- Shahnaz Husain

The eyebrows play an important role in determining the look of both the eyes and the face. In fact, they frame the eyes, so keeping them well groomed is as important as eye make-up. Keep the shape as natural as possible. Sometimes, one has sparse or thin eyebrows due to hereditary factors, or it may be due to protein deficiency. So have adequate protein in your diet and include a small bowl of sprouts daily. They contain amino acid and help growth of brows.

The current trend in eyebrows is the natural looking, thicker eyebrows. The classic curved eyebrows are also popular. For a young teenager, the eyebrows should be natural, without too much shaping or very high arches. If the arches are rounded, it helps to bring balance to sharp features and an angular face shape. For a mature woman, the outer corner of the brows may be lifted, i.e. the end of the brows should curve slightly upwards. It gives a lift to the face too. While plucking eyebrows to shape them, one should be careful. Tidy the brows regularly by brushing them into shape. You will need one of those tiny eyebrow brushes. Pluck out stray hairs between the brows and along the bottom of the brows. Never pluck hair from above the eyebrows.

If you have very thin or sparse eyebrows, it may become a problem and you may wonder how to encourage the growth of eyebrows. It is said that if you daily apply a little castor oil with a cotton bud on the eyebrows, they may become thicker. But, it may take time. Applying coconut oil is also said to help. You can apply it on the brows and leave it on all night.

Curry leaves are also said to help. Keep curry leaves in hot water and leave it to cool. Then make a paste of the curry leaves and apply on the eyebrows.

You can also apply aloe vera gel. You can take the gel from the aloe vera growing in your house. The gel obtained from the plant itself is the leaf pulp and is found in the inner portion of the leaves. First wash the leaf well and observe total hygiene while extracting the gel.

Some  herbal products for enhancing eye glamour, like helping the growth of eyelashes or eyebrows are also in  market . They are  clinically tested and contain plant extracts, like trifala, brahmi, sophora, soya oil, wheat protein, methi seeds and Vitamin E. It not only defines natural looking brows, but also repairs sparse eyebrows and intensifies growth. Ideal for grooming the eyebrows, the formulation increases density and restores growth.

To determine the shape of the eyebrows, sit in front of the mirror and hold a pencil against your nose, going straight up, just above the inner corner of your eye. Where the pencil touches, is where your eyebrow should begin. Then hold the pencil diagonally from the base of the nose towards the outer corner of the eyes, going just past it. This is the point where it should end. The highest point of the brows should be just above the iris.

While your brows are growing, you can also redefine your brows using an eyebrow pencil. First brush the brows into shape and then make short feathery strokes with the eyebrow pencil. The point of the pencil should be sharp, so that you can make light strokes. Avoid harsh black lines. Follow the direction of hair growth while making the short feathery strokes. Brush the eyebrows again afterwards.

The current trend in eyebrows is the natural looking, thicker eyebrows. Eyebrows with high arches, with medium to thick shape are still ruling fashion trends. The classic curved eyebrows are also popular.

The author is international fame beauty expert and is called herbal queen of India