You’ve been hearing all about microblading. But what is it? Keep reading and you’ll find out.

Microblading is known as a few different names. You’ve probably heard of microblading, microstroking, eyebrow feathering or embroidery or even 3D brows. They all mean the same thing – tiny micro slits filled with pigment to create a hair-like semi-permanent tattoo. Mind. Blown.

Microblading has been around for multiple centuries, but mostly in Europe and Asia. It is however just starting to gain steam in North America with more and more people being ready to ditch the eye brow pencil and wake up with perfect brows.

The pen itself looks like an exacto knife. First the pen gets dipped into the pigment that matches your skin tone and hair colour. Your microblading artist will use a very tiny series of micro needles to create the perfectly thin strokes into your already existing brow.

If we are scratching your skin, wont it leave a scar? NOPE! Microblading only deposits pigment into the first two layers of your skin. Whereas a permanent tattoo (using a gun and ink) scratches the ink into the lower layers of your skin, leaving blurry and thick lines that will fade over time to a red or blue undertone.

Although pigment does fade naturally, it won’t leave behind an ugly coloured residue. The pigment uses an iron oxide base, much like many cosmetic products we already use in our everyday lives like foundation and blush. Over time the colour will lighten and lighten and eventually disappear from the first layers of our skin, leaving no trace behind.

Before your microblading appointment make sure your skin is in tip top shape to be microbladed. If it isn’t, results will not be as desired and you will require more appointments to get your dream brows, or in some cases may cause permanent damage to your skin.

Be honest with your microblading artist if you:

• Have had botox within the past 3 weeks
• Have had a chemical peel in the past 60 days
• Have used retinol/retin A products in the past week
• Use any serums with acids in it
• Are sunburnt
• Have used aspirin/ibupofen in the past 24 hours or are on any blood thinning medications
• Have had any alcohol in the past 24 hours
• Have used Acctuane in the past year
• Prone to keloid scars
• Have a viral infection
• Are HIV positive, have a transmittable blood disease or hepatitis

Your artist would much rather have you be completely transparent about anything that may hinder your ability to get microbladed and reschedule your appointment than to have you be dishonest and not have amazing brows, or cause permanent harm to your skin during the process.

Your 2 hour appointment is done and you LOVE your new perfect brows. But now what? In order to keep your new brows in tip top shape be sure you follow these Instructions.

• Clean your brows GENTLY every hour for the next 5 hours immediately after your appointment to clean your brows of any debris other than the pigment using a very mild antibacterial soap
• Avoid using cleansers with acids in them such as glycolic, AHA’s, or lactic
• Always wash off every trace of soap and blot dry with a clean dry piece of tissue
• When applying the after-care ointment use the mantra “less is more”. Only apply about the size of a grain of rice on each brow.
• After the first day, after-care ointment needs to be applied only twice per day – in the morning and at night after you have cleaned your brows.

You’ve followed the instructions on washing, applying ointment, being gentle on your brows but you’ve still screwed them up… HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! Chances are you forgot some of the do’s and dont’s of having freshly microbladed brows for the past two weeks. Well, here they are.

• Avoid touching them excessively. Stick with just washing, drying and applying ointment.
• Do. Not. Scratch. Or. Pick. Them. Ever. It can actually cause them to scar and lose colour.
• You don’t need any make up, moisturizer or sunscreen close to them. Avoid at all costs.
• Stay out of the sun.. and beds! You’ll have plenty of time after they are healed to get bronzed.
• Stay away from hot tubs, long steamy baths or showers, steam rooms, and sauna’s.
• Save your money and stay out of the clubs while they are healing. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause the healing process to be prolonged.

Even after the two weeks are up, try to avoid chemical peels or laser treatments until you are all finished the entire microblading process, including your touch up appointment and you are completely healed from that session as well.

Here you have it folks, step by step instructions on how to keep your amazing brows in the best shape they can be. Tedious yes, but trust us.. you’ll thank us later.

DAY 1: You love your brows. They look perfect. Lines are crisp and you’re feeling fresh. As the day goes on they get a bit darker.

DAYS 2-7: They are a littttttle bit dark. But that’s okay you love them anyways. A bit of scabbing is happening.

DAYS 8-14: You’re a peeling mess. You feel like you’re shedding your skin. And for what, there is NOTHING under there! Relax, it’ll be okay.

DAYS 15-28: The pigment is coming back and you’re feeling better about it all. Your brows are making a comeback and you couldn’t be happier. But some lines don’t look as great as they did the first week. Hmm.

DAYS 29-36: BROWS BROWS BROWS. They are fully healed and you are ready for your touch up. Could they get any better than what they already are? You bet sister. Book your touch up and find out for yourself. Get ready to repeat the whole process.