Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hi All

My eyebrows are a  mess. I have to spend 8-5 as a thing. Otherwise I live as Cindy. Anyone got good ideas for how to do eyebrows in this situation?

Cindy James

Thin and shape them some.  Nothing that is too ultra feminine.  May be go to your favorite hair stylist and just explain, in so many words what you are looking for.  Unless you go really thin, most people would noticed at all.

Janet

I agree with Janet.  Go somewhere and get them done.  Somewhat thicker brows are sort of in style, according to the girl that's done mine.  Going too thin will definitely attract attention. 

At this point, I am going to disagree with Janet, at least a bit.  The shape (i.e. arch) will be a slight give-away.  If you opt for no shape, they won't look right when you're Cindy.  If you get them shaped, I think people will notice.  They may not say anything, but that's not the same thing.  It's more obvious the thinner you go. 

Good luck!

I concur with what others have said.

I was unaware of the existence of the activity of eyebrow plucking until 2 years ago...or maybe more recently than that... fail.


So now I just get them into a more presentable shape so that they can be passably feminine, but not excessively so.

What about trimming them, you know, to reduce thickness? Or is that what was meant by thinning, which can be done by a stylist?
And what's this brow lacing stuff I've read about?

Refreshing already given advice here but, plucking is a wonderful thing.   But it's a course that once you set yourself on it, you must go forward with, and maintain, you don't want eyebrow growth all over your eye area.. that's the "giveaway".

The idea that I followed was that gradual change would be less noticed.  Pluck the peripheal areas, where the strays are outside of a very broad outline of what you think your brow shape will be...

Start moving in closer to the final shape you want over time, but making sure you are keeping the new growing hairs in the areas already plucked, plucked!

One key that I found to feminine eyebrows, or at least for my face, is to shape from the bottom side of the eyebrow.  Be conservative on plucking the tops, as that is where you can keep bushiness if you need to, or let grow for fuller eyebrows, while still keeping a shape by plucking the lower parts. 

Another tip, for the top of the eyebrows, once you have the bottom shape you like (from plucking) , is to push the brow hairs upward, and lightly and *carefully* run a hair trimmer over the top to trim the longer ones, and when you push them all back down, makes for a lighter brow, without the plucking.

Back to the point, I found that gradual change helped make brow change unnoticeable as I began reducing them, and  to those that I knew before , and that new people I met, really didnt notice either that my brow was a bit feminine.   People really don't care, from what I've found.   Just keep the new growths plucked that are outside the brow area, that's the giveaway.

*huggs*,
Melan

I would suggest the gradual approach as well.  Make it a 6 month goal.  But in addition to thinning you could also lighten them in color some.  It looks like yours are rather dark, but hard to tell from your pic.  Get some Jolen Fade Cream and just use it as directed.  Gradually lighten them.  That way, a feminine shape doesn't show nearly as much.  Mine are very light colored and hardly show until I add some color to them.  The only advantage to them is that I can keep them done and few people, if any, notice.

Best wishes,
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fganjataz.com%2F01smileys%2Fimages%2Fsmileys%2FloopyBlonde-blinking.gif&hash=4545ddf8251cf9c32ae6074d56e48bc34a755857)Kristi

Thanks,
I think I will try myself and lighten them. I hate to say there are a few greys been transplanted by the wicked witch. I think I like the idea of a bit of a game: I pluck; they spot; I pass.

Doesn't really matter.
Thanks for the comments. I think I'll go for shortened and thinner - slowly.
But enjoy myself

Cindy J

Go to youtube, they have videos that will show you how to do your brows.

just be careful not to go too thin.

Yeah, bushier is definitely in.  Maybe take a look at pictures of people like Brooke Shields, Kate Winslet for ideas.  A good idea would be to not round the ends off, but to leave them more squared.

Lia

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When I stated my own transition, I jumped in head first, I went out to store bought some wax and did first my right brow thin and arched, went to do my left and took off almost all the hair.  So I went to a salon and had her even things up.  I liked the look and have stayed with it since.  I go in about every 2 months for a professional job, but other wise just keep up on my own. 

I understand that for your job you want to keep things on the DL but like has been said here already; you don't have to go head first, slowly phasing in different changes is a good way to do things also.

Mine are like Kate Winslet's in that picture. I think the medium line like that is the best look. It would be "bushy" only in comparison with ultra-thin over-plucked styles. Kate's eyebrows in that picture are not actually bushy, they're carefully shaped into a nice arch.

Really bushy eyebrows were in fashion two hundred years ago in Qajar-era Persia:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2269%2F2314382876_753a28bbdb.jpg%3Fv%3D1204812330&hash=1479b5af339222c3dcef39e09151c1edbf8c083a)