Got Grey Hair? Here’s How to Make Your Eyebrows Look Their Best

Inside: How gray-haired women can tame and enhance their eyebrows

Women who’ve embraced their natural gray hair often struggle with the question of what to do about their eyebrows.

As a former brunette, I’m used to dark eyebrows that provide a natural frame to my pale face.  But my eyebrows are now speckled with gray hair which (unlike the hair on my head) is coarse and wiry.

My eyebrows have also grown sparser due to years of overplucking and (let’s face it), the natural aging process. 

To make matters worse, every so often, a “wild hair” grows so long that it threatens to give me “crazy Mad Scientist” eyebrows!  That was something I never expected.

It’s all a tad disheartening! But the good news is that there are a myriad of ways to keep your eyebrows looking their best. And all of them can be done at home!

As you might imagine, eyebrows are a hot topic in the gray hair Facebook groups!

And the most frequently asked question is:

Please note that this article may contain affiliate links.  You can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.

WHAT COLOR SHOULD YOUR EYEBROWS BE WITH GRAY HAIR?

A lot of women wonder if they should let their eyebrows gray naturally or if they should tint them darker.  

Women with auburn or blonde eyebrows wonder if they should color their eyebrows gray to match their hair.  

And some women with naturally dark eyebrows worry that their dark eyebrows present too harsh a contrast against their silver hair.

There’s no one size fits all answer to all the questions of what color eyebrows will look best with your gray hair.  

However, many beauty experts agree that slightly darker eyebrows will give your face more of a youthful appearance, as the eyebrows provide a frame for your face and bring out your eye color.

My role model for great eyebrows is Nikol Johnson. I love how her dark eyebrows pick up the dark undertones of her gorgeous silver hair:

For a lighter brow inspiration, check out Stevie’s eyebrow style. Stevie’s natural hair color was auburn/brown, and now that it’s all silver, she sports pretty pewter brows:

WHAT SHADE OF EYEBROW LOOKS BEST ON YOU?

To find out what shade of eyebrow looks best on you, it’s best to experiment with different colors until you find one that suits your skin tone.  

A good rule of thumb? Try two shades darker than your natural hair color and go from there!

Katie Goes Platinum

When trying out different eyebrow shades, be aware that your gray/silver hair may be cooler in tone than your natural hair color, so the eyebrow pencil you’ve been using all these years might be too warm. 

So, it’s a good idea to experiment with cooler shades in ashy tones.

If you are older, and your skin has lost some color, sometimes a too-dark eyebrow can be harsh and aging. Going lighter will help in that case.

BEST EYEBROW PENCILS FOR GRAY HAIR

A good brow pencil can really enhance your brows, but not everyone likes the more defined look given by a pencil.  Brow powders and brow gels are great alternatives for a softer effect, so I’ve included them here

If you prefer darker brows, consider trying dark brown, black-brown, taupe, or dark gray shades.

If you prefer lighter brows, consider trying light brown, dark blonde, or light gray shades.

GREY EYEBROW PENCILS

I used to use a dark brown eyebrow pencil, but it now looks too harsh on me so I switched to a gray pencil.

Gray pencils and powders used to be surprisingly difficult to find, but a relatively new company called Eye Embrace makes them, and their products are affordable and well-made!

The best part? Their pencils and powders come in a variety of cool and warm gray shades to suit every skin tone:

If you’re interested in trying them out, use coupon code KGPBROWS for 5% off!

BLACK, BROWN & TAUPE PENCILS

These are the best non-gray eyebrow pencils recommended to me by other silver sisters:

Fresh Beauty Studio Skinny Brow Pencil in Medium or Dark Brown

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ebony

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Granite  

Benefit Gimme Brow Gel in Cool Black Brown

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette

Benefit Foolproof Brow Powder in 05 Deep

Ulta Brow Powder Duo in Espresso

Anastasia Brow Powder in Taupe

Clinique Brow Shaper in Taupe

Fresh Beauty Studio Skinny Brow Pencil in Taupe

BEST LIGHT BROWN & BLONDE PENCILS

Need something lighter? These are fantastic:

Benefit Gimme Brow Gel in Neutral Light Brown

Benefit Foolproof Brow Powder in light platinum/blonde

Essence Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde

HOW TO FILL IN SPARSE EYEBROWS

Many of us find that, as we get older, our once-bushy eyebrows start to fade away.

