There are two ways to tackle aftercare, but the dry method works best for most skin types. The first rule of the dry method is not to get your brows wet for at least the first five days. To protect the pigment and avoid drawing the color out, protect brows at all costs from water, sun, soap, sweat, and oil.
If your brows feel itchy and dry, or the idea of not cleaning them gives you the icks, there’s the wet method. “In some cases, it may be recommended to apply a thicker healing ointment like Vaseline,” Dr. Garshick said. If you decide on this method, your PMUA can explain how to use healing ointment or balm to protect the pigment.
Sun exposure can lighten your brows, especially when the ink is fresh. “Only after your eyebrows are completely healed can they be exposed to the sun,” Medetskaia said. She recommended applying a layer of at least SPF 30 on your eyebrows when they’re exposed to the sun as a continued practice to keep your powder brows looking fresh and vibrant. Should be easy since you’re already wearing sunscreen every day, right?
Around day five, my brows started to get flaky. This is the skin’s way of exfoliating and healing. “It’s super important not to pick or peel the scab because it will remove pigment,” Ferguson said. Not flicking flakes out of your eyebrows takes an incredible amount of willpower. Visualizing each flake as a $20 bill helps.
Over the course of three weeks, the pigment had darkened a bit, then mellowed to a perfect medium brown. The final result was a powdery, diffused shape that made me look like an expert had just done my brows — all the time.
Do you need a touch-up for powder brows?
During the healing process, I’d lost a small patch of pigment, so I returned for a touch-up six weeks after my original appointment. Even if your shape is still tip-top, a touch-up can help make your investment last longer. This round only took about an hour and I was surprised to find I preferred the darker, bolder, post-touch-up look. Turns out I’m a brow girl after all — and I will be returning yearly for upkeep.
