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Why Are My Eyebrows So Light?

by Gabbi

It’s hard to argue that your eyebrows are not a crucial aspect of your face. They make a huge difference, as proven by everyone’s collective horror of looking back at photos of our overplucked 90s brows.

Eyebrows frame the face. With the wrong eyebrow shape, your face can end up looking asymmetrical. They help in communication. Think of how much can be said by a single raise of an eyebrow or a flirty wiggle. All without a single word.

They can make you look younger. Thick, dark eyebrows are a sign of youth. No wonder so many celebrities look younger today – rocking the bushy eyebrow trend – than they did 25 years ago. Although, the botox probably helps too.

What we are trying to say is – having thick healthy eyebrows can be a blessing. But what if you weren’t blessed? Are you looking for answers as to why your eyebrows are so light or wondering what you can do to darken them or make them grow thicker?

Why are your eyebrows so light? There are many reasons why your eyebrows might be light – some of it is genetics, some of it is environmental. The good news is that a lot of it can be corrected with natural and artificial methods.

In this blog post, we will go over all of these things and more, so keep on reading!

Reasons Your Eyebrows Are So Light

There is rarely one single reason why your eyebrows might be lighter than normal. Below, we dive into the most common causes of light eyebrows in the hopes that this can help you identify the source of your problem.

1. Plain Old Genetics

Let’s address the elephant in the room: genetics. If your eyebrows have always been very light and sparse, and if you notice a similar eyebrow pattern in one of your parents or siblings – it is most likely in your DNA.

Scientists have identified 8 individual genes that are responsible for how your eyebrows will look. Those genes can affect everything from eyebrow color to hair thickness. 

So if you’re wondering if the reason your eyebrows are light is due to genetics, pay attention to your old photos as well as your relative’s eyebrows. This will help you identify if your concern has been there all your life or if your eyebrows have recently gotten lighter.

If they’ve been the same your whole life, chances are, there isn’t anything wrong with you. This is just how you were born. Some people are even born with dark hair and light eyebrows. For some people, it’s the opposite. Embrace the eyebrows you have or explore some options to make them darker (keep reading for some tips on that).

2. Hair Loss Due To Health Issues

If you find that your eyebrows used to be darker but now they are suddenly looking light, this could be a sign of hair loss. A lot of the time when your eyebrows look lighter it’s actually because they’ve become more sparse.

Eyebrow hairs can be shed for a lot of different reasons, the most common being a hormone imbalance or an autoimmune disorder.

If you’ve noticed a sudden increase in hair loss, we recommend seeing a doctor to help you identify what might be responsible. There is no one straight solution to hair loss because the causes can be so different.

Perhaps your doctor can help you regulate your hormones or prescribe a supplement for something your body is lacking, which can then reverse your hair loss.

Some other health-related conditions responsible for eyebrow hair loss could be eczema, psoriasis, thyroid imbalance, stress, and the use of certain medications, such as chemotherapy.

3. Hair Loss Due To Aging

Remember how we said that thick dark eyebrows are a sign of youth? This is because most people naturally have thicker and darker eyebrows when they’re young, and they eventually become lighter and thinner with age.

This is a perfectly normal and natural process that affects most, if not all, people. The same process also happens to your head hair, eyelashes, and body hair. 

If you are noticing that your eyebrows are getting lighter with age, it is not a cause for concern, although you could look into supplements and treatments that can maintain their health for as long as possible.

4. Sun Exposure

Noticing your eyebrows looking lighter at the end of the summer? Or after a beachy vacation?
This is a temporary effect of sun exposure and is no cause for concern. 

The rays from the sun tend to make your skin tan but your hair blonde. UV light damages the melanin in your hair turning it into a colorless compound. This is why you might get some natural highlights in your hair and why your eyebrows may appear lighter.

Since this is a temporary phenomenon, just like a skin tan, eventually it will “fade” after a few weeks. Your eyebrows will go through a growth cycle and new hairs will emerge, the same color as before. 

For the time being, you can embrace your naturally sunkissed look, or consider using one of our tips below to help darken your eyebrows while you wait for them to grow out.

5. Overplucking

We don’t know about you, but we’re totally guilty of overplucking our eyebrows back when it was “cool.” Unfortunately, many of us had no idea that the effects of overplucking can last years, if not forever.

Anytime you pull your hair out, it can cause damage to the area of skin underneath the hair follicle, destroying the blood vessels there that supply new hair with nutrients to grow. If those vessels are ruptured during one of your plucking sessions, the hair may never grow back.

The level of permanent eyebrow loss depends on how often you plucked, what kind of methods you used, and how sturdy your blood vessels are. Some people are luckier than others, but those of us with permanent damage just have to make it work with what we have left.

The good news is that there are some treatments for overplucked brows that might return some of those long-lost hairs. We will go over that in just a moment. 

6. Dyeing Your Hair Too Dark

Lastly, we wanted to mention that sometimes your eyebrows look really light if you’ve recently dyed your head hair darker than usual.

While the change can seem subtle on the top of your hair, it can have a huge effect on the coloring of your face. If your eyebrows are a medium brown, they can look unnaturally light with jet black hair. 

If you want to avoid this look, make sure to choose a hair color that is close enough to your natural color where the difference won’t be so stark. 

Alternatively, consider changing the color of your eyebrows to match your new hair color, using one of the methods we’ll go over below.

How To Make Your Eyebrows Darker

If you are looking for ways to darken your eyebrows, you’re in luck. There are so many different solutions ranging from all-natural treatments to permanent tattoo brows and everything in between. 

Below, we go over some of our most popular tried-and-true methods that help people achieve the kind of dark, thick, and bushy eyebrows they desire.

