…(and yes, that includes getting them Micro-bladed). The healed result will only ever be as good as the canvas the artist has to work on to start with… so these points are going to help you no end.
1. Make sure your skin in and around your brows is in “tip top” condition
The best way to do this is, for a month before your appointment (best timescale for skin cell renewal), do regular 2-3 weekly gentle brow scrubs, use a good moisturiser through the entire brow (rub it in behind the hairs so it penetrates the skin), use an oil if your skin is dry.
2. Ensure that your skin is healthy and fully intact.
You should not turn up to a brow appointment with spots in your brows, in-growing hairs, dry skin, eczema, sun damage etc. The area is compromised, possibly infected and the pigment will not implant correctly and will be rejected through the healing process. You will end up with gaps.
3. Stay out of the sun!
You should not have exposed your face to prolonged sun exposure for at least 4 weeks prior to treatment. This is because the surface of the skin is altered by the UVA & UVB rays, therefore it becomes problematic to implant the pigment (it can just bounce straight out of the skin), and you won’t get good healed results. It is your responsibility to ensure you prepare your skin for the best possible finish.
4. Do not apply self-tan!
Other than the fact that the colour match of the pigment isn’t going to be a true match to your natural skin tone and could then lead to an unsatisfactory healed colour being either too dark or the wrong tone for you, the skin composition is again altered by the chemicals from the product and this can hinder a good implantation of the pigment.
5. Shaping
Make sure you do any shaping, tweezing, waxing etc a minimum of 7 days prior to treatment, so that the skin is settled and ready for your artist to work on.
6. DO NOT tint your eyebrow hair prior to treatment
Let your eyebrow tint colour wear off completely. If you are going for a natural eyebrow tattoo then your technician needs to work with your natural colour hair and not with the tinted colour because if she/he colour matches to your skin and your eyebrow colour when they are tinted, when that colour wears off the tattoo colour could well be too dark.
If you are a person that constantly dyes their brow hairs and you are happy to do this regularly after tattooing, then fair enough go with your brows tinted to your appointment, but this still must be done a minimum of 7 days prior to tattooing to ensure that there is no residue from the tint or chemicals left on the skin of the brow area. Personally, I think it is safer and far more sensible to let the tint wear off and go with your natural colour, at least you then have a choice going forward and are not stuck with brows you may feel are too dark. Natural, natural, natural – all the way!
7. Wash your hair!
Make sure you wash your hair either the night before or on the morning of your treatment. It is essential your brows are kept dry for a minimum of 72 hours after treatment. Not having to worry about hair washing makes this part a little easier.
8. Make sure you have decided how you are going to manage your aftercare!
You must not get your brows wet for the entire time that they are healing externally (up to 2 weeks). You can’t apply foundation for a minimum of 72 hours either, (preferably for the duration of the healing process for the best aftercare protocol), so if you are likely to feel self-conscious with no foundation then give this some thought. Perhaps you could schedule your appointment to a time when you are not doing anything social, or you have some time off work? Please see my blog on correct aftercare protocols.
9. Bring a peaked cap / brimmed hat or umbrella.
This item is essential and will suffice for both sunshine and rain. Two elements that your brows absolutely must not be exposed to after treatment for at least 72 hours, preferably the entire external healing process (up to 2 weeks). Sunglasses don’t cut it ladies… the sun’s rays will creep behind your shades and get to your brows! They need SHADE & DRY!
10. Choose your brow style!
Make sure you are clear before your appointment whether you want a natural look or a stronger look, because you can’t have both! I have written another blog here to expand on this!
11. Do not drink alcohol the night before your treatment or drink caffeine on the day prior to your treatment.
Alcohol thins the blood and caffeine speeds up the blood flow. The best-healed result of colour comes with little to no bleeding during the procedure so you want to do everything you can to ensure that you bleed as least as possible.
Too much bleeding and the pigment will just be pushed straight back out to the surface again as blood will carry the pigment with it as is hasn’t had a chance to heal & settle. Remember this is facial tattooing, not heavy body tattooing, everything is much more refined and delicate, and the precision required means totally different methods of delivery to obtain great results.
If you’ve any queries regarding eyebrow tattooing, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
