Vegetable-based dyes are the safest, although they can still potentially injure your eyes. Outside the US, you can buy products that are specifically marketed as eyebrow dye or tint—but expect them to be a bit pricier than facial hair kits. [2] X Research source
When in doubt, go with a lighter shade than you think you need—these dyes tend to be darker than you’d expect. It’s normal for people’s eyebrows not to perfectly match the shade of the hair on their head, so you’ll be fine if you’re a shade lighter or darker. If you’ve recently dyed your hair and you want your eyebrows to match, look at pictures of people who have hair naturally that color for inspiration.
The dye will leave a tiny stain on your skin, but you can easily clean that off with soap and water if you don’t want to wait a week or two for it to fade on its own.
If you have bangs, pin them back so they won’t get in the way. Use a clean spoolie to fluff your eyebrows so it’s easier to paint each strand with the dye.
You can also wait until after you’ve dyed your brows to shape them, which can be helpful if you’ve got a lot of fine, light-colored hairs. [7] X Research source
Set 2 bottles of sterile eye irrigation solution nearby. If any of the dye does drip in your eye, immediately irrigate it with an entire bottle of solution. You’ve got the second one as a backup. [9] X Research source
Once you’ve mixed the dye, you have to use it immediately—so if you mix the entire package, you’ll end up throwing a lot of it away.
The dye package usually comes with a brush, but it was designed for use on a beard or mustache and is probably going to be too big for your eyebrows. If you accidentally get the dye anywhere you don’t want it, wipe it away quickly with a cotton swab dipped in warm water.
The dye starts to process as soon as you paint it on your brows, so it’s actually going for more than 1 minute if you include the time it took you to apply it. If your eyebrows are gray, go ahead and leave the dye on for 2 minutes. Gray hair is coarser and thicker, which makes it harder to dye. [13] X Research source
You’ll get a better result if you add color gradually rather than trying to do it all at once, especially if you’re trying to go darker. The dye does temporarily stain the skin under your brows, so they’ll appear like they’re already filled in. The dye fades a little every day, so before you freak out that you’ve gotten them too dark, let them go for a couple of days—then see what you think.
You might have to do this more than once to get your brows back to their original color. Just remember—the dye fades a little every day, so you’re not stuck with it forever.
