I Had My Brows Laminated — and This Is Exactly What the Process Is Like

The first step of the brow lamination process is to fix the hairs in place using brow lamination glue. It feels like a thick adhesive and is literally sticking your brow hairs into your chosen shape and style — mine were stuck pointing straight upwards.

After the brow glue is applied and your brows are brushed into your desired shape and style, "Brow Style" is applied with a cotton tip. This step helps to make the hairs softer and more malleable, in preparation for the setting solution that will do most of the lamination work.

In technical terms, Brow Style contains thioglycolate, which is a chemical that will open the hair cuticle, enter the cortex of the hair strand, and "begins the process of separating the bonds between the keratin clusters," according to Lash Perfect Beauty Bar. This cream was left on for 10 minutes before being wiped off, and I didn't feel any tingling or sensation whatsoever.

Next, the "Brow Set" solution is applied for 10 minutes, and while it looks exactly the same as the Brow Style, it has a very different purpose. According to Lash Perfect Beauty Bar, Brow Set contains hydrogen peroxide, which (in technical terms) introduces oxygen into the hair structure which "reforms and realigns the disulphide bonds and stabilises the hair into its new shape or direction."

A brow tint is an optional step, and because I have dark blonde to light brown brow hairs, I decided to try tinting for the first time. My technician tailored my tint to my hair shade, and because I was a little bit nervous about my first-ever brow tint, we decided to do a subtle colour change only. The tinting solution was applied for another brief 10 minutes, and if I'm honest, I think this was the most transformative element of the whole procedure.

Once the brow tint was removed, the technician brushed my brows back into their brushed up position and applied "Brow Nourish," a serum with keratin. This helps to hydrate and nourish the brow hair.

After this, the procedure was done. I wasn't given any strict aftercare instructions, except to avoid getting my brows wet — as best as I could — for the first 24 hours after treatment. This also means steam baths and saunas should be avoided. Aside from this, I was told my brows could be treated as normal, and to just use a spooly to brush them into place every morning.

As you can tell by this photo, I'm still pretty pleased with my fluffy brows one month after having brow lamination. The main thing I noticed was that my brows stayed in place very well for the first few weeks. After doing my makeup each morning, I just brushed them up and didn't require any brow gel to keep them in place. It was bliss.

Around the three-week mark, I started using a small amount of my beloved clear Hourglass Arch Shaping Brow Gel (£27) again. Because even though my brows were still significantly fluffier than they were pretreatment, they had certainly relaxed. By week four, they started to flop throughout the day. A quick sweep of brow gel ensured that they stayed in place all day long, and I was still using a lot less product than before I had them laminated.

By the two-month mark, the effects of the brow lamination and tint had completely worn off. And if I look concerned in this photo, it's because I'm not sure how I feel about my brows returning to their prelamination glory.

The only thing I can note as a very slight negative was that I did notice my brow hairs felt coarser than usual, which I was told can be a normal side effect of having a chemical treatment. As someone who regularly bleaches their hair, this made perfect sense to me. Two months after the treatment, my brows are as soft as they were before the treatment, and no longer have the coarse texture, so it wasn't a huge issue for me.

Overall, I would recommend brow lamination if you are already quite happy with the state of your brows, but want to skip the step of using brow gel every morning to get that little boost. I loved how perky my brows looked laminated, particularly in the first few weeks after having them done. But it isn't a cheap treatment: at Lash Perfect Brow Bar, brow lamination costs £45, or £58 with a tint and "tidy." So, if your brows are your thing, and you can justify the cost, I say go for it.

Personally, I don't think I'll have my brows laminated regularly (mainly because I'd prefer to spend the cash on my hair) but will absolutely have them tinted again, which costs £15 as a standalone treatment. I don't feel put out having to use brow gel everyday, but am far too lazy to fill them in, which is why I loved having them tinted, as it made my brows appear much thicker than usual.