The term “laminating” might conjure visions of office admin and security IDs, but “brow lamination” is an innovative beauty treatment that has brought new, altogether more appealing meaning to the word. The pursuit of thick, bushy eyebrows is an arduous one, particularly for those lacking in that department, but the treatments available to us now are endless; competent threading, tinting, or microblading can make up for a lack of hair, defined shape or strong color. However, results from these interventions can be fleeting. Nothing has provided that fashionable, feathery look seen so often in editorial shoots and on the runways with any kind of permanence–until now.
“Brow lamination is a process of restructuring the brow hairs to keep them in a desired shape,” says Natalie Piper, international trainer at the Eyelash Design Company. “It’s the perfect treatment for anyone whose hairs are irregular in direction, who has any gaps in between said hairs, or who wants that groomed, brushed-up look.” That feathery effect we lust after is often attributed to a brilliantly hard-wearing brow gel, and while such products do exist, they can be hit and miss (plus, they work better on some brows than others).
Promising “I woke up like this” eyebrows, lamination involves two different treatment solutions that do for our brows what a lash lift does for our lashes. The first solution is brushed through the eyebrow hairs and left on for 20 minutes, to make them softer and more malleable. Next, the brows are brushed into the desired position and the second, “laminating” solution is applied, to keep the strands in place.
Those who have an abundance of brow hairs will benefit most from lamination, as it can fix thick hairs in place, with the sort of hold no gel can deliver. But those with finer brows benefit too: “It helps give the appearance of slightly fuller brows, and the hairs that are there can be styled to cover any sparse areas,” says Piper. Not only that, the effects last up to eight weeks.
Most notably, lamination is a great alternative to microblading, which can be painful, and works on the skin rather than the hairs. Brow lamination helps to add definition to brows without any after-effects that take time to heal. So don’t let visions of mundane workplace admin put you off–this is the sort of laminating you’ll want to get on board with.
How to laminate your brows at home
While nothing really beats a salon treatment (we’ve trusted Benefit with laminating our brows before and were pleased with the results), there are at-home brow lamination options on the market now, too. Brow Code offers a kit which includes all the formulas you need to laminate your own brows, without compromising on safety. Apply the solution, set the hairs in the position you want them, and then fix them in place–following the step-by-step instructions throughout. All formulas are vegan and cruelty-free, and Brow Code recommends topping up your treatment every six weeks.