“I tried brow lamination and TBH, I have mixed feelings about it”

Written by Eloise Hall

It may be the buzziest treatment in the world of brows right now, but is brow lamination right for you? Here are my honest thoughts.

From microblading, microshading, fluffy brows, and 90s brows, the beauty world has seen plenty of eyebrow styles enter the spotlight over the years. But, the biggest brow trend of the moment? Fluffy and full brows. In fact, it’s one of the key eyebrow trends experts forecast carrying over into 2022, along with straight, and natural brows. So it’s little wonder why brow lamination is such a popular treatment right now.

Mesmerised by the bushy brow trend and excited by the prospect of being able to resurrect my once over-threaded brows (we’ve all been there), I knew I had to sign up. But before you book in for a brow lamination treatment yourself, let me fill you in with my honest review.

What is brow lamination?

Like a perm for the eyebrows, brow lamination is a treatment that lifts individual brow hairs upwards, so they look fuller and bushier.

Once a look reserved solely for Instagram influencers, brow lamination is now a common treatment and available in multiple iterations – straight-up, brushed neat or more natural-looking. 

How does brow lamination work?

The treatment begins with the application of a lifting balm solution, which opens up the cuticle of the hair, making your brows soft and flexible. This step makes the hair completely straight, allowing it to be brushed into whichever style you like.

For me, I was aiming for the bushy brow effect, so the brow technician set my eyebrows up straight and covered them with film for 15 minutes, brushing them upwards every 5 minutes.

As I have thick hair, my brow technician applied this solution twice, to make sure each hair was coated and that they stayed in an upright position.

Next comes a second solution called volumiser, which makes the hair flexible for around 12 minutes. The therapist continues to brush the hair in an upwards motion as it is applied.

Finally, a special serum is applied to the brows to hydrate the hairs, which you must keep on for 24 hours. Just like a perm, you can’t wash your brows during that time either, which makes washing your face pretty tricky.

Does brow lamination include a brow tint?

After lamination, some brow technicians offer a tidy up and tint, which I opted for. This happens between the volumiser and hydration serum application. As I have fair, blonde hair this made all the difference to my brows, leaving them looking thick and voluminous.

How long does brow lamination last?

With the proper care, most experts say brow lamination can last from four to eight weeks.

Brow lamination: the results

My first impressions of brow lamination were great. My ‘‘eyebrow game was strong’’ as a beauty influencer might say, and the hairs looked fluffier and brushed up as I wanted. 

However, after a few days I began to notice the hair becoming extremely dry and my eyebrows felt very coarse and bristly.

Now, my brow technician did warn me this might happen and that it was important to apply lots of oil to my brows before bed. She recommended coconut oil, almond oil or castor oil, so I did as I was told and massaged coconut oil into the hair every single night.

“The process is similar to when you perm your hair, but you are straightening instead,” says Jaimeney Patel, head of education at Blink Brow Bar. “Therefore, it is important after any chemicals or manipulation to the hair follicle to ensure brows are kept hydrated and nourished, similar to the aftercare after visiting the hairdressers.”

I didn’t mind doing it, but I couldn’t help but think: isn’t the point of getting a brow treatment like this that it reduces the effort it takes to look after your brows?

I expected to wake up with naturally flawless brows every day, but the reality is, you still need to use brow gel every day to brush them up. Depending on how much hair you start with, you might still want to fill them in, and you will definitely need to apply a jar of coconut oil a night to make them feel smooth again.

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Although I now get a lot of compliments on my brows, and I do love how fluffy and dramatic they look, I can’t help but feel like my eyebrows will never feel the same again.

They feel extremely dry and some hair has started to curl due to the perming solution. This may just be my hair type, as I do have naturally curly hair, but the point was for the hair to remain straight and in the brushed up position. 

Is brow lamination worth the cost?

Considering brow lamination can cost around £75 a go, you expect the hype to be real. And I have heard of lots of people who have been really pleased with their results. But for me? Well, I really love the look of them, but because my hair texture is now so harsh, I’m not sure brow lamination will make it onto my monthly treatment list.

I guess the search for the perfect brow treatment continues…

Main image: Eloise Hall

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