How to Dye Your Brows at Home for a Natural Tint

Filling in your eyebrows every day can be quite a challenge. That's where at-home eyebrow dyeing comes in, making a world of difference by saving you precious morning minutes—no more carefully penciling your brows. Plus, did you know that DIY eyebrow dyeing is also a great money-saver? It’s true. In salons, eyebrow tinting costs around $15 for a quick two-minute job. However, mastering the art of eyebrow dye on your own isn't as daunting as it may seem. I tried it, and honestly, there's no turning back. Keep reading for a step-by-step guide to tinting your brows at home.

What Is Eyebrow Tinting?

Eyebrow tinting uses semi-permanent dye to temporarily enhance, shape, and define brows. The best part, at least for those who want to attempt it themselves, is that it's pretty straightforward. "Tinting your brows at home is surprisingly easy," says celebrity makeup artist and brow expert Ramy Gafni. "The key is to select the correct color and formula."

It's no surprise that people go to great measures to perfect their eyebrows, including dropping wads of cash on brow-perfecting makeup that promises to enhance those imperfect arches once and for all. But brow dyeing gives the same effect as brow makeup (think bold, defined brows) without adding 10 minutes to your morning makeup routine. It's shockingly easy, I swear: Slap on some color, wait a minute, wipe it off. It always seemed like something I could do. And so I did. And I haven't paid for an in-salon eyebrow tinting since.

Materials

To tint your brows at home, you'll need the following materials to get the job done:

• Brow-safe hair dye kit (such as Refectocil brand)
• Cotton swabs
• Spoolie brush
• Vaseline
• Plastic cup and spatula (if not provided in hair dye kit)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step One: Prep Your Brows

First, make sure your brows are clean and makeup-free. Then brush through them with a spoolie as you normally would. You can then apply a thin layer of Vaseline around your eyebrows to prevent accidental staining of the skin. "That way, any dye on the skin will wipe away easily," notes Gafni. "However, even if you don't add a protective layer of Vaseline, the dye will wash off of your skin easily when you shower."

Step Two: Mix Your Color

Once your brows are clean and prepped, it's time to mix the color. "Choose a shade that is two to three shades lighter than your hair color," advises Gafni. So if you have brown hair, you should start with blonde eyebrow dye. You can always go darker if you find your brows aren't dark enough, but choosing a shade lighter than your hair color will prevent you from dyeing them too dark, too quickly.

To mix the dye, follow the instructions that come with the kit you've purchased. But in most cases, you will mix a small amount of color (usually in cream or powder form) with a small amount of developer cream (most kits will give you a tiny plastic cup and spatula to do this with). Mix the two until completely combined.

Step Three: Coat the Brows With Dye

Some instructions may call for you to apply the color with a spoolie, but I like to use a little wooden stick because it gives me more control (then blend it out with a spoolie afterward). Start at the front of your brow (the hair is denser there) and simply dab on the dye all the way through to the end of your brow. I concentrate on the center of my eyebrow first and then get all of the little (white blonde, in my case) baby hairs along the edges. Then, use a clean spoolie to help evenly distribute the dye throughout your brows. If you get any dye on the skin surrounding your brows, don't worry—just keep damp cotton swabs handy to clean up the edges.

Step Four: Set the Timer

Once you've done one eyebrow—saturating every hair—stop before you move on to the next brow. This is extremely important if you want your brows to match (because if you do both brows at the same time, one will end up having the dye on for much longer). Most kits will advise you to leave the dye on for 7-10 minutes before removing. However, we recommend removing the dye after one minute to see how quickly your brows take to the tint. If your brows aren't dark enough, you can always apply another layer and wait another minute, repeating this step until you reach your desired darkness. Make note of how long it takes to achieve your desired color, then next time you can just leave the dye on for that amount of time. But for your first time, it's better safe than sorry! It's always easier to add on more dye than it is to lighten your brows if you take it too far. To provide a frame of reference, I leave the formula on for about 1.5 minutes to achieve a natural, light brown color on my blonde brows.

Step Five: Wipe Away the Dye

Using a wet cotton pad or paper towel, wipe off the color (and note that you may need to use a bit of pressure). It's also perfectly normal for the dye to adhere to your skin—which can cause your brows to appear slightly darker than they actually are—but that should fade in 1-2 washes of your face. If it really bothers you, try cleansing the brows with a cotton pad drenched in micellar water. You may remove the color and think it looks too dark, but remember at this point your brows are still wet, so let them fully dry before making any judgments.

Step Six: Repeat on the Other Brow

Repeat the above steps on your second eyebrow.

The Final Look

And that's it! As explained above, if your brows come out too light, go ahead and do the process over—just make sure your eyebrows are completely dry before you try again. Too dark? Give it another scrub with cleanser and follow up with toner. Still too dark? As I mentioned before, the tint will fade. Most claim to last up to six weeks, but I find myself ready for a refresh by week three or four. But at around $15 for three applications, it's a better deal than going the salon route.

Maintenance and Aftercare

If you happen to have a major dye stain on your skin that doesn't wipe off easily, don't worry—it will come off. "If you stain your skin, simply exfoliate the area," says Gafni. "Most dye will wash off easily because our skin is not porous in the same way as our hair."

And if you're unhappy with the results, they're easy to correct. "If you mess up and don't like the color you selected, if it's too dark, shampoo your brows two to three times to speed up the color fade," says Gafni. "If you feel the color is too light, you can correct it by tinting the brows a darker shade." And if you find the color fading too quickly for your liking, try to avoid washing your brows when you cleanse your face and shower.