How To Refresh Your Brows To Match Your Changing Hair Color

From arch to hue, it can be tricky getting your brows just right. Not only do you have to take the shape of your face into account, but color-matching your eyebrows to your hair can be a lengthy process of elimination. You might feel like Goldilocks trying to perfect her look, working through brow products that are too light and too dark to find that just-right shade. Then you decide to change up your hair color, and what? You have to start the whole process over again?

To be fair, experimenting with your eyebrows can be a fun way to change your whole aesthetic. But for anyone who wants to nail an understated look without all the rigamarole, there must be an easier tactic. To narrow down the search for flattering brow tints, Glam spoke exclusively to makeup artist Caroline Hernandez. She gave us her top advice for quickly finding well-paired eyebrow colors. "When choosing a brow product ... you really want to go a shade or two lighter, but in the same sort of tone. For example, if you have cool-toned hair, then a cool-toned brow product is what you need," says Hernandez.

Wait, so we don't want to pair mahogany with mahogany or honey with honey? "The reason you don't want to match the depth of color is that when you fill this in, it would look quite severe and too dark and dense," Hernandez explains. "A little lighter is going to fill, not deepen. Unless you are very blond, of course, and then you may want to have a little more depth, or match the depth." In other words, you aren't looking for brow pencils or gels in the exact same color as your hair dye. As Hernandez details, the trick to natural-seeming brows is not to match, but to complement.

If you've ever used a brow product that was a shade or two (or three) too dark, you already know that this can result in an overly dramatic and unbalanced look. Hello, the "brow blindness" concept that TikTok warned us about. And when you're making the move to dark hair, it's that much easier to fall into the bold-brow trap. After all, you don't want to keep pale or mousy eyebrows that clash with your sultry new tresses, right? 

Yes and no. "If you go dark, you may want to deepen your brow color," MUA Caroline Hernandez exclusively tells Glam, but warns that this doesn't mean jumping straight into extreme shades. Contrary to popular belief, dark hair colors like black or chestnut don't require an exact color dupe to achieve natural-looking brows. "If you dye your hair black, for instance, you may not want to match your brows this dark. Not many people have naturally black eyebrows ..."

No, seriously — take a second look at someone you know with inherently dark hair. Hernandez is willing to bet that their brows are more of a deep chocolate than a pure ebony. "Very dark brows will usually be a very dark shade of brown, and I would suggest following nature here and not going jet black — unless, of course, it's a statement of your style. Dark brown will come across as black, but will flatter more," she suggests.

Just as there's such a thing as too dark, there's such a thing as too light — and apparently, brow colors are all about striking a happy medium. So, whether you're just refreshing your look with highlights or going for a stark bottle blond, you probably don't want to jump straight to super-bleached brows. As makeup artist Caroline Hernandez advises, "Bringing the eyebrows down in color can create a softer look with light hair — and this applies to all skin tones."

Light browns and rich, sandy blonds are among the safest bets. "If you have a deep skin tone, you probably don't want to go platinum, but a few shades lighter than natural can really work with lighter hair and give an overall cohesive and soft look," says Hernandez. "Even light brown can look very pretty and add a softness to the look of your brows." Those trying out ginger locks should follow a similar rule of thumb, opting for toasty mid-tones over bright-copper brows. "You may want to add warmth to your brows to complement the look, or perhaps lighten the brows a few shades if you are dark naturally," Hernandez explains exclusively to Glam. Happily, there are winning red hair colors for every skin undertone.

If you're still not sure which shade will suit your new 'do, Hernandez suggests playing with tinted brow products to test different looks without fully committing. "For colored brow gels, I love Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Gel — and these come in travel sizes if you just want to experiment. Diorshow On Set Brow colored brow gel is a favorite, too ... this one also adds volume to the brow, which is great news for a lot of people."