The Truth About: Microblading

I had so many questions about the microblading process that I figured I would write a blog post about it!

Let me start by saying - I had like NO eyebrows. When I was in high school, the cool thing was to have really thin eyebrows, so I just plucked and plucked. Flash forward a few years, and thin eyebrows were out, but my eyebrows decided they didn't want to grow back. Exhibit A:

I tried filling in my eyebrows, but they really weren't the right shape for my face, and since I was just filling them in with a pencil they could be easily sweat off, rubbed off, or smudged. I wanted something more permanent, but the thought of tattooing my eyebrows to my face was terrifying.

In 2017, I started seeing microblading pop up all over social media. The results were amazing! They were nothing like I thought they would look like. The hair-like strokes of the brows made them look completely natural. That's when I started really considering them, and finally bit the bullet in early 2018.

Let me start by saying that microblading is LIFE CHANGING! It's so nice waking up with eyebrows, being able to go to the gym and not have them sweat off my face, and feeling confident enough to leave the house without filling them in. They're a little bit of an investment and there are a couple visits to get them looking how you want, but they are 10000% worth it. They do fade, so I've gone back to get them touched up twice since I initially got them. Below is the process, which is basically the same for the initial microblading as it is for the touch up, so I will do my best to outline both of them!

THE PROCESS

I first visited Danielle Rix (@TheBrowtician on Instagram) in early 2018. I was so nervous! One wrong stroke of the blade and my eyebrows could be ruined! But her work was amazing and she had great reviews so I trusted her. One of my favorite things about her is that she tells you every single thing she's doing and why, so you know what's going on. Your eyes are closed basically the whole time and she has a blade on your face, so that's super important in a microblading artist and made me feel so at ease.

When you get your initial microblading, you'll start by getting your eyebrows mapped to the shape best fit for your face. Danielle did this by using a special ruler, and some chalk covered string to get your eyebrows outlined. I was able to look at them, make any changes that I wanted (thicker, thinner, shorter, etc.) and if necessary, she would re-outline them and show me again.

I just went back last week for a touch up, so these pictures are current! She didn't need to re-map my eyebrows this time around, so we went right to the numbing. Numbing cream is applied for about 15 minutes, so you really don't feel too much!

While I was getting numbed, she got the blades and my tint for my eyebrows ready. Another thing I love about microblading - the color is completely customized to you.

This is how faded my brows were, so you have an idea of what we were working with- you can also see where my natural brows were and where the microblading was.

After this, Danielle worked her magic and using a needle made thin, hair-like strokes on my brows. So many people have asked me if it hurts - it really doesn't! It's a little uncomfortable because you can feel a lot of pressure on your sinuses from the blade, but other than that it's really not terrible! She made 3 passes on each eyebrow, which took probably 20-30 minutes in total. We also added shading this time, which we haven't done before! It gives the brows a little more of a filled in look, which Danielle suggested because the tails of my brows are more sparse than the front.

Then, the color is put on my brows to make them my desired shade. That sits for another 10-15 minutes, and then wiped off.

The finished product-

I love them SO much! They are perfect for my face and look so natural. Because I have oily skin, I usually go back for touchups every year or so. If your skin isn't as oily, you can go longer between touchups, usually 1-3 years.

THE HEALING PROCESS

Healing takes a couple weeks. You'll get specific aftercare instructions tailored to you, but usually for a week or two after you have to wipe your brows once or twice a day to remove the extra pigment and any flaking, and apply Aquaphor so they heal, like you would with a tattoo. Your eyebrows will get a little bit flaky while they heal, and you're supposed to avoid tanning, excessive sweating, and touching your brows. There are other specific instructions that you will get with your aftercare kit.

SUMMED UP

Overall, I would recommend microblading to absolutely everyone. I am always SO happy with how they turn out! If you have any specific questions, leave them in the comments below and I'll do my best to answer them!