January 16, 2020Brows

My Combo Brows Healing Day by Day

By Tina Davies Professional Artist Success Manager, Laura.

Let’s be real here, most of our eyebrow journey’s have come a long way over the years. Thankfully, full brows have been in trend for a while now and I was able to grow mine back in from their former thin style. However, despite having full brows and a great shape, without adding brow pencils or pomade on a daily basis, they still left little to be desired. Sure I could go with no makeup and have brows, but their shape was lost. The upper edges were not as full with finer hair, and the beginning parts of my brows had a mind of their own and grew in strange directions causing them to look very sparse.

I love a good brow, especially a nice fluffy front, with clean arches and tail. So, I did what most girls do and would fill them daily - adding about 10-15 minutes to my routine at times just to get that perfect brow. Let’s face it, brows can make or break a face! Thanks to Tina, I now wake up with these brows.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows however, the healing process can be a scary time and I hear it all the time from clients of artists. So I’m here to give you a real look into my healing journey and hopefully ease your fears if you too are currently going through this process.

No matter what happens, remember, IT’S WORTH IT!

BEFORE

As I said before, despite having full brows with a great shape, the upper edges had finer hair that lost the shape. In addition, the front of my brows growing in different directions causing the fronts to look quite sparse in spots.

I had photos all ready to go with my “brow inspiration” Linda Hallberg.

When I started growing my brows back in, she was the image I used for my desired shape. I don’t want to stray too far from my natural shape and so I found a happy place between my natural shape and the way she styled hers. This was also the basis for the design Tina created for me. We both settled on Dark Brown as my pigment choice as it closely matched both my brows and my hair, it was also well suited for my skin colour.

I ❤️INK Color Chart & Brow Pigments

I let Tina know I wanted nice fluffy fronts with full strokes, but the arch and tail to be crisp with clean lines. To get this look, Tina used the Essential Nano Blades in both the 18U and 16 Curved. These gave her the ability to give more strokes in one area and helped achieve the fluffy fronts of my dreams. After filling in all the strokes, Tina went back in with a machine to shade from the tails up to the mid part of my brow. This allowed a soft gradation into the fluffy fronts, but the clean arch and tails I desired.

Following my procedure, my brows were quite swollen and very tender feeling. After about an hour of blotting the lymph fluid, there wasn’t much more to blot, I continued for the rest of the evening.

Within a few hours, I would say the most uncomfortable part began. The scabs were just starting to form and get stiff. Every time I moved my brows it felt like a bunch of tiny paper cuts was opening. That thankfully only lasted a short while and was gone by morning.

DAY 1 - IMMEDIATELY AFTER PROCEDURE

Following the procedure, I was given an Aftercare goodie bag to take home with me. This included everything I needed to successfully take care of my brows and achieve the best-healed results.

In this bag I received:

Tina’s Brochure with information on the Studio, what it offers and some information on Tina herself as an artist.
Tina’s Service Menu listing all the services she offers and their prices.
A Brochure including step by step “Aftercare Instructions” for “Immediately After”, “5-10 Days After Procedure” as well as what to expect “While You’re Healing”. This Brochure broke down the approximate healing schedule and the effects as the healing progresses. It also included “Important Reminders” that covered ‘Things to do After Your Eyebrow Procedure”, “Things to Avoid After Your Eyebrow Procedure”, and “Things to Look Out for”.
Several of Tina’s Business Card’s - why not share with a few friends!!!
Aftercare Healing Gel, two sachets with one Aftercare Card with easily broken-down steps.
A clear container to put my Aftercare Healing Gel into.
Gentle unscented soap to wash my brows with.
12 Cotton Swabs in a sealed bag to apply my Aftercare Healing Gel with.

This Aftercare Bag allowed me to take the best care of my brows start to finish through the healing process. I opted to use my own soap, but only because I had a very gentle fragrance-free and sulphate free face wash I was already using that was suitable for use on my brows. Had I not had this, I would have used the included soap to wash my brows morning and night.

That first night, I washed my brows as recommended by Tina and followed by applying a rice grain amount of Aftercare Healing Gel (with a sterile cotton swab!) once my brows were completely dry.

DAY 2

Waking up on Day 2 was the biggest shock. My brows appeared darker than I had remembered, and I felt like they overpowered my face. I knew to expect this, but I still had my first moment of “Oh no!” panic. I felt like Oscar the Grouch with these giant - but gorgeous - eyebrows! I put on a face of makeup, taking extra care not to get anything on my fresh brows. I felt much better afterwards as it took the focus away from my “Brooke Sheilds” thick brows - hers are GORGEOUS but not well suited to my face.

They did not hurt at all and didn’t bother me at all that day. I often forgot I had them done until I caught my reflection and saw the fullest brows I’d ever seen on myself.

DAY 3 - 4

By day 3, my brows began to shrink and that panic I had felt on Day 2 subsided. I was feeling much more myself again. With the shrinking came the dryness and tightness, but that’s to be expected. I just made sure to apply my aftercare three times a day and gently wash my brows morning and night as I had been since the day of the procedure.

DAY 5-7

Day 5 my scabs began to lift in some spots, but not really flake too much until the evening. My brows still felt a bit dry, however, the tightness was gone. This was the first day of the itchiness. I had to just tap at them to relieve the itchiness with clean washed hands.

On Day 6 more of the scab had fallen off revealing the strokes beneath. These appeared almost lavender grey in colour as my skin was still healing. I knew to expect this so I did not panic.

By Day 7 or 8 the lavender went away and they just looked like a faint ashy brown. This was also the worst point of the healing as the scabs were getting quite thick and I had to fight every urge to touch and pick at them. Do not pick, this can lift the pigment with it and cause gaps in your healed results.

DAY 7-10

After Day 7 the majority of my scabs had fallen off. The worst of the healing will be either over or nearing the end. Do not fear if you are feeling pigment is missing or too light, this is all normal! This is the point where it is considered safe to fill your brows in if you’re needing a more defined look while the pigment is light.

Just remember, it WILL appear lighter than what you want but I promise your colour will come back soon!

DAY 14-21

At this point, the pigment in my brows began to darken again and settle into the desired colour. It was the perfect match for my brows and hair! I could wake up in the morning and my brows were absolutely perfect.

Despite being healed and the pigment coming back to its true tone, I could still see the grooves from where the strokes had been placed and my brows could be tender to press at times. This is why Tina never recommends touch-up’s before 2 months as the skin is still healing.

DAY 30

By day 30 my brows are completely settled, the pigment colour is a dream come true and I have not filled my brows in once since the day of my procedure. The amount of time I save in the morning makes getting ready a breeze.

By this point, you will see where - if any - a touchup is needed. For myself, the bottom front on my left eyebrow seemed to have peeled/lifted too soon and took the lower parts of the strokes with it. After 2 months, I can address this to Tina and we can add those back in.

At the end of it all, I am SO thrilled with my brows and feel myself. To go out without makeup and have perfect brows is a game changer!

Tina recommends that a client does not come back for a follow-up microblading procedure until the skin is fully healed, and suggests 2 months after their initial procedure as the optimal time to come back for their follow-up!

I hope this look inside my healing journey can help you if you are going through some of the roller coaster scary moments of the healing process - or have a client that is. You are not alone, and this is completely normal! A few weeks of healing for years of perfect brows - I say it’s absolutely worth it!