Sold by TikTokers as an instant face lift, straight brows are back to haunt us once again. Achieved by shaving, plucking, or waxing the tail of your eyebrow, you’re left with a straight line of brow that rides your brow bone up towards your temples.
With over 11 billion views in the #straightbrows hashtag, it’s clear this trend is about to be everywhere. According to converts, the look is everything they needed and more: a facelift without the surgery; filler without the injection.
And undeniably, it can look good on some people.
Bella Hadid, the primary celebrity example of the trend, wears her lack of eyebrow arch well, as it pulls her sculpted features sky high. Even as far back as the iconic Audrey Hepburn, a straight brow has been used to flattering effect, balancing out rounded features and providing the illusion of lift.
The idea of drawing your features upward is the same kind of logic that we use when applying contour and blush: You want to avoid pulling your face down at all costs. So, it makes sense that the tail of your eyebrow would be on the chopping block eventually.
The only problem? Eyebrow hairs are notoriously delicate and hard to regrow. When this trend eventually goes back to the late 90s-inspired scrapbook it belongs in, you might be left having to pencil in your brows forever.
Take it from someone who started tweezing at twelve, you will miss those hairs when they are gone.
According to Washington D.C. dermatologist Tina Alster, MD, the reason your brows may never come back has to do with a combination of slow hair growth and skin fibrosis. “Brow hair grows slowly, so be careful to avoid plucking hairs in areas where hair regrowth is desired,” Dr. Alster says. “Repetitive hair plucking in a single area can cause skin fibrosis to occur which can lead to unwanted (long-standing) hair loss.”
Skin fibrosis is caused by the repeated trauma of plucking or waxing, and can result in patches of thicker, darker skin. In an area as fragile as the eye, the increase of texture in these skin patches can be especially noticeable.
If you’re eager to jump on this incredibly popular trend, just be warned: Your brows will need time and help to recover. And when all is said and done, you may not be able to revive them.
