Working as a beauty therapist it is imperative that you keep abreast of beauty trends and train in them accordingly. When HD Brows first hit the headlines and as someone whose own brow's are somewhat thin and sparse due to over plucking as a teen, I couldn't help but be interested.
I looked into taking the course but a) it was very expensive b) they were all up north with the closest to Kent being Milton Keynes (anything above Tottenham on a map is north as far as I am concerned, although I did go to Leicester for a wedding once) and c) it was a two day course which would involve hotel as well as train fare costs, so I kind of forgot all about it, that was until my clients starting asking me about the treatment and a salon in town started offering this service for £25 a pop!
I looked at the HD Brow website and some of the video's on youtube. I found one of the HD Brow founder showing the 7 step procedure and another video by a beauty blogger having her's done by a HD Brow trained therapist and it was all very interesting.
HD Brows say they use a seven step procedure to create the perfect high definition brow and that it completely disregards everything you may have been taught at college or on a waxing course and it does in one of the steps and that is where they wax above the brow as you are taught not to do that, but of course for some clients you have to as they may have hair in that region that completely ruins the shape of the brow and can be very unsightly. Anyway I digress, so the HD Brow procedure involves:-
Step One - Preparation and Assessment.
I say: This would be done by a beauty therapist for any brow wax appointment so nothing new here. This would be where shape would be discussed with the client.
Step Two - Tinting.
I say: Again nothing new. If you book yourself in with a therapist for a brow tint this is the same procedure as you would get.
Step Three - Waxing.
I say: OK this is what we do anyway for a fraction of the price!
Step Four - Trimming.
I say: For some clients you have to trim their eyebrows. I have one lady in particular who's eyebrow hair grows vertically up but only on one brow so this has to be trimmed to keep it symmetrical to the other brow. Trimming will also be used to trim back any long hairs that are not the same length as other brow hair but trimming would not be necessary for all clients.
Step Five - Threading.
I say: Any therapist who has waxed your brows will finish off by using tweezers to remove any hair that may be left behind and as tweezering is Step Six - I can't really see the point of threading as after waxing there should be very little left and what is, will be removed with tweezers in the next step.
Step Six - Tweezers.
I say: See Step Five and any hairs that may have been left behind will be removed at this stage, it also helps to define a shape with tweezers. Unlike threading and waxing, tweezers remove the hair's one at a time giving you complete control especially when working close to the clients desired shape or trying to create a new one in a previously untouched brow.
Step Seven - Finish.
I say: According to HD Brows this is where a calming lotion will be applied to soothe the brows and close hair follicles but again any therapist will do this after a brow wax. A mineral powder is also applied around the eyebrows, again to create definition. This is also the point where a HD Brow trained technician gets the opportunity to make money from retailing the HD Brow range of products which include brow pencils and powders, serums' to apparently encourage hair growth etc by writing out your very own "brow prescription" and list of products required to upkeep your new brows. Very clever marketing in my opinion.
To sum up:
1. No HD Brow Technician can perform miracles. If you have gaps in your brows, very thin or sparse eyebrows the only way of achieving the look of a celebrity or high definition brow will be by using either an eyebrow pencil or a brow powder to enhance your brows and of course these will only last until you take your make-up off. If you watch the video you will see that a pencil and powder is used to create definition and give a more dramatic effect. Clients with thin or sparse brows are advised to go into "brow rehab" where regrowth can take up to a year to get the thicker brow shape they desire. Always remember if you start off with untouched virgin brows it will be far easier to achieve the currently fashionable look of a thick celebrity brow.
2. HD Brows is a brand that supplies it's own products, tint, wax, tweezers etc all at a cost to the therapist that will no doubt be far more expensive than the wax and tint they normally use.
3. Due to the above, the therapist will have no choice but to charge more than a therapist would at any salon providing you with a "normal" brow wax and tint. HD Brows cost from £25 upwards and that is in rural area's, expect to pay far more in London.
4. I charge £5 for an eyebrow wax which includes HD Brow steps: 1. assessment 3. waxing, 4. trimming (if required) 6. tweezering and 7. finish. I charge £8 for a brow wax and tint which includes HD Brows step 2. tinting, along with the steps used for waxing 1, 3, 4, 6, 7.
If you are thinking of having this procedure do have a look at the video and let me know what you think. Also if you have had HD Brow's I would be interested to know if you think it is worth it. I tried out all the steps except the threading on my daughter to create my own "Celebrity Brow" which I am intending to charge £12 for this 30 minute procedure. Here I have waxed above the brow and created more definition with the use of pencils and powder and taken extra time over assessment, measuring the brow arch and overall symmetry of the brows.
Check out a beauty blogger having her HD Brows done, this is an interesting one as her brows aren't that full and thick to start with.
The point of this post is to keep fellow bloggers informed of treatments available and their cost and if I as a trained professional, deem them to be worth it, so I hope you have found this informative and not too boring.
My top tips for gorgeous brows:
1. DIY tinting kits can be bought from Boots.
2. Use a brow powder kit or a pencil to fill in gaps.
3. Use Castor Oil on brows to encourage growth.
4. Avoid using face creams of any description on your brows whilst trying to regrow the hair in an effort to achieve your desired look.
5. If you have your eyebrow's waxed at a salon, never be afraid to ask for what you want and if going for the first time, ask exactly what is provided in the treatment for the brochure price i.e. trimming etc.
