The Age of Bold Brows began somewhere around 2011 with the rise of Cara Delevingne's career. And in case you hadn't noticed, it's still going strong in 2016. So as those of us who went tweezer-happy in the '90s and early aughts continue our struggle toward brow rehab, we've turned to a series of increasingly strange—and even dangerous—treatments (tattoos, tinting, microblading) out of desperation. The somewhat more budget-friendly, DIY treatment I heard about most recently? Swiping plain old Rogaine over your brows with a Q-tip once a day.
I'd heard about a friend of a friend (OK, I know it sounds like this is a veiled way of speaking about myself, but really, it was a friend of a friend) who had came upon this idea on the Internet, stocked up on generic-brand minoxidil at Costco, and begun using it on her brows every night. It immediately struck me as either completely genius or completely terrifying, so I resolved to get to the truth of the matter. This friend of a friend (whom I will from now on refer to as "FOF") had supposedly experienced real, noticeable results from her Rogaine experiment. Having stalked said FOF on Instagram, I can attest: She does have damn good brows.
I put on my investigative-reporter hat (don't worry, it's imaginary) and did some more snooping. I began my research just as any good reporter would: on Google. Google "Can you use minoxidil on eyebrows" and you'll find nearly 100,000 results. The problem? In all of those forums and discussions of the subject, there doesn't seem to be a conclusive answer as to 1) whether Rogaine is effective for regrowing eyebrows or 2) whether it's safe. So I reached out to the company that makes Rogaine, and the only response they could give me was that "Rogaine is indicated and FDA approved for hereditary hair loss on the scalp." As far as the off-label use of putting it on your face, close to your eyes? Not something the makers of Rogaine were about to comment on, much less endorse.
As far as whether or not minoxidil can have any impact on brow growth, doctors are skeptical. "It hasn't ever been shown to be effective in that area," says Neil Sadick, a dermatologist in New York City who's an expert in the field of hair loss. The effects of minoxidil on eyebrows haven't been studied, and scientists are still kind of iffy when it comes to the specifics of how, exactly, minoxidil works to prevent hair loss on your head. "No one really knows how Rogaine works," says Sadick. But he's confident about one thing: Hair loss on your head and brow sparseness are very different. And aside from the fact that the effectiveness of this treatment is questionable at best, the real reason not to try this out is that it's always risky to put anything near your eyes that hasn't been formulated and tested specifically for that area. Using minoxidil near your eyes—or, heaven forbid, accidentally dripping it in your eyes—could likely cause irritation. In sum? "[Putting Rogaine on your eyebrows] is something I would never advise a patient to try," says Sadick.
So what can you do if you want to get your brows into better, fuller, Delevingne-ier shape? Try a treatment that's intended for use near your eyes, like Latisse or Revitabrow. (Editor's note: A couple of Allure editors, myself included, have used Revitabrow and have seen seriously awesome results. Just sayin'.)
PHOTO: GILBERT CARRASQUILLO/GETTY IMAGES
How to apply false lashes:
Source: The Rogaine Hack People Are Using to Regrow Their Brows
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