How to Wax a Unibrow

Waxing Like a Professional

Wax a day or two before you need to look good. While most people are able to wax without any problems, for some, waxing can cause minor skin irritation. If you've never waxed before, you probably don't have any idea how your skin will react to the wax. For this reason, it's a good idea to wax a few days before any major events that you want to look good for — if your skin between your eyebrows does get irritated, it will have a chance to recover before you need to show it off. Though this is rare, some people are allergic to hair-removal wax and can experience symptoms like rash and folliculitis when they come into contact with it. If you're unsure whether you're allergic, it's a good idea to apply some of the wax to an area of your body that isn't usually visible (like your side or your upper leg) before using it on your face. If your skin reacts with rash or pustules, you probably should not use the wax for your unibrow.

Wash and dry your face. Cleanliness is important for a good waxing procedure. Since the wax can remove not only unwanted hairs but also the very top layer of skin, infection is a very small (but real) risk. For this reason, you'll want to wash your face with gentle soap and a clean towel before beginning to kill any bacteria or other microbes which may cause problems. Don't forget to wash your hands, too (or, if a friend is helping you, have this person wash their hands). Harmful bacteria can be present on the hands after all kinds of mundane activities (like, for instance, eating), so you don't want unwashed hands anywhere near your delicate skin post-wax.

Heat your wax if necessary. Most waxing products come in one of two forms: cold and hot. Cold wax, which comes pre-attached to the removal strip, is the slightly easier and more convenient option. Hot wax, on the other hand, must be heated, applied, and then removed with a separate strap. If you're using hot wax, start heating it now according to the provided instructions — you can do the next step while you wait for it to warm up. If you're using hot wax, be careful not to heat it to an uncomfortable or dangerous temperature. A burn between your eyebrows can be seriously painful (and won’t look great, either). Also, because you’re working so close to your eyes, you’ll want to avoid extremely hot wax to minimize the potential for damage in worst-case spillage scenarios.

Apply baby powder before waxing. As noted above, waxing can be somewhat hard on the skin. To minimize its unpleasant effects, try sprinkling just a little baby powder in the area you plan to apply the wax (in this case, between your eyebrows). Not only will this make the application and removal of the wax slightly more comfortable, but also remove any excess oil or moisture from the skin and hair, giving the wax a better "grip" on the hair when it is applied.

Apply the wax between your eyebrows. When you're ready to begin, start applying the wax to the portion of your unibrow that you want to remove — usually, this will be the quarter-to-half-inch between your eyebrows.The way you do this is slightly different for cold and hot wax applications: For cold wax strips, simply press the sticky side of the strip firmly between your eyebrows and rub it in to ensure a good hold. For hot wax, use the provided applicator or a convenient spreading tool like a popsicle stick or butter knife to apply the wax in the correct area between your eyebrows. Press the provided fabric strips into the wax until they are well-adhered. Be very conservative about ‘‘where’’ you apply your wax and how much you use — you don’t want to accidentally remove the tips of your eye brows. Always err on the side of using too little wax. Remember, if you don’t get every last hair in between your eyebrows, you can always wax again. However, if you get too much hair, you’ll have to wait for it to grow back!

Wait for the wax to dry before ripping it off. If you're using hot wax, give it a few minutes to harden and solidify before removing it. As it hardens, it will tighten around the hairs, essentially "trapping" them in the wax. If you're using cold wax, simply press the adhesive wax into the troublesome hair and it will naturally adhere. When you're ready, remove the strip by pulling in one quick motion against the direction of hair growth. Since most people's eyebrow hair grows up towards the forehead, this means grabbing the top of the strip and pulling down. Don't hesitate! This part is like pulling off a band-aid: the quicker you do it, the less it hurts.

Remove any excess wax. After you pull off the removal strip, you should see the hair you removed stuck in the wax. There may still be some excess wax stuck to your skin at this point. This can usually be removed with a special wax-removal products, which are usually sold at the same places you would buy the wax itself (beauty stores, salons, department stores, etc.) It's also possible to remove the wax with baby oil or any other moderate oil suitable for facial use. If you use oil, try to pick a non-scented variety. Artificial fragrances can sometimes irritate delicate skin or cause allergic reactions.

