What to do about grey eyebrows?
Photos: 19/99 beauty
While I’m more than happy to welcome the grey hairs on my head, the white interlopers popping up in my eyebrows are a different matter. These rogue hairs are wiry, resistant to taming and when I try to dye them myself, either I can’t manage full coverage or the colour is too dark and I end up looking like Alistair Darling. The grey-brow situation is much better when a beauty expert takes control. I usually go to Blink Brow Bar and so asked them for some specialist advice on what to do about random, grey eyebrow hairs, at home:
Vanita Parti MBE, CEO & Founder of Blink Brow Bar (BBBLondon).
It is definitely possible to cover grey brow hairs. A brow tint is the best solution as it lasts for six weeks and evens out the colour. If you can’t get to a salon, brow products really help. A good gel with a tint is the best to cover sneaky greys. The BBBLondon Tinted Brow Gel is my favourite and also slicks your brows into place without being too stiff.
Tip: as we get older, brow hair becomes even more precious so try to avoid plucking out grey hairs unless they are outside the parameter of your brow shape.
Please note: a patch test is required for brow tints at Blink Brow Bar.
19/99 beauty
And here’s advice from our regular TNMA make-up expert:
Louise Heywood makeup artist on finding the right colour brow product
For grey eyebrows or random sprouting greys, I use a tinted brow gel. I recommend Glossier Boy Brow in Blond. It’s not just for blondes, in fact this is good for most colours including auburn and mid-brown. And for those with darker hair and black hair, Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper & Hair Touchup in Mahogany. There are two rules with brow products and these are especially pertinent if you are grey or starting to go grey:
Stay away from brow products with any warm/reddish tones, no matter what your hair colour, stick to ashy browns.
Secondly, go one shade lighter than the colour of the brows. Even if you have black hair I would go for a dark, ashy brown, like the Bobbi Brown Brow shaper in Mahogany.
Then finish by brushing a spoolie through to make sure the product is evenly distributed and looks really natural.
More eyebrow tips from Louise HERE. (There’s a helpful video from another makeup artist HERE). And here are a few products I’ve tried and tested:
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Discussion (43 Comments)
Mrs Tonia says:
Hello Alyson thanks for this useful topic. I’ve found a great product that’s easy to use. A wand for brows by Hourglass called Arch Brow. I bought it in Dark Brunette. You can apply as much or as little as you want. For a day time look I paint this on then use a brush to distribute and finish with a tissue.
Easier than Dipbrow Pomade which I used to use. That’s by Anastasia. Both very easy to use, the latter good for the fashionable dark brow look.
As Alyson says do not over pluck. Last summer I had a bit of threading done for shape. But found it painful and it irritated my skin. Now I do a light bit of tweezing or trimming myself.Deborah says:
I like Gimme Brow #1 by Benefit. It’s not a gel, comes in a small tube like mascara., formula has a bit of body to it. Brows hairs stay put. I’m totally gray with darkish brown brows. This just covers the gray hairs and makes my brow color consistent.
Yes, I like that too, Deborah – and Rimmel’s Wonder’Full Brow (both are in the tried & tested gallery!)
What do you do when your brows have almost totally disappeared? With mine the hairs are very sparse now and what does still exist are light grey and wispy. I don’t want fake heavy brows that dominate the face, but have absolutely no idea which products I could use. Also, I am very ill and stuck in bed permanently, so cannot go to a salon.
Any ideas would be so very welcome!
Diane says:
Same here, so after many months of ‘should I, shouldn’t I’ decided to have semi permanent tattoo, very natural & would recommend it. Do your research beforehand.
Karen Buel says:
I also like Gimme Brow by Benefit. I noticed last time I shopped they had ad “grey” in the product line. I’ll give it a try next time.
CC says:
I use this in a dark brown but it comes in grey and has a beautiful finish:
Pat Watters says:
Thank you for this article. I was wondering if I was the only one worried about grey eyebrows. I could live with grey brows, not insist that they come close to my pre-grey hair color, if only they were the same color! Most of my grey hair, including my brows, is on the left side of my face/head. Au natural just looks lopsided.
