Eyebrows help frame and complement our faces, but it can be tough for men to figure out what eyebrow shape they should have.
Most people think straight eyebrows are the best male eyebrow shape. However, the ideal eyebrow shape for you will depend on other factors, like face shape, natural brow shape, etc. Basic grooming techniques can enhance your brow shape.
What Is the Best Male Eyebrow Shape?
Straight/Flat eyebrows are often the best male eyebrow shape. Given that the man has enough hair to make them just thick enough, the shape of a flat eyebrow gives a subtle yet powerful look to the eye area.
Most people assume that thick eyebrows are ideal for men. However, eyebrow thickness preference can differ based on culture, the other facial features, etc. Mogilski et al., 2018 concluded that women’s eyebrow thickness often mattered more than men’s eyebrow thickness. Therefore, you might not need the typical “bushy, manly” eyebrows to have good-looking eyebrows.
It is also important to note that the most popular eyebrow shape will not always suit you. You have to consider your face shape because it will greatly determine what eyebrow shape you should have.
Your Face Shape
First, you need to determine your face shape. It is common to have a mixture between two face shapes, so you might have to tweak a certain eyebrow shape or choose between two eyebrow shapes.
Many people agree that there are seven face shapes (oblong, triangle, etc.), but we will break down the four main face shapes for men.
Oval
Oval face shapes tend to have fairly even measurements between their upper, mid, and lower face. They usually have narrower cheeks, somewhat broad foreheads, and a slightly round, tapering jawline.
An example of a male oval face shape is George Clooney.
Round
Round face shapes usually have wide and circular cheekbones. They often have tapering foreheads and jaws as well. Leonardo DiCaprio is a good example of a round face shape.
Heart
Heart face shapes are similar to diamond face shapes, except they have broader foreheads. This face shape often tapers down from the rounded cheekbones to a small chin, like Nick Jonas’s face.
Square
A square face shape is usually wide at all points. The square face shape often features a strong jaw and chin, prominent cheekbones, and a broad forehead. An example of a celebrity with a square face shape is Nick Lachey.
The Eyebrow Shape That Will Suit You
Once you know what face shape you have, you can get into the eyebrow shape that will be best for your face.
Straight/Flat Eyebrows
Flat eyebrows are fairly straight eyebrows with a very subtle curve at the tail. Sometimes, there may be no curve at all. The hair is usually thinner at the tail, but it can vary. It helps keep your face balanced and slightly rounder.
Flat eyebrows are an excellent choice for men with oval faces. It is also excellent if your eyes are small. If you want to enhance your eye shape, add a little more space (emphasis on a little) between your eyebrows to make your eyes look bigger.
Round Eyebrows
Round eyebrows can work on many face shapes, but they usually look best on men with big eyes and wider foreheads. When aiming for this brow shape, it is crucial that the eyebrows easily taper at the ends and the eyebrows are in line with the frontal bone.
Additionally, you do not want to make your eyebrows a “sharp” round shape, which is often used for women to make their face more feminine. Instead, it would be best if you opted for a softer, round shape to keep you looking masculine.
Angular Eyebrows
Men with round faces often benefit the most from angular eyebrows. Angular eyebrows add emphasis to the eyes to balance out the face’s roundness. It is also good for men with smaller foreheads.
However, you should be wary of trying to get an angular eyebrow shape. You do not want an intense arch like most women’s eyebrows. Instead, you should focus on keeping the arch as natural looking as possible by making the arch “soft.”
Slight Bend At the Tail
If you choose this eyebrow shape, it is very similar to angular eyebrows. The main difference is that this eyebrow shape features a slight bend at the tail.
It is a good choice for men who have heart-shaped faces. Most men with heart-shaped faces naturally have this eyebrow shape, so you may only need minimal grooming to maintain this eyebrow shape.
If you want a slightly more dramatic look, you can add more of an arch to your eyebrows. However, it would be best to be very careful when doing this or ask a professional because it is very easy to go overboard.
Eyebrow Length Matters
Before you trim and pluck your eyebrows, you need to figure out how long your eyebrows should be. Take a look at the photo below.
The start of your eyebrow should be parallel to the middle of your nostril. The end of your eyebrow should be parallel to your outer nostril and outer eye corner.
The arch of your eyebrow should start near the inner nostril (near the curve of your nose tip). You can also picture an imaginary line from the inner nostril to ensure that the line crosses your pupil’s center. You can use a pencil or ruler to get a better idea.
Of course, you can slightly tweak this as needed. For instance, you can make your eyebrows slightly longer than what would be suggested if you have very close-set eyes. Just make sure to do this slowly to avoid making your eyebrows too short.
Do I Need to Change My Eyebrow Shape?
A good rule of thumb is to stick to your natural brow shape and work from there. Normally, your natural eyebrow shape will suit your eyes and face shape, so you can trim and pluck as needed.
However, you may need to “change” your eyebrow shape if your eyebrows are rather unruly, overgrown, etc. Your true eyebrow shape might not be visible if they are not groomed.
Tips to Groom Your Eyebrows
Once you figure out your face shape and ideal eyebrow shape, you can start grooming your eyebrows. If you want to completely change your eyebrow shape or your eyebrows are extremely unruly, you may need to go to a barber to have it professionally done.
