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A lot of the time, beauty trends act like rubber bands. The farther you stretch them, the harder and faster they snap back. Never has that been so true as it has for eyebrows. Though thin brows with high, rounded arches dominated the '90s and '00s, celebrities like Cara Delevigne, Lily Collins, and Emilia Clarke brought a powerful trend of thick brows with squared corners and feathered edges to the 2010s.
Those who overplucked their arches in the decades prior began growing back their natural shapes and intentionally fluffing out their eyebrows, paving the way for a long-ignored makeup technique that's earned viral status on TikTok and Instagram: soap brows. Easily recognized for their brushed-up, fluffy appearance, the beauty technique resembles the effect of brow lamination but requires significantly less maintenance.
All you technically need to bring the soap brow look to life is a spoolie and glycerin bar soap, which means that it's wildly affordable. Better yet, it's easy to achieve, too. As far as technique goes, little time nor effort is required. (You can get the look in just minutes, if not literal seconds, once you master it.)
While it may be easy, that's not stopping celebrity makeup artists like Patrick Ta and Hung Vanngo, among countless others, from perfecting the look on their A-list clients (like Selena Gomez and Madelaine Petsch). It's even spurred the launch of several products that have achieved best-selling status for delivering soap browns without actual soap. But more on that later.
Want to get the look at home? Ahead, we're breaking down everything you need to know about soap brows, including step-by-step instructions, product recommendations, and more.
- Ginger King, a cosmetic chemist and product developer in New Jersey.
- Linda Hallberg, a makeup artist and content creator in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Robin Evans, an eyebrow artist in New York.
- Megs Cahill, a makeup artist and content creator in Los Angeles.
- René de la Garza, an aesthetician and the founder of Brow Down Studio in Los Angeles.
- Joey Healy, a celebrity brow expert and the founder of Joey Healy Eyebrow Studio in New York City.
- Dhaval G. Bhanusali, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City.
What are soap brows?
You've seen the term "soap brows" plastered all over makeup tutorials from influencers and beauty professionals alike — but what does it actually mean? While some use the phrase to describe the brow look in itself, "soap brows" actually refers to a specific eyebrow grooming method. It's exactly what it sounds like: using bar soap instead of eyebrow gel. Silly as it sounds, plenty of makeup artists prefer soap to groom eyebrows due to its stronger hold on hair, simplicity, and affordability.
Take, for example, Swedish makeup artist Linda Hallberg, who has one of the most popular soap brow tutorials on YouTube and is known across beauty communities for her strong arches. She tells Allure that holding brows in place with soap has always been a common technique among makeup artists, but a social media boom brought it to the mainstream around 2016 and hasn't dissipated since.
"All new trends are picked up super fast nowadays; it's crazy," she says. "But now that full and fluffy brows are on-trend, soap is the easiest way to achieve the look, especially if you don't have fluffy brows by nature."
Eyebrow artist Robin Evans also credits the recent surge in soap brow to a tip from Rihanna's makeup artist, Priscilla Ono, that went viral in 2018. "It's an old makeup artist trick," Ono said at the time. "because everyone's obsessed with an editorial brow."
Makeup artist and content creator Megs Cahill sees soap brows continue to trend, partly due to the fact that the style allows you to really work with the hair you've got. "You're manipulating the brow (hair) to look larger and softer," she says. "And soap brows even shorten your forehead with how the uplift can almost double the brows in size." The trend also allows you to go more natural and subtle or more dramatic, depending on your vibe.
How to Create Soap Brows
Follow the five easy steps below to perfect the soap brow look in no time. You'll need a spoolie brush and bar soap, though there are some special brow products designed to create the soap brow look sans soap if you'd prefer.
- Fill in Your Brows as Normal (Optional): If you have a dedicated brow regimen, Healy advises doing your filling first with a water-resistant or waterproof formula and then soap brows on top. "I suggest applying a bit of powder or pencil, blend until it looks natural, and then proceed with your soap application," he says. He advises doing this first because he says it would be "near-impossible to blend" afterward because it will likely adhere to the soap.
- Dampen a Clean Spoolie Brush: Start by dampening a spoolie brush. Evans recommends utilizing a setting spray to give your arches "extra hold," but a face mist or a splash of plain-old water will also do the trick. Just heed Healy's warning that "too much water may cause the soap to sud," so be careful to dampen the brush instead of over-saturating it.
- Coat Your Spoolie in Soap Next: Do so by dragging it across a bar of glycerin soap. Less is more to start — you can always build it up to your liking.
