So, Your Kid Shaved Off Their Eyebrows… Don’t (Or Try Not To) Panic
It was a warm summer evening, driving home from work when I was forced to join one of the most harrowing and frustrating clubs a parent can be in. I was already on my hands-free phone with my husband, chatting about our day, when he broke into the conversation with a yell – “She did WHAT?! Jeanne, Louisa shaved off her eyebrows. OFF?” he confirmed to our 15 year old. “Off.” He then weakly repeated to me.
“Off”
When I got home, I saw the results. She had grabbed a disposable razor from the shower*, and quite thoroughly and completely shaved off both of her eyebrows. Her demeanor was one of instant and complete regret the likes of which you rarely see from 6 year olds. She was crying and I think a little scared about what could have happened, especially after she saw our reactions. I considered yelling and throwing a fit, but what good would that do now? To be fair to her, I’ve never sat her down and said “See this bit of hair above your eye? Leave it there. We like that hair to stay there.” I immediately texted a picture of a tearful and penitent child to my cousin, who is A. a hairdresser and B. had been on a similar adventure as a kid. She also has C. a healthy sense of humor, though, so all I got back was a hundred laughing emojis.
Now, I would not call myself a persnickety mother. I don’t have to have my kids in the latest clothes, or the biggest bows, in fact I’m kind of bad about those things. We’re not the “everything in its place” family; we’re the “where in the world is my other shoe” family. But even I draw a line at eyebrows. I didn’t want my baby to be teased at school and- what IS the function of eyebrows, anyway?! She needs her eyebrows to … eyebrow!
So, I was able to do a pretty convincing pencil brow on her, but even with a primer and a setting spray, I didn’t feel confident that it would be able to withstand the hijinks of an (obviously) boisterous 6 year old, and in the summer no less.
The next day, I called Hi-Brow, the high-end brow salon on Metairie Road that does brow tinting, and where I’ve gotten lash lifts. I explained the situation to the young lady who answered the phone, who took my number to have the owner call me. Finally, I allowed myself to feel hopeful! Here is the preeminent brow expert in the city! She asked me to text her personal phone with the picture of the damage, because she also is a mom and would give her best recommendation. I feverishly sent the photo and awaited her reply. After a moment, I received her compassionate one word suggestion: “Bangs.”
I was at my wit’s end. No one knew what to do, but maybe a fifth of the people I spoke to felt my pain. Several moms had children who shaved off one eyebrow, I talked to someone whose daughter had put glitter nail polish on a part of her eyebrow, and when she freaked out and tried to get it off, she peeled off the brow along with it. Finally, there was the grown woman who as a child had shaved off her own eyebrows, and before she got caught … shaved off her little sister’s too, for good measure.
I wouldn’t call it a “trend,” but it’s more common than most people think. So common, I decided, there HAD to be a solution. And the person who eventually discovered that solution? Why, my 15 year old and her Instagram account, of course. There is a product, easily obtainable on Amazon that was initially designed for people with alopecia and experiencing hair loss due to chemotherapy. They are small decals, applicable much the same as those temporary tattoos we used to get in quarter machines and in Easter Eggs, but much higher quality, and for a much loftier purpose. It comes with several sheets, each with different styles and sizes of brow. The first ones we tried on her were comically mature, so she looked a bit like a little orphan girl dressing up as Mrs. Hannigan in a bizarre production of “Annie.” Eventually, though, we hit a stride, and I got pretty good at selecting, placing, and applying her eyebrows. It was a little ritual on Sunday nights – “Come on, Louisa, let me put on your eyebrows!” Yep.
The decals also give instant perspective. Her brows were growing in at lightning speed, but this product was made for people who may never have eyebrows or who may never grow them back. Sure, this was a bummer of a situation, but many others have it far worse.
Once the actual brows really started growing in, we had to change out the decals more and more often, because the hair growth would peel and flake them away. We were fortunately able to postpone her school pictures, and by October, you never would have known that her face was as smooth as a sea otter at any point in the past few months.
So, if this happens to you, or someone you know, take comfort in my experience. There IS a solution. Even if they only shave off one brow, there are enough choices of brow decals that you should be able to find one to match.
And you can save the bangs for when and if they really want them.