Pluck any excess hairs with tweezers. After you're done waxing, check your work with a magnifying mirror. You should see much less hair (if any) between your eyebrows. However, wax-jobs sometimes aren't perfect and may leave behind stray hairs. In this case, you may want to wax again, but if there are only a few unwanted hairs left, if may be quicker and easier simply to use a pair of tweezers. Tweezers are easy to use — working with a mirror, carefully grab each individual hair and remove it with a firm yank. Like waxing itself, tweeze-ing hairs is much less painful if you go quickly.

Use foundation/cover-up for any redness. Even if you wax perfectly, your skin may be somewhat irritated after waxing (after all, you have just removed your hairs directly from their follicles). If your skin is red or inflamed after waxing and you don't have time to wait for it to subside naturally, try covering it up with a small amount of flesh-toned makeup. Unless your skin irritation is major or you're allergic (which should have become apparent after your initial wax test), you should look just fine.

Use over-the-counter painkillers for waxing pains. While the skin may be a little sensitive after waxing, in general, any serious pain should subside fairly quickly. If the space between your eyebrows still stings more than 15 minutes or so after waxing, take a single dose of an over-the-counter painkiller like Motrin, Tylenol, or Aleve to make the pain more bearable. Check the label before you take the painkiller — painkillers with anti-inflammatory properties are best because they will also make your skin slightly less irritated. You may also want to consider using a numbing product before you wax. These helpful substances, which are usually available as creams or sprays, numb the skin temporarily, making waxing much less painful.

Using Homemade Wax

Mix one cup of sugar, ⅛ cup water, and ⅛ cup lemon juice. If you don't have any commercial wax handy, don't worry! It's easy to clean up your eyebrows with a homemade recipe that uses just a few common ingredients. To begin, combine one part water, one part lemon juice, and eight parts sugar in a mixing bowl. We've provided measurement suggestions above, but the recipe is very easy to adjust as long as you keep the ratios of the ingredients the same. This recipe is similar to an ancient Egyptian technique known as "body sugaring." This old technique works the same as modern waxing — it just uses ingredients that were available thousands of years ago.

Heat your ingredients on the stove. Pour your slushy mix into a saucepan and start to warm it over low heat on the stove. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the mixture's temperature carefully. You don't want it to boil over, so it's important not to heat it too quickly. Heat the mixture to 250 F (121 C) before continuing. At this temperature, the sugar enters what culinary experts call the "hardball" candy stage, gaining a thick, tacky, adhesive quality — perfect for waxing.

Remove from heat. At 250 F (or when bubbles appear), remove the sugar mixture from the heat. Pour it into a clean bowl. Allow the sugar mixture to cool to a temperature that isn't painful to the touch but is still "liquid" enough to use for waxing. This should take no more than fifteen minutes.

Apply and remove wax as normal. At this point, you can use your homemade sugar wax basically the same way you would use ordinary artificial wax. Use a clean applicator like a piece of silverware or a popsicle stick to apply a thin layer of wax to the hair between your eyebrows in the same direction as the hair growth. Press a thin strip of cloth into the sugar wax. Wait for the sugar wax to harden, then tear the strip away from the skin opposite the direction of skin growth. You'll probably have some leftover sugar wax when you're done — you can save this in the refrigerator in a sealed container. When you want to use it again, you can simply warm it in the microwave. You don't need to warm it on the stove again.

Try adding your favorite scents. The great thing about this recipe is that it's extremely versatile — it's easy to change it to fit your needs. For instance, to give your sugar wax the scent of your choice, all you need to do is add a little of your favorite fragrance during the cooling phase. Below are just a few things you may want to consider adding to make your wax more appealing: Crushed lavender petals Shredded mint leaves Shredded basil leaves Peppermint extract Orange peel Sandalwood extract