DIY Brow Lamination -

Laminating your own brows at home

Well, I must admit, I was terrified, but COVID lockdown was the perfect time to give this a try. I figure that I had nothing to lose, and worst case, it would be just me staring at my own insanely messed up brows, or no brows if I fried them off - one of the two. I have been doing my own lash lifts, dip powder nails, pedicures and even waxing since the beginning of these so called "COVID TIMES", and have had success, so I figured why not give the brows a try as well! After all, one more beauty skill that can be perfected at home is less money and wasted time later, right?!

So what is brow lamination? Long gone are the days of sharpie brows as we embrace a more fluffy, grown-in natural look. Multiple powders, gels, brow balms and even bars of soap (yes soap) are used to help “lift” the brow hairs to a more upright position and create soap brows, or a very fluffy, brushed out look. I also noticed that it helps create the illusion of a “lift’ or more of an arch in the overall shape – an added bonus.

I’ll be honest, I have tried it all. I tried the soap, I tried the gel, I tried the permanent markers that are suppose to replicate little hairs. My skills with all of these attempts were unsatisfactory, so I figured why not just opt for a more permanent look that would require far less maintenance?

Now, while I have heard that you can use pretty much any simple lash lift or perm kit for this process, I will admit that I was terrified and wanted to go with a more familiar brand name that had a plethora of resources, good reviews, and easy to follow directions! I decided to go with Lash Bomb’s Brow Lamination Trial Kit. It sells for about $89 and has about 10 treatments inside – each treatment lasting 6-8 weeks. That is equal to the cost of one treatment, if not less! Now let me be clear, I am NOT professional and am not recommending you do this yourself, I am simply telling you how I did it myself.

Here is my pre-procedure terrified, makeup – free face in all of it’s glory. You can see just how uneven and untamed my brows are. The first step is to take the bond and “shape” or glue the hairs into the shape that you want. I was a bit puzzled here…. they looked insane and I could see how long it had been since I had sone any maintenance at all. I first brushed straight up, then added a bit of shape towards ends.

I was definitely looking like a creature out of Whoville, and there was definitely a bit of panic kicking in, but I convinced myself to trust the process. I added the lifting cream, trying to be careful not to put too much on my roots or tips. Be prepared, it smells like a perm and can irritate the skin, so I highly recommend a patch test if you are sensitive. According to the directions, I was to wait about minutes, and although the directions say NOT to cover with plastic wrap, my brow hairs were going astray, so I decided it was in my best interest to do so.

There was no turning back now, so after the timer was up I removed the plastic wrap and wiped off the lifting cream with a cotton round, then carefully applied the neutralizing cream with a clean spoolie brush, making sure to brush through. I waited another 5-7 mins, this time uncovered, then removed it with another cotton round. I brushed them out again and then applied the moisturizing serum. This is the time when most people would opt to do a brow tint as well, but I was taking it slow and decided one process was enough!

The results were a bit scary at first, but the process had definitely worked and I had not fried my brows off (winning)! After applying the moisturizer serum I went in with the tweezers to pluck and shape, followed by a trim with my brow scissors. I was pleasantly surprised by the results. After a bit of grooming grooming, my brows definitely looked much fuller and had a much higher arch to them then before. When I take a bit of time to shape them and fill them, I have been asked if I have had microblading, which I have not Would I do again? Sure. I think I will be adding it to my DIY beauty at home routine and will opt for a tint next time as well!

Have you tried brow lamination professionally or at home? Comment below!