Why does this happen? The most common causes are hormone imbalances, over-plucking or over-waxing, thyroid conditions, and (simply put) the aging process.

If your eyebrows have grown sparser, consider trying an eyebrow growth serum such as City Beauty’s Brow Boost (** temporarily off the market ** )

I started using it several months ago and have been very pleased with the results! Not only are my eyebrows thicker, but they seem a little darker as well.

I hope this comes back on the market soon because it’s a fantastic product!

In the meantime, you can try this alternative or, if you just need your eyebrows to appear thicker, check out Maryam Remias’ awesome YouTube video that addresses how to fill in sparse eyebrows.

She makes it look so easy!

I love how Maryam points out that you don’t need to make your eyebrows perfectly symmetrical – they should be “sisters, not twins.”

HOW TO COLOR GRAY EYEBROWS

If you prefer a longer-lasting solution to color your eyebrows, tinting your eyebrows is the way to go.

Nikol Johnson, the founder of Fresh Beauty Studio created this helpful video all about how to dye your gray eyebrows:

Products mentioned in Nikol’s Video:

Brow Fixx

Skinny Brow Pencil

Brow Serum

Another product that women in the gray hair community swear by for coloring gray eyebrows is Just for Men.

The verbiage on the box tells you NOT to use this on your eyebrows (so please keep that in mind) but if you’re still interested, check out the tips in this video below:

Hot Tip: If you decide to tint your eyebrows at home and need to figure out what colors to try, remember to look at the dark undertones of your hair (such as the underside of your hair or the tips of your hair) for color inspiration.

TRIMMING GRAY EYEBROWS

If your eyebrows are turning gray, you might notice that they are becoming more unruly. 

Gray hairs on your eyebrows tend to be coarser than the gray hairs that grow out of your head, which makes them stick up.

Luckily, even though some experts recommend against it, it’s surprisingly easy to trim your own eyebrows at home.

And if I, a notoriously uncoordinated person can do it, anyone can do it!

All you need is a good pair of eyebrow scissors and an eyebrow brush.  I bought this Tweezerman eyebrow trimmer kit and love it!

HOW TO TRIM YOUR EYEBROWS

Brush your eyebrows upward – you can brush your entire brow upward, but if your eyebrows are thinning, you may want to avoid the tail end of your brows and just concentrate on the front part.

Trim the excess hairs that stick out above your brow line.  Use caution and don’t over-trim!

Check out this video for trimming techniques:

HOW TO SHAPE YOUR EYEBROWS

Not happy with your natural eyebrow shape?  

There are two ways to create a nice arch by removing unwanted hairs from underneath your browline: tweezing or waxing.

But, as noted above, if you overdo it in your younger days you could end up with sparse eyebrows as you get older. So, proceed with caution!

Tweezing has many advantages:  it’s accurate, it’s cheap, and (if done properly) shouldn’t harm your skin.

These Tweezerman tweezers are consistently rated top-notch by beauty gurus:

Waxing requires more equipment, can interfere with certain medications, can be harmful to delicate skin, and, if done improperly can remove too much hair at once – leaving you with uneven brows.

The big advantage of waxing, of course, is that it’s much faster than tweezing once you get the hang of it.  And it leaves a smoother surface. 

If you prefer waxing, get a home waxing kit to start you off on the right track:

FINAL THOUGHTS

As you can see, there are many great and easy ways to groom your eyebrows at home.

If you prefer salon solutions, some women swear by microblading for filling in their sparse brows. And a lot of women think eyebrow threading is superior to waxing and tweezing.

I’m a DIY gal, myself, but those are definite options if you prefer to leave things to the professionals!

Have any more questions about gray hair and eyebrows? Let me know in the comments below!

Please do me a favor and share this post to social media, as it helps me grow my audience and spread the word about our Silver Revolution!  And remember to subscribe to my YouTube Channel and Pinterest Feed for more gray hair tips and product recommendations. Thanks!

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