JuneG says:
My eyebrows are really fine and grey. I struggled for ages with bad colours until I discovered that BeneFit do a fabulous eyebrow wand in a colour called Cool Grey. It’s perfect, none of those chestnut eyebrows browns can give, and not a ‘Margaret Lockwood’ look black either. It’s a very fine twist up pencil so no fat strokes, and has a spoolie on the other other end. It’s just perfect.
https://www.johnlewis.com/benefit-precisely-my-brow-pencil/cool-grey/p2763414Colette says:
You’ve answered my prayers! I am 63, have ditched the dye but I’m struggling to adapt my make-up to my silver hair. I am going to order this now. Many thanks June.
Just feeding back on purchase, it is as you say June, an absolutely perfect eyebrow pencil – the best I have ever bought, and I’ve tried and tested SO many. Thanks for the recommendation. If anyone is tempted I’d say don’t hesitate. You will not be disappointed.
Judith says:
This is helpful if you have eyebrows left. I have hardly left – I think largely due to a combination of a thyroid condition and ageing. I do miss my eyebrows and draw them in with a grey/brown pencil, which is ok but not ideal. I would be interested to hear if any other women have this problem and how they’ve dealt with it. I’m scared of tattooing in case I end up with cartoon brows or just a shape and colour I don’t like. But it would be good to have an option which lasts more than a few hours.
AppleEverAfter says:
Same here! I have the ‘no brow’ problem too, due to alopecia. I have found the best product is the Nyx precision brow pencil in Ash Brown. It has a flat, screw-up lead. Before using it I turn it up to where I can just see the lead then run a fine grade nail file over to keep it sharp. Afterwards I use Browcote and latterly Lipcote lightly brushed over then dabbed with a foam eyeshadow applicator, which helps to stop it rubbing off. I find it in Boots but there must be other stockists. I hope this helps, other suggestions also most welcome! I’d like to try microblading but as you say, a bit daunting …
Tracey says:
All the blonde pencils look too yellow on my pale skin. Bobbi Brown Micro Brow pencil in Slate is the answer. Very easy to use.
Hil says:
Yes, I swear by Bobbi Brown also in slate. I am a very light blonde in hair colouring and this gives just the right shade to my brows, pencil lasts for ages so well worth the money.
Julia says:
Although I use tinted brow gels for touch-ups, I find a dye is the best solution for longer term and it is really easy. I use mens’ beard dye and usually turn to Just For Men in blonde or light brown. Apply a barrier of Vaseline, with a cotton bud, around the perimeter of your brow for shape definition and use an old mascara spoolie to apply the dye. It takes all of 15 minutes for about 4-6 weeks of colour.
Patrish says:
Please be very careful with this…
I am not inclined to use anything which has not been formulated for use SPECIFICALLY around the eyes.
If you must, beard dye only and with great care. NOT the Just for Men hair dye. A very bad accident waiting
to happen.Nancy says:
This is what I do also. Once you find the tint you are comfortable with it’s really a very simple thing to do. Takes about 15 minutes usually. I do use a gel when a stray grey pops in there.
As for it looking to dark, the first time I did it, I did panic about how it looked. Someone told me to give it a day or two and be sure to wash the brows when washing the face. Yes, this was true. Also, I think if your brows have been grey for a while and your not used to seeing them darker again then that takes some getting used to as well. Now, I don’t think anything about the tint when I do then. Seems natural to me.
Anne says:
I’ve been using Chanel Noir Cendre (number 60) since I began to grow my dyed hair out and and my grey in (six years ago).
The pencil is long lasting and gives good coverage. I love the definition / framing that eyebrow pencil gives and use it daily. One pencil will last me upwards of a year…I’ve used many but my old best favorite is always Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in Taupe.
Applied with a Bobbi Brown slanted brow brush it allows for lots of control and build-ability.
The two colors in each shade really ease the over dramatic brow one can create with a too dark color.
Practice makes perfect.Cate says:
I highly recommend Kosas AirBrow – its a tinted gel on a wand with superb hold without any tackiness. I am in Sydney however in London you can purchase at the wonderful Content Beauty. What more could you want – a natural makeup brand delivering a volumising treatment gel for feathery brows. Enjoy – I am several bottles in….
