Eyebrow hair loss causes. If one or both eyebrows are thinning, it could be due to infection, skin conditions, hormonal changes, or an overactive immune system. Nutritional deficiencies, physical trauma, or emotional stress can also cause diminishing brows .
There's no quick fix for growing your eyebrows. Your age, genetics, and hormones are factors that impact how fast your eyebrows grow back. Depending on the cause of your hair loss, you may need to speak to a doctor about treating any underlying medical condition that has contributed to your brow loss.
Eyebrow hair-loss treatment
Minoxidil (Rogaine) is an over-the-counter (OTC), hormone-mediating, topical medication that is available in versions for men and women. It can restore hormonally stunted growth over the course of several months.
Over time, skin loses its elasticity, causing hair follicles to become brittle and fall out. Some of these follicles may stop producing hair altogether, which is when eyebrows begin to recede and appear patchy.
Madarosis is a terminology that refers to loss of eyebrows or eyelashes. This clinical sign occurs in various diseases ranging from local dermatological disorders to complex systemic diseases. Madarosis can be scarring or non-scarring depending upon the etiology.
Both types of thyroid imbalance are linked to eyebrow hair loss. Specifically, in hypothyroidism, a person may notice hair loss in the outer third of the eyebrow, which is the thinnest part that points toward the ears. Other symptoms of thyroid disorders include: dry, pale skin or moist, velvety skin.
"Just like all hair, it's normal to lose a few eyebrow hairs daily," says Dr. Wexler. "The hair on our body and brows goes through a growing process which, in fact, is the replacement of the old hair with the new grown hair," adds Kety Vladuca, Eyebrow Specialist at Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa.
A brow powder is one of the best methods of disguising thinning brows. Filling brows with a brow powder gives a soft, but full effect that also looks very natural. For any areas which need a little extra colour, I suggest applying a specially designed wax pencil.
“While it depends on many factors, including the tweezers you use, how often you pluck and how traumatic it is for your hair, you won't be stuck with thin eyebrows forever,” says dermatologist Shilpi Khetarpal, MD. “Most of the time, they grow back.”
“Depending on the etiology or cause of eyebrow thinning, the hair may or may not grow back,” Camp says. “For example, eyebrow loss from alopecia areata can often be successfully treated with in-office treatments like cortisone injections and hair loss from too much plucking or tweezing can improve by simply stopping.
Dermatologists believe that telogen effluvium, a condition where the body tells hair follicles to stop growing hair, is caused by hormones that the body produces in increased amounts as a reaction to anxiety.
Makeup artist Cara Lovello agrees: “Castor oil is said to help with eyebrow hair regrowth. The vitamins in the castor oil nourishes the hair follicles.” Another one of its star components is ricinoleic acid, an ingredient that has been said to improve blood circulation.
Unfortunately, there's little to no evidence that any of the ingredients in Vaseline, which is a brand name for petroleum jelly, can grow thicker or fuller eyebrows. However, Vaseline is very moisturizing and may actually help eyebrows look fuller and thick, even if they're actually growing at the same rate.
It can take weeks of daily use before you notice a difference, but some people have seen a change in as little as 2 weeks.
Yates notes that "eyebrows have a three- to four-month growth cycle, so you need to wait at least two to three months to see if they will regrow after you stop plucking them."
What Does Thyroid Hair Loss Look Like? We all lose some hair daily, and then it regrows. But irregular functioning of T3 and T4 can cause that regrowth cycle to be disturbed — meaning you might notice thinning hair over time, without hair replacement. This could affect your eyebrows, body hair, and eyelashes, too.
There are two main types of castor oil to choose from for eyebrow application: clear or cold-pressed castor oil and Jamaican black castor oil, which is pressed from roasted castor seeds. Both types contain the same properties that may help hair grow thicker. It's important to choose a product that is pure castor oil.
Applied daily, castor oil will help you regrow thicker and darker eyebrows. It will take time; however. In most cases, you start to see results within 5 to 6 weeks. Castor oil is one of the best hair growth serums available to help your brow and lashes grow thicker and faster.
For eyebrows, the oil is best applied at night before bed so it can really soak in. Make sure your brows are clean and then apply a small amount with a cotton bud or clean mascara wand (we supply these with our castor oil). Gently massage the oil into the eyebrows. Wash off in the morning.
Coconut oil is a generally safe and inexpensive remedy that may help you grow fuller brows.
Biotin. Biotin (vitamin B7) is important for cells inside your body. Low levels of it can cause hair loss, skin rashes, and brittle nails.
There may be a reason your eyebrow hairs aren't growing back. If you over-plucked too often or too hard, you could trigger your eyebrow to react to the plucking as trauma. Trauma to the follicle will mean your eyebrows won't grow back–at least not for now, because they're resting.