Check out some of my favourite products to help create a "celebrity brow" at home:-
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
I looked into taking the course but a) it was very expensive b) they were all up north with the closest to Kent being Milton Keynes (anything above Tottenham on a map is north as far as I am concerned, although I did go to Leicester for a wedding once) and c) it was a two day course which would involve hotel as well as train fare costs, so I kind of forgot all about it, that was until my clients starting asking me about the treatment and a salon in town started offering this service for £25 a pop!
I looked at the HD Brow website and some of the video's on youtube. I found one of the HD Brow founder showing the 7 step procedure and another video by a beauty blogger having her's done by a HD Brow trained therapist and it was all very interesting.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
HD Brows say they use a seven step procedure to create the perfect high definition brow and that it completely disregards everything you may have been taught at college or on a waxing course and it does in one of the steps and that is where they wax above the brow as you are taught not to do that, but of course for some clients you have to as they may have hair in that region that completely ruins the shape of the brow and can be very unsightly. Anyway I digress, so the HD Brow procedure involves:-
Step One - Preparation and Assessment.
I say: This would be done by a beauty therapist for any brow wax appointment so nothing new here. This would be where shape would be discussed with the client.
Step Two - Tinting.
I say: Again nothing new. If you book yourself in with a therapist for a brow tint this is the same procedure as you would get.
Step Three - Waxing.
I say: OK this is what we do anyway for a fraction of the price!
Step Four - Trimming.
I say: For some clients you have to trim their eyebrows. I have one lady in particular who's eyebrow hair grows vertically up but only on one brow so this has to be trimmed to keep it symmetrical to the other brow. Trimming will also be used to trim back any long hairs that are not the same length as other brow hair but trimming would not be necessary for all clients.
Step Five - Threading.
I say: Any therapist who has waxed your brows will finish off by using tweezers to remove any hair that may be left behind and as tweezering is Step Six - I can't really see the point of threading as after waxing there should be very little left and what is, will be removed with tweezers in the next step.
Step Six - Tweezers.
I say: See Step Five and any hairs that may have been left behind will be removed at this stage, it also helps to define a shape with tweezers. Unlike threading and waxing, tweezers remove the hair's one at a time giving you complete control especially when working close to the clients desired shape or trying to create a new one in a previously untouched brow.
Step Seven - Finish.
I say: According to HD Brows this is where a calming lotion will be applied to soothe the brows and close hair follicles but again any therapist will do this after a brow wax. A mineral powder is also applied around the eyebrows, again to create definition. This is also the point where a HD Brow trained technician gets the opportunity to make money from retailing the HD Brow range of products which include brow pencils and powders, serums' to apparently encourage hair growth etc by writing out your very own "brow prescription" and list of products required to upkeep your new brows. Very clever marketing in my opinion.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
To sum up:
1. No HD Brow Technician can perform miracles. If you have gaps in your brows, very thin or sparse eyebrows the only way of achieving the look of a celebrity or high definition brow will be by using either an eyebrow pencil or a brow powder to enhance your brows and of course these will only last until you take your make-up off. If you watch the video you will see that a pencil and powder is used to create definition and give a more dramatic effect. Clients with thin or sparse brows are advised to go into "brow rehab" where regrowth can take up to a year to get the thicker brow shape they desire. Always remember if you start off with untouched virgin brows it will be far easier to achieve the currently fashionable look of a thick celebrity brow.
2. HD Brows is a brand that supplies it's own products, tint, wax, tweezers etc all at a cost to the therapist that will no doubt be far more expensive than the wax and tint they normally use.
3. Due to the above, the therapist will have no choice but to charge more than a therapist would at any salon providing you with a "normal" brow wax and tint. HD Brows cost from £25 upwards and that is in rural area's, expect to pay far more in London.
4. I charge £5 for an eyebrow wax which includes HD Brow steps: 1. assessment 3. waxing, 4. trimming (if required) 6. tweezering and 7. finish. I charge £8 for a brow wax and tint which includes HD Brows step 2. tinting, along with the steps used for waxing 1, 3, 4, 6, 7.
If you are thinking of having this procedure do have a look at the video and let me know what you think. Also if you have had HD Brow's I would be interested to know if you think it is worth it. I tried out all the steps except the threading on my daughter to create my own "Celebrity Brow" which I am intending to charge £12 for this 30 minute procedure. Here I have waxed above the brow and created more definition with the use of pencils and powder and taken extra time over assessment, measuring the brow arch and overall symmetry of the brows.
| Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  |
| My daughters brows after my "celebrity brow" treatment. |
The point of this post is to keep fellow bloggers informed of treatments available and their cost and if I as a trained professional, deem them to be worth it, so I hope you have found this informative and not too boring.
My top tips for gorgeous brows:
1. DIY tinting kits can be bought from Boots.
2. Use a brow powder kit or a pencil to fill in gaps.
3. Use Castor Oil on brows to encourage growth.
4. Avoid using face creams of any description on your brows whilst trying to regrow the hair in an effort to achieve your desired look.
5. If you have your eyebrow's waxed at a salon, never be afraid to ask for what you want and if going for the first time, ask exactly what is provided in the treatment for the brochure price i.e. trimming etc.
Check out some of my favourite products to help create a "celebrity brow" at home:-
Benefit instant brow pencil £14.00. Benefit Brow Zing £22.50. Bare Minerals brow singles £11.00. Smashbox brow tech wax £14.50. Benefit Brows a go go £26.50.
Please leave a comment with any questions on this or any other beauty treatments, I will always do my best to give you an informed answer.