Is Microfeathering Your Brows the New Microblading?
Once only a job for fine-tipped pencils, powders, and gels, microblading has revolutionized the concept of filling in over-plucked or naturally thinning eyebrows. The tattooing method can yield some pretty remarkable results when done by a professional, but maybe some super bold styles, or even the Instagram brow trend, has installed a fear of ink in you. Maybe you love your natural-looking brows and you wish you didn’t use a heavy hand with the tweezers in some sparse spots. Your answer? Microfeathering.
"My main goal with this technique is to really mimic the natural hair and its growth patterns for the perfect Feathered Brow, which is soft, natural, and beautiful,” explains Streicher, who has done the treatment on celebrities like Mandy Moore. The result? Think those naturally brushed up and subtle eyebrows that you see on models waltzing down the runway, or a woman who never touched a pair of tweezers in her lifetime.
In Microfeathering, small “hair-like” incisions are created by a hand-held ultra thin and precise blade—not a traditional tattooing gun. They deposit special dye in the top layer of the skin, or the epidermis. They are deposited on areas of the brow that are surrounded by natural hair, but might have small gaps. “I created Microfeathering to ideally mimic native hair, being the appropriate length and orientation to seamlessly compliment the natural hair growth, and it looks best and most natural when the strokes are surrounded by real hair,” she further explained.
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Before the process, she says a grow out phase of a minimum of four to six months can be required. "Too many added strokes from either Microfeathering or microblading can result in an unnatural look,” she mentions, which might be the reason Instagram brows can result out of the process. Also, in Streicher’s process, the color of the ink is matched to the brow color, not your hair color. "Microfeathering is not a three dimensional procedure and is therefore not meant to create an entirely different and new eyebrow, but more of a way to fill in sparse areas of hair."
In fact, she says you can still see a bit of skin between the hairs in the front and tail of the brow with her Feathered Brow technique. "The look is not over filled or solid like the Instagram Brow. You may still want to add pencil or powder for the occasional 'BOLD' brow look, however for your day to day look, you will only need clear brow gel."
The look will fade over a year, and that the color of your brows will look one or two shades darker than normal immediately afterwards. Some might experience redness, swelling, bruising, and itching.
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After the process is complete, clients are instructed to apply a thin layer of Aquaphor, Neosporin, or Coconut Butter and SPF 30 every two to three hours for two days on the eyebrows. After the initial two days, clients are instructed to do this three times daily for a week, and they’re also told to keep exercise and excessive sweating down to a minimum as to not prematurely fade the look.
It’s not a one-stop-shop appointment, either. It’s broken into two different sessions. The first appointment takes nearly two hours, while the second appointment is about one hour and is booked six to eight weeks later. "During this appointment the healing process is evaluated and additional hair strokes will be added and perfected. Microfeathering lasts anywhere from 8-12 months, depending on skin type. “
You’ll have to travel to Streicher’s salon in Beverly Hills to give it a go, but if you’re tired of relying on a spoolie brush and gel, it might be worth the plane ticket.
