When summer temps climb, we know our skin and hair need extra moisturizing, but did you know your brows get parched, too?
“We’re constantly drying out our brows with face washes, toners, you name it,” Beauty by Dolly’s Director of Operations Natashah Torki told us recently in her guide to growing out brows. “Imagine if you washed your hair with cleanser and then didn’t condition it! Your hair would be in bad condition, too.” She suggests using a conditioner formulated with essential vitamins, minerals, and oils, like Beauty by Dolly’s Resurrect Brow Conditioner (available in stores) that nourishes both the hair and the skin below it.
If you’re thinking about microblading—a semi-permanent “tattoo” treatment that mimics natural hair strokes and that’s now offered at Beauty by Dolly—you’ll want to get your eyebrow area extra moisturized pre-treatment. That plump skin layer is key to creating a “protective seal,” which nixes potential flare-ups post-microblading.
But not every case of dry, flaky skin around your eyebrows means you need to lather on the creams. You even might need to put down the moisturizer—for now. It could be seborrheic dermatitis, better known as dandruff. Yes, your eyebrows can get dandruff! Consider an anti-dandruff shampoo, or for a natural alternative, tea tree oil has been shown to effectively treat flakes. This particular essential oil is pretty powerful, so dilute it in a carrier oil (i.e. coconut) and swipe on brows with a clean mascara wand. (The culprit could also be a new cleanser or cream—which means it’s not dandruff but an allergic reaction.)
Once you’re back to your routine, remember that brows are just as much a part of a skincare regimen as the rest of your face. Hydrating from the inside (with water and hair-healthy ingredients) and outside (moisturizers and serums) will keep them lush, shiny, and growing. “People often forget that our brow hair is just like the hair on our head. It needs hydration, care, and conditioning. Without it, it becomes flaky, hair can fall out, follicles get clogged from products we use every day which prevents hair from growing in later. We need to make sure we are taking care of our brows just as we would our hair–because one hair falling out of your head may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it means a lot when one hair falls out of your brows!”