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Men are putting the razors and trimmers aside and picking up the tweezers and wax to get a more precise look for their brows.
The days of the unibrow are gone as more men try to create a streamlined look for their brows and keep up with the women in the grooming department.
Men's beauty companies, such as national beauty retailer Sephora, offer brow grooming options for men, including the Jean Paul Gaultier brow pencil and brow groomer for $14 and $18 respectively.
Bring up the topic of men and waxing and many picture Steve Carell in the infamous body-waxing scene from "The 40 Year Old Virgin" or a look that is more feminine.
Whether to pluck or wax is the dilemma for many men, Sarah Smith, a stylist and esthetician for American Male, said. Taking matters into their own hands may be a scary proposition for some men, many of whom have been prompted by an outside source to get their brows done.
"There aren't many men who come in here willingly," Smith, of the North Queen Street salon, said. "But once they have it done, they always come back."
Smith pointed out that by working with a man's eyebrows and shaping them better, the eye's appearance is opened up.
"It doesn't have to be a drastic change but a subtle one," Smith said. "Clients will come back and say people noticed a difference but weren't sure what it was."At American Male, a man's brow wax costs $14. Smith's regular clients will have their brows touched up when they come in for their haircuts every two to three weeks. Other clients come in more frequently just to have their brows done.
"It is a little more upkeep for men, as they tend not to do it themselves at home, " Smith said. "Women will pluck their own brows in between salon visits, but men tend not to do that."
Some men are going for more manicured and streamlined look, especially those with Puerto Rican heritage.
According to Elio DeJesus, a barber with the Sharper Image, 361 E. Chestnut St., a recent trend among that culture has been to have finely tweezed and groomed eyebrows.
"They present themselves very clean and groomed," DeJesus said. "Their hair is always cut close and clean, and many keep their brows groomed tight and thin."
In grooming a man's brow, it is important to keep in mind the natural arch of the brow, DeJesus said. The brow hair should be groomed on the bottom of the brow and follow the natural arch of the eye.
To eliminate the dreaded unibrow, any hairs that are located on the bridge of the nose should be plucked or shaved.
"You want the brow to end as if there is a line that goes straight up the side of your nostril," DeJesus said.
DeJesus does not wax his clients' brows. Instead, he uses either tweezers or a straight-edge razor to get a thin, crisp line.
If a man is maintaining his brows at home, Smith said, he should keep in mind the natural shape of his eye and be careful not to overpluck.
"A lot of men are afraid to do it themselves, that they will remove too much and look too feminine," Smith said.
However, a more "feminine" brow is growing more popular, and men are sporting a higher-arched eyebrow than in years past.
DeJesus, who works on the brows of men and women, said that men are taking better care of their appearances and many groom their brows on a regular basis.
There are some things to keep in mind if considering a brow waxing, Smith said. There should be some brow growth for the wax to stick to — the brows should not be just shaved.
Certain acne medications, such as Retinol, can make skin more sensitive as can exposure to the sun or a tanning bed, Smith said. Waxing your own brows at home is not recommended.
"If you're going to tweeze, that's OK," Smith said. "But waxing is something the professionals should do."
Waxing has its benefits — it removes the root of the hair, so regrowth takes longer compared to shaving or tweezing, processes that leave the root behind.
It's a commitment that must be taken seriously, though, according to Smith.
"Once many guys start doing it, they find that they want to keep it up," she said. "They like the cleaned-up look in the end, but it does take upkeep."
E-mail: cesbenshade@lnpnews.com
