If there’s one move I rely on to give my curly shag that extra oomph before I walk out the door, it’s the tried-and-true flip and shake, which instantly lifts the roots and gives me more volume. Now, in the same spirit, I’m doing the brow-grooming equivalent, otherwise known as the pro’s secret for how to get fuller brows fast: backcombing. “It’s basically the, ‘flip-your-head-over-and-shake-it-out’ move, but for your brows!” explains LA’s natural brow expert Kristie Streicher, who counts Vogue cover star Adele as a client. The technique entails using a spoolie to brush brow hairs against the direction of their natural growth pattern, to achieve lift and volume.
According to Streicher, the plumped-up approach is most commonly utilised when working with clear or tinted brow gels, but also works great with pencil, shadow, or wax. “Backcombing creates instant volume and lift by allowing you to move the hair out of the way, so you can deposit colour and product to not only the skin underneath the hair, but the underbelly of the hair, instead of just on top of it,” explains Streicher.
Whether you’re going for a bare au naturel look, or stronger filled-in arches, Streicher recommends backcombing using a clear or tinted gel with microfibres, with a small brush applicator.