- Shape Your Brows: Now it's time to brush through your brows with your prepped spoolie.
"Brush them upwards at the base, at a 45-degree angle at the peak, and downward at the tail," says Healy. - Lock in the Look: Cahill likes to push the brow hairs into the skin with your finger or the handle of a makeup brush. She deems this the "secret to the lamination look," minus the actual lamination. Plus, she says it makes them stay in place longer.
If you're a brow novice: If TikTok and Instagram are only showing you intense soap brows, know it's not the only option when it comes to recreating the trend. René de la Garza, aesthetician and founder of Brow Down Studio (he's responsible for Cardi B and Lizzo's brows), says that combing your brows completely straight up can be a bit overwhelming for most people's facial features. He likes to create a "natural 'wave' outward (at a 45-degree angle) to the tails of the brows to give more of a smoothed and natural effect."
If you have sparse brows: Hallberg prefers to do the look on naturally full and unkempt brows but says those with sparse brows shouldn't feel turned away from the trend due to its focus on the hair. "With more sparse or thin brows, you might have to add some more color to them to make them look full and feathery," she says, but insists that the barer the base the better.
In you have thick brows: Those with particularly dense brows might need to play around a little bit with the hair placement. "Denser brows tend to need a little more manual separation with your spoolie, whereas less dense brows respond pretty quickly with a couple of swipes," de la Garza says.
Moral of the story: Almost anyone can partake in soap brows, but the look's longevity and intensity can depend on your natural eyebrow situation.
Which Soap Is Recommended to Create Soap Brows?
For the purpose of eyebrow grooming, you can't use just any old soap that's lying around. One factor you should consider when looking for the right soap is glycerin. According to Dr. Dhaval G. Bhanusali, glycerin is a "great humectant and can keep eyebrow hair hydrated and healthy." He warns that leaving soap on the face for an extended period can irritate the skin, so a viable alternative is a gentle, soap-free syndet bar such as the widely recognized Dove Beauty Bar.
Aesthetically speaking, Hallberg recommends transparent soap to avoid casting hairs with white residue. Luckily, a majority of glycerin-based soaps fit that requirement. Evans says a great glycerin-based soap is Pears Bar Soap — and Healy is a fan, too." It's inexpensive and gives the same result as many pricey brow soaps," he says.
Hallberg says that by makeup artist standards, most brow gels don't have the impact and long-term hold desired, and anyone with uncooperative brow hairs would likely agree. There's a reason for that, according to cosmetic chemist Ginger King. "Hair gels are water-based," she says. "Once people sweat, the hold factor can be weakened." On the other hand, bar soap is thicker than gels and pomades, which King says contributes to its strength of hold.
But, of course, like anything else that cuts down on time and effort, the soap brow method comes with its downfalls. Hallberg notes that complexion products and soap are not the friendliest combination. "If you have a lot of foundation around your brows, the foundation will start to look weird if the soap gets on the skin," she says.
On top of that, King warns that soap has the potential to seep down to the eyes due to excessive sweat or water, which we all know can sting badly. Additionally, soap on the eyebrows can cause skin irritation due to the high pH levels of most soaps. "This is one of those hacks that's OK to use once in a blue moon, not continued use," King warns. So if you want the soap brow look to become your signature, you may want to consider a makeup product that can achieve a similar — if not exact — look.
Best Products for Soap Brows (Without the Soap)
While we've established that soap will give you the best soap brow look (because of course), there are plenty of brow waxes and gels on the market designed to give you that soap brow look on the fly. Makeup artist and eponymous brand founder Patrick Ta's Major Brow Shaping Wax is one of the most popular options for how it locks every brow hair into place for all-day wear. A more budget-friendly option is E.L.F.'s Brow Lift, dubbed an "extreme-hold brow gel" that achieves the highly coveted feathered look for $6.
You can also create the look using brow gel, says Healy. "I love lightweight gels because it doesn't make the brows look crunchy or leave a residue," he says. The pro recommends layering a few coats of his Brow Structure Clear Set to achieve a stronger hold reminiscent of soap brows.
Examples of Soap Brows
Looking for inspo? Check out some of our favorite soap brow looks ahead.
For more on eyebrow grooming:
- I Stopped Considering Microblading After Trying This $10 Brow Duo
- How to Grow Out, Trim Up, and Shape Your Brows, According to Experts
- All Your Eyebrow Tinting Questions, Answered
Barbie Ferreira's Drugstore Hack for Perfect Brows
