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Bad brow lamination can be a nightmare. But does it have to make you avoid getting your brows done? No!
Brow lamination is one of those weird beauty procedures that makes you question human ingenuity—how did we come up with the idea of perming our eyebrows?
Nevertheless, brow lamination has become a go-to for anyone seeking fuller brows. Unfortunately, it’s also known for going awry, so it’s important to know what you’re getting into before you start.
1. What is Brow Lamination?
To begin with, brow lamination is a semi-permanent treatment that has gone viral because it perms your eyebrows. The process consists of multiple steps, in which a professional applies chemical solutions to a brow brush and sets your eyebrow hairs into place.
It all results in fuller, straighter, and perfectly aligned brows. And the best part? They can last up to six weeks.
1.1. How Does Brow Lamination Work?
This technique involves straightening and lifting the hair of treated brows using heat and chemical solutions. It can redefine how your brows look. But be sure to consult a dermatologist1 or an esthetician before getting started — no matter how trendy this procedure might be.
Not every type of skin will take kindly to having chemicals slathered on it (and taking these precautions could save you from an allergic reaction). A patch test may be recommended to ensure you don’t have an allergic reaction to the chemicals used during the process.
During the procedure, care must also be taken to protect the surrounding skin area. Imagine leaving your appointment with fabulous new eyebrows only for your forehead skin to flake off afterward! The process typically takes 30-45 minutes, depending on your desired outcome.
2. The Brow Lamination Process
2.1. Prepping Before Your Appointment
2.1.1. Patch Testing and Consultation
Keep in mind that not everyone reacts well to chemicals touching their face — so make sure at least 48 hours have passed after doing this before coming in for your appointment.
2.1.2. Setting Up for the Procedure
Before starting, a technician will apply the cream around the brows and wet the area to protect your skin.
2.2. The Lamination Process
2.2.1. Applying the Setting Solutions
The first solution applied straightens the hair. The second sets its position so that it stays that way even after you wake up from your 12-hour beauty sleep.
2.2.2. Shaping and Setting the Brows
Next, your technician brushes through your eyebrow hairs and applies the neutralizing solution to set them in their new shape.
3. Caring for Your Brows Post-Lamination
3.1. Aftercare Instructions
You’ll want to wait at least 24 hours before brushing and getting your brows wet again. This will help set the shape of your eyebrows so you don’t accidentally brush them out while washing your face.
3.1.1. Protecting Freshly Laminated Brows
If you’ve ever slept on your stomach, you know how precious these next few nights will be. Going too hard and lying on a pillow could flatten and smush all of today’s work away — so try sleeping on your back instead.
You’ll also want to avoid touching them too much or putting makeup directly onto them if possible, as they’re still a little sensitive from all those chemicals touching their roots earlier.
3.1.2. Moisturizing and Nourishing the Brows
It’s never a bad idea to moisturize, right? Although this is true in most cases, sometimes excessive oil can soften and undo lamination treatments early.
To keep yours intact until it’s time for another appointment, apply serums or oils designed for brows once every few days. This will help maintain their moisture levels without overdoing it.
3.1.3. Things to Avoid
Some products can weaken laminated eyebrows’ hold on life (and look). So, until it’s finally time for another appointment, steer clear of any oils or serums not designed specifically for lashes or brows.
Keep your eyelashes and brows dry within 24 to 48 hours after your appointment. This means no swimming, saunas, intense workouts that cause sweating, or steamy showers.
3.2. Maintaining New Brows
Be extra gentle with your freshly laminated brows for the first two weeks. This means no makeup on or around them—you don’t want anything to potentially irritate the skin or affect the length of the brow lamination.
And be careful about the skincare products you apply around your new brows. Anything with retinol, glycolic acid, or any other strong exfoliant should be kept as far away2 from them as possible; they can both irritate the skin and interfere with how well the lamination works and holds brow hairs up.
To maintain this brow look, you’ll go in for touch-up sessions every six to eight weeks. During these appointments, technicians will address any new growth and ensure everything is still looking its best.
3.3. What if My Brows Get Wet?
If your newly laminated brows get wet in the shower, gently pat dry them with a towel — don’t rub! Doing so might change their shape by moving some new hairs out of place. You can also use a clean spoolie brush to fluff things back up without disturbing that just-freshly-laminated structure.
4. Common Issues and Solutions
4.1. How Do I Minimize Irritation and Redness?
The most important thing you can do is follow your technician’s instructions to the letter; there isn’t much room for error regarding brow lamination care.
But if you’re finding that irritation and redness aren’t subsiding after following all post-care instructions3 carefully, you can try soothing things with gentle hypoallergenic products designed for sensitive skin. If nothing helps after that, reach into your medicine cabinet: A mild over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream could offer some relief — but check in with an expert before using it to make sure your specific case calls for it.
4.2. Why Are My Brows Too Straight or Overly Curled?
If your brows didn’t hold a curl, that could be because they the hairs were under-processed. This can happen if the processing solution wasn’t left on long enough or if the brow hair is particularly resistant to the chemicals used in the procedure. In this case, you’ll want to contact your technician and see if they think a corrective treatment would work.
If you find that the brow hairs on your just-laminated brows are too straight instead of perfectly fluffed up, that’s likely an issue with how they dry.
They might not have been brushed up enough after the first step of the eyebrow lamination, either. See if you can contact your technician about this — sometimes, a follow-up appointment is needed to reprocess everything and re-laminate those hairs.
5. Final Thoughts on Avoiding Bad Brow Lamination
It’s important to take care of your laminated brows. Just follow your technician’s steps, and you should be fine — as long as you trust the process, you’re good to go.
Sources
- Puri, Pranav, et al. “Deep learning for dermatologists: Part II. Current applications.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 87.6 (2022): 1352-1360. ↩︎
- Nouveaubeauty.com, Brow lamination aftercare: the post-treatment dos and don’ts
↩︎ - Thebrowsnob.com, Things To Know Before Your First Brow Lamination
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Last Updated on by Suchi
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