How to Fill In Sparse Eyebrows

Whether you were born with sparse brows or simply went too far one day with the tweezers, there are ways to make your eyebrows look a whole lot fuller. So what exactly is the secret? All it takes is a pencil, a bit of powder, and a brush.

Pick a pencil and powder that complements your shade

Pencils and powders tend to stick to skin, not hair, so if you don't have a lot of hair you'll want to shade in the skin where hair should grow.

Select a soft pencil that's a shade lighter than your brows and a powder that closely matches the color of your brows. If your brows happen to be super fair, choose a pencil that's a shade darker.

Prep your brows

First, comb out brows with a clean mascara wand. Then, examine your brows for any sparse spots.

Fill in your brows with a pencil

Take the pencil and fill in the sparse area using short, feathery strokes in the direction of hair growth. The key here is not to create a definite line, but to create the appearance of hair. Be careful not to pencil in the entire brow, which can result in an unnatural look.

Your pencil should be super soft so it goes on with little effort. But if you happen to have a pencil that's too hard, warm the tip up by rubbing it between your fingers.

Follow with eyeshadow or brow powder

Dip an angled brush or a clean mascara wand in eyeshadow. Brush the powder along the brows. It should stick to the pencil, while also working to blend in the color perfectly. For more staying power, dampen the brush slightly before dipping it into color.

You can try two colors when filling in brows: A light powder where brows are thickest and a darker shade for the tail ends. To keep brows in place, spritz hairspray on your finger and brush onto the brow.

When it comes to sparse or overplucked brows, you can also help grow out your eyebrows by implementing some additional steps your brow care routine.

Apply an eyebrow growth serum daily

Conditioning your brows with a growth serum is also a great way to keep brows healthy and looking great, and even assist with sparse brow growth. There are a number of products that can actually be your go-to for this:

Benefit Cosmetics BROWVO! Conditioning Primer

This nutrient-rich primer includes keratin and soy protein in its list of ingredients, which are known to help make brows appear thicker and fuller.

Shiseido Full Lash and Brow Serum

This double duty product is like magic for your lashes and brows. It boasts a "sophisticated technology" that makes your brows look fuller in only eight weeks.

See an eyebrow professional regularly

Having your eyebrows shaped by a pro every four weeks is important to achieving your best brows. In between visits, make sure to use a good tweezer, like Tweezerman slant tweezers, to clean up the hairline in between visits.