Is Brow Tinting Safe?

Brow tinting is a non-permanent colouring which adds fullness to your brows. It finds those hidden fuzz hairs sitting on the outskirts of your arches and brings them out from obscurity. The result is a stronger look and definition to your brows which last from 4-6 weeks. 

SO: Is brow tinting safe?
Applying dye around the eyes is not without risks, though it’s not common. Just like hair dye or many beauty treatments, possible allergic reactions can occur. Yet, when done properly, it should not damage your eyebrows.

Why are people allergic to brow tint?
The following chemicals found in eyebrow tint may be the reason for reactions:

• Para-phenylenediamine: Also known as PPD) is a chemical often found in dying products. It has been associated with allergic dermatitis, less commonly chemical burns.
• Hydrogen Peroxide: The 3% solution in tints is commonly used as an activator in tints. For some it can cause itching, redness and other skin irritation.

What you should do before trying brow tint
By performing a patch test on a small area of skin, a person can see how their skin tolerates a product before committing to using the product over a larger area. If you are worried about an allergic reaction, then a good safety precaution is to get your technician to give you a patch test 48 hrs prior to the appointment. If you happen to be allergic to any of the above chemicals, do not go ahead with the conventional eyebrow tint, there are other options to look at - such as vegetable dye tints and henna.

Vegetable and Plant Based Dye - Usually these are naturally made with stems, bark, fruits, leaves or vegetables of plants. Some are also made with minerals like salt and iron.

• The activator used varies, like with regular brow tints, some vegetable-based ones will also be mixed with 3 percent peroxide to activate.
• Most often, it stains the brows and skin under the brow hairs, creating more fullness of the brow. 

Henna

• It’s old school, henna has been around since the ancient Egyptians. It is a natural dye made from a plant known as hina or the henna tree.
• It stains the brows and skin under the brow hairs, creating more fullness of the brow.
• Henna powder is mixed with demineralised water to activate and create a paste.
• Henna gives long lasting results – up to 2 weeks on the skin and 6 weeks on the hairs.

You can see products and more information on the wonderful world of Henna HERE.

With all of these options, over processing is not a good thing. Once a month at the very most. For the intervening times, a good brow pencil with help you out.

We recommend this brow pencil from Simply Naked Beauty, which has buildable colour technology, suiting any hair and skin type.