Sara says:
The models in this article are both wearing makeup by 19/99. I came across it when you mentioned it in an article several months ago. As it is a Canadian company I had to check it out. Needless to say I absolutely love it. It is so easy to use, and lovely colours. The mascara is the best I’ve used in years. And now I have some great ideas of how to cover those random grey hairs in my eyebrows. Thanks Alyson for TNMA, love it!
Jane says:
I agree the 19/99 mascara or lash tint is fabulous. The very fine wand stops clogging and gives lovely natural lashes. Definitely recommend for older lashes.
Andrea Berkeley says:
What do you do if you have gone au natural and let your hair go silver? My brows are still there but half grey and half brownish. What do I do? Leaving them as is looks a bit washed out and darkening them doesn’t look quite right with silver hair. Any advice please?
Sylvia says:
My brows are so long that they look messy unless I use gel, do you recommend trimming the hairs and if so which technique please.
So far I use nail scissors and com the brows vertically then trim to a brow shape. But now they look very uneven!Helen Long says:
Although my hair is now definitely more salt than pepper, my brows are still darkish with the odd grey hair but the hairs are very strong and wayward! I have found ELF makeup Wow Brow in Neutral Brown to be marvellous both in terms of colour and taming effect. It easily rivals Benefit’s Gimme Brow (which is also excellent). This colour is a perfect light, ‘dirty’ brown with no trace of red in it.
Adrienne says:
I use an ordinary graphite pencil. Works fine, and I have quite sparse eyebrows. Very cheap too!
Heather Hill says:
I lost most of my eyebrows through chemotherapy and used a variety of pencils since. However, I took the plunge and had them micro bladed about 20 months ago. Never looked back. They give a great frame for my eyes and are always there. I’ll need a top up/ refresh soon as fading has occurred – but as a confidence boost it has been fantastic.
A friend of mine just did this. I am watching how it goes for her. I may chose to do it too someday. Right now I am still coloring myself. But I have to do it every 4 to 6 weeks. It doesn’t take that long but still… it would be nice not to have to think about it so often.
I was so sorry when Bobbi Brown stopped their true grey eyebrow pencil and replaced it with the confusingly named slate (which is brown in tone). I have found that Avon produce a true grey (no hint of brown) eyebrow pencil which I find invaluable for m almost white eyebrows (white hair here too). Thanks for many avenues to investigate here – grey eyebrows are quite a challenge!!
Amanda Jones says:
Having lost my eyebrows/lashes to chemo, they have come back but very light and grey. I hate the slug look and tried many different products. The one I find did best for me, giving a natural look is the Boots Age defying brow wand. It looks like a mascara brush but works really well and the brown is a really natural looking brown.
Julia neall says:
That’s a coincidence just come back from having my 4-6 weekly eyebrow appointment. Tinted mid brown (used to be very dark but too harsh now). Then waxed/shaped I’m always pleased when its done.
rousseau says:
I used Maybelline ‘charcoal’ eye pencils for decades until they discontinued that color. I struggled with other products (why would Maybelline think their loyal – now older – customers wouldn’t need a gray shade??) until I stumbled upon a website that sells discontinued products. They received so many requests for this exact pencil, that they began having them manufactured in Europe just for their company. I have been buying (Read: stocking up) these for many years now. I am Asian and have always had very sparse eyebrows. I love this pencil bc it is firm enough to sharpen into a sharp point which is essential in defining the inner corners. I hope this helps others: http://www.overstockcosmetics.com/cccosmetics-brow-and-eye-pencil-color-charcoal-grey-59tc06cc-2-each.html
Ashley says:
Thank you for this really helpful advice. I’m only 38 and having been going grey (on my head) since I was 14. Now I’m starting to find them on my brows! I’m going to tint them to try and disguise. Thanks for sharing.xxx
Krystal Peck says:
My mother plucked her greys out of her brows but living with MS didn’t help either. Her greys never grew back and her brows disappeared, she was totally bald foreheaded without brows. Please, do not pluck, why? after menopause life changes.
Frances says:
I am a black woman with mostly white hair. My eyebrows are black or dark brown speckled with white hair. What color should I color my brows?
Susan BK 
AMC 
Helene Coolen 
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I have dark brown pepper and salt hair and find that the odd errant grey eyebrows can be sorted out with a blonde eyebrow pencil. The blonde is actually a very light brown and blends in well with the others. Mine is a super cheapie from Boots Collection, but works the best for me.