. Normally, stray hairs sit beneath your brow shape. A word of caution: Be careful tweezing above the brow—you'll find very few strays there, to begin with.

Byrdie Tip

Always tweeze with a regular mirror versus a magnifying mirror (it could cause you to remove too many hairs). Also, tweeze in natural light so you don't go overboard.

08 of 09

Finish With Styling Gel

A woman brushes brow gel through her eyebrows while looking in a mirror — Kristie Streicher for Byrdie

To keep brow hairs in place, Streicher says to finish with a styling gel, brushing the brow hairs up and out. We're fans of R+Co Magic Wand Brow Gel ($20) for its sturdy hold and conditioning, flake-free formula.

09 of 09

The Finished Look

Close up of a woman, her eyebrows gelled and groomed — Kristie Streicher for Byrdie

Voilà! Perfectly trimmed brows ready for action.

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