Why older men should be paying attention to their eyebrows

There was a time when a man’s grooming regime stretched as far as a simple haircut, a clean shave and a blast of anti-perspirant. But now, more than ever, the beauty industry is for everyone; manicured beards, man tans and a well-shaped set of eyebrows are all very commonplace in Britain in 2024.

This boom in grooming has had a huge influence in the way British men present themselves. Walk down any high street and you’ll probably encounter at least two or three barber shops along the way. In fact, according to data commissioned by the British Beauty Council, 2,239 new barber shops opened in the UK in 2023. It is one of the fastest growing sectors in retail and shows no signs of slowing down. Millie Kendall, the British Beauty Council chief executive, says men’s grooming is now less “cloak and dagger” than ten years ago.

Eyebrows, in particular, are being attended to more carefully than ever before. A trend spotlighted this week by David Beckham when he appeared alongside Prince William with noticeably well-tended eyebrows.

“Regular brow grooming isn’t just upkeep – it’s a mark of confidence, style, and self-respect,” says Olly Walker, the resident grooming expert of barbering brand Harry’s. “Clean, well-shaped brows show that you’ve got it together, proving that even the smallest details can make a big impact.”

Demand for a good set of man brows has increased hugely outside of barbering, too: 15 per cent of the clientele going into Blink Brow Bar chain in the UK – which first opened its doors 20 years ago – are now male. That figure is on the rise, explains the brow bar’s founder Vanita Parti.

“Ten years ago, women would bring in their terrified husbands or boyfriends to get their brows sorted but now we have men who confidently come to our brow bars looking for some extra grooming,” she says.

If you’re looking to tidy up your brows and make them look a little more groomed – in a natural-looking way, that is – these are our top tips. And a word of comfort: these treatments won’t make your brows look overly feminine, at all. Think Sean Connery, the poster man for the well-groomed brow, and 71-year-old Pierce Brosnan’s distinctively neat pair. If you have naturally thick brows, they can still look thick and groomed like Schitt’s Creek actor Dan Levy.

Start with a tint

“If you have very pale brows or lots of greys coming through, it’s a good idea to tint your brows before they are groomed,” explains Parti. A dye solution is made up to the correct shade of your natural brow colour, painted on the brows and left on for no longer than five minutes. “All this does is add depth to the brow colour rather than making it unnecessarily fake-looking.”

Nilam Holmes, an aesthetician and male grooming expert, agrees. “The manicured beard and brow trend is not going away,” she explains. “A lot of older guys are using dye to match the colour of their beard. But when it comes to dyeing the brows, you still want some of the natural salt and pepper to come through, rather than making a big block of colour. You never want the colour to look like your brows are overtaking the face.” Often if you notice someone’s had their brows dyed, they’ve had the formula left on for too long.

Don’t shape, just groom

For Parti, much of the reservation around men getting their eyebrows ‘done’ is that they will look precisely too ‘done’. “Eyebrow grooming is very different to eyebrow shaping,” she explains, both of which utilise the ancient method of hair removal called threading.

Eyebrow grooming simply removes the fluffy hairs under your brows and in-between your brows, which become coarser as we age. Eyebrow shaping, on the other hand, is more aimed at women, and helps to give a more defined arch on the brows with a more sculpted shape. “Men are terrified their brows will look overly manicured, but when done properly, they can look rugged but groomed and make you look more youthful,” Parti points out.

Don’t do it yourself

While it can be tempting to take a pair of tweezers to your unibrow at home, many experts advise against this. “When you pluck hairs yourself, it’s very easy to overdo it,” explains Parti. Seeking a professional to de-mono your brow means you will likely leave with a much more natural look.

As for how often you should get your brows done, many of Parti’s clients come in every month, while others wait for their hair to fully grow back at the three month mark. Whatever you do, “start getting your brows groomed from 40 to really benefit from the de-aging look,” adds Parti.

Groom at home

If you want to brush your brows in place a little, there are lots of products to help you do that at home. “Rather than using brow products to make their eyebrows look more sculpted, a lot of men are using brow gels to make their brow hairs more manageable,” explains Holmes.

“As men age their hairs become thicker and more wiry, but at the same time the brows are thinning, so a gel can wrap the hair in colour and fix any feral hairs in place a little,” she adds. Try the Brow Fix by Eyebrow Queen, £18 or Brow Build Gel by BBB London, £25.

 Brow Fix by Eyebrow Queen, £18, Brow Build Gel by BBB London, £25