Buy a Good Pair of Tweezers

If you can’t get a good grip on your tweezers, it’ll likely take you more than a few tries to actually grab a hair to pluck, and plucking around aimlessly may cause hairs to break. The result: less-than-desirable results and time wasted. For a reliable pair, Torres recommends Tweezerman Slant Tweezer, which makes for super precise plucking. The brand also offers a free sharpening service for when your tweezer starts to get dull.

Healy recommends his own Pro Sculpting Tweezer as another option, and says “it provides the ultimate convenience.” He adds, “It has a slanted point on one end for precision, and a built-in comb on the other side.”

Pull or Pin Hair Back

Use a scrunchie or some hair clips to get your hair out of your face, says Torres. You want to see your eyebrows clearly so you can get the best results. This will also prevent you from plucking the hairs on your head by mistake.

Prep Your Work Station

Too many of us try to pluck our brows on the fly, creating less-than-ideal results. Setting up your workstation, whether it be a vanity or standing in front of a mirror, is equivalent to setting yourself up for success—and that’s exactly what we’re going for here. Do not use a magnifying mirror—”you can lose sight of what you’re doing very easily,” cautions Healy. Instead, “tweeze in a well-lit area, preferably in good daylight,” and take your time.

Wash with Warm Water

You want to start with skin that’s nice and clean, plus warm water will help open up the hair follicle for easier removal, says Torres. Wipe off and pat dry to remove moisture. Healy adds, it’s best to pluck on clean, dry brows, free of any skincare and sunscreen. (Cleansing the area and toning before and after tweezing is a best practice as well.)

Reduce Possible Irritation with Skin Prep

Some people find that plucking right after a shower helps reduce any pain and/or irritation as both the skin and hair cuticle are softened by the combination of warm water and steam. Healy also recommends prepping the skin with “a few spritzes of JH2O, which is formulated with witch hazel and aloe in a botanical facial mist that soothes the skin while also providing anti-septic benefits.”

Trim Brows if Necessary

Brush your eyebrows straight up, and if there are any hairs that reach above your natural shape on top, then it’s time for a trim. “Trimming is also a good way to maintain your brows,” says Healy. It allows you to “keep your shape without removing the hair follicle.” You really don’t want to mess with the follicles—doing so can lead to permanent hair loss.

Use a fine-tooth regular comb or a spoolie to push eyebrow hairs up, and then snip with small scissors (preferably eyebrow scissors). If you have long or very bushy eyebrows, they may need more bulk removed. See this step-by-step guide to trimming brows.

Select the Hairs You’re Removing

In the same way that a seamstress marks up a garment to know where to cut, you can apply white eyeliner on the hair that needs to be tweezed. This way, you won’t have the dilemma of “Should I?” or “Shouldn’t I?” when you have the actual tweezer in your hand. Refer to choosing your eyebrow shape and the men’s eyebrow grooming guide if you need help figuring out which hairs to take and leave.

Start In Between the Brows

To figure out where the head of your brow should start, Healy says to “use the edge of the tweezer to line up with the bridge of the nose–this imaginary line shows you where the brows should begin.” Anything in the middle of your two brows up until that point can be removed.

“When you are doing your brows at home, you want to focus on maintenance, not necessarily re-shaping,” adds Healy. “Try to avoid the brow bone, and stay on the temple, forehead, upper eyelid, the bridge of the nose, that little pocket in the inner corner where the nose meets the beginning of the brow.”

Tweeze the Arches

Hold the skin taut and begin removing hairs that are overgrown around your arch. Gently holding skin firm with your free hand while tweezing means less tugging and pain on the skin. Grasp the hair close to the base to ensure that it doesn’t break. And always pull in the direction the hair grows, removing the thick dark hairs first because that’ll make the biggest impact—you may not even have to go digging for all the finer, lighter hairs once the darker ones are gone. Before removing any more hair on the first brow, work on the second brow’s arch, so that they’re even, recommends Torres.

Work On Top

If you’re removing any hair from the top of the brow, be cautious. Only take what fine hairs are outside the shape of the first brow, followed by the second. Concentrate on one brow at a time rather than going back and forth.

Stand Back and Fine Tune

Take a look, standing at a distance from the mirror to see if the brows are looking visually balanced, says Torres. Take out any hairs that are necessary to make the brows appear more even. Once the shape looks right, get close to the mirror and remove any fine, light hairs. Dust any stray hair off your face with a towel.

Soothe Irritated Skin

If the skin is red or irritated, you can apply a soothing facial moisturizer or toner with a cotton swab or reusable pad. “Tea tree oil is a popular post-plucking treatment, especially if you’re prone to breakouts because it is an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and it soothes the skin,” says Healy. He also recommends going makeup-free after plucking your brows to avoid any additional irritation.

Schedule Your Next Grooming Session

Set up a schedule to ensure you aren’t picking up the tweezers every single day if you don’t have to, advises Healy. Tweezing once per month will keep the shape in place and make it easier to see which hair needs to be removed as it grows in.