Everything You Need to Know About Microblading

If you’ve never heard of microblading, you may very well be living under a rock. This new trend for perfect brows has become all the rage in recent years and Instagram is just about filled with microblading before and after photos to make even the least beauty-invested person interested. So, what is microblading and how does it work? We’re here to answer all of your questions.

Microblading is a form of semi-permanent tattooing that a trained artist will use to design and bring your dream brows to life. Your artist will build on your natural brows to create a full, clean eyebrow look that you desire. In the past, thinner, more extreme eyebrows were all the rage but recent years have shown a shift in the trend to a fuller, more natural looking brow and, really, we couldn’t be happier about that.

The idea of tattooed makeup isn’t new, but microblading isn’t your typical permanent makeup solution. First of all, like we mentioned, its only semi-permanent. Microbladed brows last an average of about 18 months, give or take, depending on your skin type. Oily skin will usually release the color faster than average skin. But either way, you can depend on your new brows to last at least a year with only minimal maintenance.

Of course, we haven’t told you how microblading works yet and the idea of “tattooing” can sound scary to some. But don’t fret, microblading has very little in common with your traditional tattooing process. First of all, your artist doesn’t use a large, aggressive tattoo gun to create your perfect brows. Rather they use a small device with several tiny needles at the end. They use the needles to deposit ink only into the very top layer of skin in tiny, hair-like strokes. Traditional tattoos scratch deep into the skin to deposit ink in the second layer of skin (the dermis) and the healing process, which is all very technical, leaves the ink in the skin permanently. With only the top layer of skin being affected by microblading, it allows for much smaller, more precise strokes that actually appear like hairs, and as the top layer of skin is constantly being regenerated, the ink will eventually fade and disappear.

The process of microblading is relatively easy and not nearly as painful as it probably sounds. Your artist will start by shaping up your natural brows and removing any outlying hairs, likely by threading or tweezing. Once the brows are shaped up, a numbing cream is applied to the brows and left on for a while to ensure your comfort once the process begins. Then, your artist will measure your face and brows and design the right shape for you. Many artists will use makeup pencils to draw directly on your skin to make sure that they are creating the most beautiful, perfect brows they can. Then, once the numbing agent has taken effect, the actually microblading process will begin! After the artist is finished with the needling process, they often add a layer of color overtop to sit on the skin for 5 minutes to ensure that each scratch has taken color.

Your brows immediately after the microblading process might be a little intimidatingly dark. But don’t stress, the color will fade slightly into a much more natural look as your eyebrows heal. The true color of your microbladed brows will be apparent between 10 and 30 days after the procedure. They might scab a bit while they heal and it’s very important not to pick or scratch at them during this time. You should wash your eyebrows morning and night with an antibacterial soap after getting them done and not use any skincare products or makeup on them until after they are healed. Once your brows are healed, however, you can return to your normal routines with no problems.

There’s a lot to consider about whether or not your skin will take well to microblading, so we recommend that you check out our information page on our microblading services to see if microblading is right for you. If you’re in the Northeast Ohio area and want to talk to a professional more about microblading or any of our other services, schedule a free consultation at Suburban Lash today!