1. Makeup

The most obvious answer is makeup. We love using makeup to darken our brows because it is easy and non-invasive, mistakes aren’t permanent, and the results are instant. There are lots of different types of eyebrow makeup you can use, depending on personal preference and desired outcome.

Brow pencils have been around for hundreds of years. They are cheap, easy to use, and come in a wide range of natural-looking eyebrow colors. If you’re looking for one to suit your light brows, check out our article for the Best Eyebrow Fillers for Blondes or the Best Eyebrow Pencils for Redheads.

If you’re looking for a more precise tool, eyebrow pens have thinner points so you can draw on each individual hair if you have naturally sparse eyebrows. This creates a very natural look.

Additionally, tinted eyebrow gels are great for darkening your eyebrows and shaping them at the same time. The gel holds them in place as you brush some color onto them.

For a real statement, consider using eyeshadow or brow pomade with an angled brush. This creates a very dramatic, glamorous eyebrow shape a la Kim Kardashian.

As you can see, there are so many different ways you can use makeup to add color and depth to your eyebrows. The only downside is that it washes off and you have to do it all over again in the morning. But the flexibility of this method is unbeatable. 

We’ve found an awesome tutorial from Savannah Skeffington on YouTube explaining the best way to achieve natural eyebrow makeup for light brows. Check it out below!

2. Castor and Olive Oils

Makeup is great, but what if you want your eyebrows to become naturally darker? There is a solution you can try that you might already have on hand.

Castor oil (we love this cosmetic-grade castor oil) is made from the beans of a castor tree, known for helping hair grow thicker. This plant property has been identified thousands of years ago and has been used for centuries.

Recently, scientists discovered that castor oil contains about 90% ricinoleic acid – a compound that has been proven to help induce hair growth and suppress hair-loss hormones.

Olive oil is another oil that has been used for centuries for various beauty purposes including hair care. Olive oil is full of vitamins A and E, which are both instrumental for healthy hair growth. It also contains a compound called oleuropein that has been shown to increase hair growth in mice.

Regardless of which one you choose to use, keep in mind that results won’t happen overnight. Using these oils topically will offer gradual growth, so you will have to apply the oils to your brows every night for weeks or months before you start seeing results.

As with all natural plant treatments, make sure to do a patch test to ensure you are not allergic to any of the compounds prior to starting a regimen.

3. Growth Serums

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RevitaLash Cosmetics Brow Serum
RevitaLash Cosmetics Brow Serum

Similar to plant oils, brow serums can help your eyebrows grow stronger and thicker over time. There are lots of different serums on the market specifically designed for eyebrow growth. Many of them include castor oil and other natural compounds designed to strengthen the brows.

Some of them also contain vitamins, biotin, peptides, and other ingredients that are designed to improve the health of your eyebrow hairs and the skin they grow from.

Although there is no evidence that they work any better than natural oils, some people really swear by them. Make sure to do your research and read reviews before deciding to invest in a growth serum as some of them can be pricey.

4. Eyebrow Tint

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Etude House Tint My Brows Gel
Etude House Tint My Brows Gel

Eyebrow tint is basically a dye for your eyebrows. Most eyebrow tints are semi-permanent, so they last several weeks. You can get your eyebrows tinted at a salon or buy a kit and do it yourself.

This is a great way to darken your eyebrows in an instant and not have to worry about them for a few weeks. Eyebrow tints come in a wide range of eyebrow shades so you should have no issue finding one that looks great on your face.

Eyebrow tinting involves using chemical dyes, so be careful if you are doing it yourself. You could hurt your eyes if any of the tint solution gets in them. Some people are also allergic to chemical dyes, so this may not be a great option for everyone.

5. Henna

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Zenia Henna Paste
Zenia Henna Paste

If regular eyebrow tints don’t work for you due to allergens or harsh chemicals, henna might be a great alternative.

Henna is an all-natural plant-based dye that is made out of a blend of dried plants. It can tint skin (think: henna tattoos) and hair and lasts for weeks on the eyebrows.

Pure henna makes your hair turn a fiery red but mixing it with herbs like amla and indigo can create a wide range of rich browns and auburns.

Because henna is all-natural, it is a great choice for someone who is wary of using chemical dyes so close to their eyes.

Henna blends can be purchased online or in natural health shops. You can usually apply the mixture to your eyebrows on your own, or find a salon that would do it for you. Much like using an eyebrow tint, this is a great option for those who are looking to darken their eyebrows for several weeks.

6. Microblading

Eyebrow tints and henna still fade after a few weeks, so what if you’re looking for something more permanent? In this case, microblading might be for you.

Microblading is a cosmetic procedure during which a licensed professional deposits color within the layers of your skin using a small blade with dye. It’s somewhat similar to tattooing, except tattooing involves needles instead of blades and deposits color deeper into the skin.

Since microblading doesn’t go as deep as a regular tattoo, it’s actually not entirely permanent. It is considered a semi-permanent solution because the color can last up to two years, although it varies from person to person.

The benefits of microblading are obvious: you can get very natural thick-looking brows that you don’t need to draw on every day. A good microblading artist can create a gorgeous shape and “draw” on each individual brow hair to make them look real. 

They work with your natural brows to correct, thicken, and align your eyebrows while considering the rest of your face to ensure it all looks symmetrical. It’s an art form. 

Microblading is, of course, a much bigger commitment than makeup or even brow tinting, so be sure you want it before you do it.

Microblading can be painful and expensive. It comes with some risks, too – anything that penetrates your skin can cause an infection. And of course, you want to be sure you’re getting the procedure done by a qualified professional in a clean environment.

Up Next: Can You Use Hair Dye On Eyebrows?

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