Otherwise, you should be fine grooming them at home. Keep in mind that you should always groom them slowly to avoid ruining your eyebrows. Remember, less is more; a few strays or slight unevenness is fine.
Plucking Eyebrows
When you pluck your eyebrows, be sure to pull from the root of each strand. Additionally, pulling lightly on your skin to “stretch” your skin can help minimize the pain, like in the photo below.
If you are a beginner, you can start plucking out the obvious stray hairs. It may be tempting to pluck out several hairs at once, but you should pluck one strand at a time. This will keep you from having the dreaded “over-plucked” eyebrows look.
It is fine to leave a stray hair or too; it helps keep your eyebrows looking natural. The small, fine hairs (especially those near your eyebrow tail) will retain the natural look.
Do not worry about plucking too much gray hair out either. It is better to leave a few gray hairs in there to avoid sparse eyebrows. You can always ask a professional to dye your eyebrows if you do not want any gray eyebrow hairs.
Try not to pluck from the top of your eyebrows, particularly the space above your eyebrow’s start and arch. However, it is fine to pluck any hair above the tail portion of the eyebrow.
Trimming
Getting a pair of small eyebrow scissors will be very beneficial for eyebrow grooming. Some eyebrow hairs are very long and might ruin the natural shape of your brows.
However, if you pull them out, they can make your eyebrows look sparse. That is where small scissors come in handy; you can carefully trim the longer eyebrow hairs to maintain your eyebrow shape.
You can also use the scissors to trim the ends of your eyebrows instead of plucking them.
Similar to plucking your eyebrows, you should avoid trimming the hair from the top of your eyebrows. Trimming the top of your eyebrows can create a high, feminine arch.
Eyebrow Gel
Eyebrow gel is an excellent way to keep your eyebrows neat, especially if you have very thick eyebrows that do not want to stay in place. You can use a clear brow gel to brush your eyebrows into the desired shape, and the gel will keep it in place all day.
You can also opt for colored eyebrow gel if you have sparse areas. However, it is important to be careful when you use a brow gel. Brow gel will cover partially sparse areas, but it will not fill a whole bald patch.
You may need a male eyebrow transplant if you have severely sparse brows. If you are up to it, you could use an eyebrow pencil or eyebrow powder to fill sparser areas carefully. Try to choose a color that is slightly lighter than your natural eyebrow color.
If you are lucky enough to have longer eyebrows, you could brush them over the sparser areas and use a brow gel to hold their position.
Do Not Shave Your Eyebrows
It may be tempting to shave your eyebrows, especially if they are rather unruly. However, shaving your eyebrows can be a huge mistake. Firstly, you could easily make a mistake and shave too much hair off.
Another issue is that eyebrow hairs grow back quickly, especially if you shave them off. When you pluck out an eyebrow hair, you remove the whole strand, including the root. However, shaving the hair keeps the follicle, so it will probably grow back in a few days.
Additionally, you run the chance of growing coarser eyebrow hair. Coarse eyebrow hair tends to stand out more on the face. Therefore, you are better off using a pair of tweezers to pluck out stray hair.
How to Grow Thicker Eyebrows
If your eyebrows are on the sparser side, you can try to make them thicker. However, if you have extremely sparse eyebrows or have bald patches, you may need a male eyebrow transplant.
Otherwise, you can try these methods to grow thicker eyebrows.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is only rated for use on the scalp’s vertex, but really it works for all facial hair, including the beard. Minoxidil is available in multiple concentrations, the most common of which is 5%. There are multiple brands, but they’re all essentially the same. Kirkland brand or the Amazon basics brand are the cheapest.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is excellent for protecting your hair. One study proves that coconut oil can reduce protein loss (Rele et al., 2003). It also moisturizes and strengthens your hair, preventing breakage.
Use coconut oil on your eyebrows, take a cotton swab and dip it into organic coconut oil. Wipe the swab over your eyebrows. Make sure to follow the direction your hair grows.
Keep this on overnight. The next day, wipe off excess oil, then wash your face like you normally would.
Olive Oil
One study shows that applying topical olive oil induced anagenic hair growth in mice (Tong et al., 2015). Keep in mind that they used unprocessed olive oil, so you should try to buy good-quality, organic olive oil if you want to use it on your body.
Olive oil contains fatty acids, like linoleic acid, to nourish your eyebrow hairs. Additionally, olive oil has vitamin E and vitamin K, which moisturizes hair.
To use olive oil on your eyebrows, wash your eyebrows, then dry them. Drop a few drops of olive oil onto your fingers, then rub your fingers together to warm it up.
Use your fingers to massage the oil into your eyebrows for several minutes. Let the oil sit for a few hours, then wash it off with water.
Vitamin E
A study showed that people who orally consumed vitamin E supplements had increased hair growth (Beoy et al., 2010). If you want to take vitamin E supplements, try to take no more than 1,100 IU of synthetic vitamin E or 1,500 IU of naturally-occurring vitamin E per day.
You may also try applying vitamin E directly to your eyebrows daily. You can get vitamin E capsules and pierce the capsule to get the oil. Massage the oil onto your eyebrows, leave it overnight, then wash it off the next day.
