The evolution of eyebrows entrepreneurs

Tattooing
Cosmetic eyebrow tattooing, a procedure where beauticians etch short strokes of ink into the skin underneath the eyebrows to make them appear naturally fuller and shapelier, is now a big business in East Africa. The work diary of some of the eyebrow entrepreneurs is so coveted that they have bookings running into many months.
Peninah Wanjiru, a make-up artist in Nairobi’s South B, is one of few whose eyebrow artistry is enviable. Long before the ombré eyebrows became a craze, the 26-year-old had been revamping people’s eyebrows from the comfort of their homes before deciding to make a career out of it in 2018.

Microblading
She makes almost natural-looking, perfectly arched eyebrows, a skill that has garnered her a following of more than 39,000 people on Instagram. 
By 2014, microblading had grown in prominence. Microblading is a form of permanent make-up where ink is placed underneath the skin. It is a form of eyebrow tattooing. “I shipped in a microblading equipment, did my own eyebrows, my friends’ eyebrows, and then their parents. Before long, I had a steady stream of clients.”

Instead of developing plans and mapping designs for land use as her urban planning degree stipulates, Wanjiru now plans and maps out people’s eyebrows through micropigmentation techniques, a venture she started with her savings and a loan from her parents. She has served more than 2,000 clients since she started. Some make bookings from as far as the US and most of her new customers are through referrals, she says.

The eyebrows industry has grown and evolved over the years, from tweezing, waxing or using gel strips to pluck the hair in the desired direction. Cities such as Nairobi and Mombasa are teeming with opportunities for beauty entrepreneurs willing to bring the latest technologies and products. 
The biggest growth has been the non-clinical procedures. In the era of face masks especially, where women have gone slow on lipstick and foundations, the eyebrows and eyes have become even more important in the perception of attractiveness. The most common cosmetic eyebrow tattooing techniques are microblading, microshading and ombré.

Eyebrows last for 18 month
Microblading is creating hair-like structures that mimic an individual’s brow hair. This is done using a handheld tool and is best for dry skin. Microshading is the gradient filling of eyebrows in thin areas. It has a softer finish, uses a machine and is good for all skin types.
“For ombré eyebrows, thousands of tiny dots of pigment ink are inserted into the skin creating a fading look that gets darker towards the edge. This works for those with oily skin, while hybrid or combo brows are a mix of two techniques and is ideal for combination skin types,” the self-taught Ms Wanjiru adds.

The Maseno University graduate adds that the eyebrows can last between 18 months and five years. These procedures, she says are different from tattooing. After years of skin regeneration and exposure to sunlight, sweat, water, and skin products, the colour applied on the external layer of the skin in the eyebrows, eyelashes, eyelids and lips, fades. But for tattoos, the ink on the dermis is permanent, and it changes colour with time instead of fading out.
The artist says these eyebrows have been attractive to women who want to simplify their make-up routine, those with different types of skin pigmentations for example vitiligo, with thinning or diminishing eyebrows and those born with little to no eyebrow hair.

Christine Karanja got into the industry as a way of expanding her beauty business, in 2019. At the time, microblading services were few and she recognised a gap. According to her, the Internet has enabled women to learn new ways of applying make-up but for many, mastering the art of having the perfect eyebrow is like trying to grasp oil in your hand.
“Clients often expressed frustration at failing to achieve impeccable eyebrows. For them, it was a pain point,” the make-up artist says.

How  it is done
The eyebrows procedure begins with a consultation, just like seeing an architect. The make-up artist sets her blades, needles, pigments, measuring tools, anaesthesia, and lights imported from the US or South Africa.
Then she sketches and maps the eye-area in different shapes. Once the client is satisfied and chooses one, the make-up artist then begins the two-to-three-hour procedure.
“All eyebrows are customised based on an individual’s desired look, skin type and colour, bone structure and lifestyle,” says Ms Keter, who trained at Brow Boutique in South Africa, paying between Sh150,000 and Sh300,000 for each of the five courses she has attended.

Healing takes 14 days. Aftercare is vital. After four to six weeks, a touch-up is done to correct any anomalies by making some modifications, by adding pigments or strokes.
“This has turned out to be the perfect solution for my clients’ make-up woes,” says Karanja. In a day, she sees two to three clients. From the beauty spa, she does microblading, combo brows  andmicroshading.

Future plans
Although a prosperous industry to be in, the eyebrow business has its share of hurdles such as fast-changing beauty trends and copycats. These young entrepreneurs have been forced to keep up with the trends by continuously learning, and adding newer cosmetic procedures. They are now tinting the lips to provide more definition.
They have also introduced other cosmetic procedures such as putting semi-permanent eyeliner, tattooing the lips with neutral colours and colouring the scalp to create the illusion of shaved hair.

“But copycats are our downside. Some artists steal our work from social media and post it to get clients,” says Wanjiru. For Karanja, pricing is a challenge. “Clients question prices, not taking into account the cost of training, experience, the quality of the work, products and equipment which we source internationally.” “Self-trained artists ought to learn hygiene, safety and medical procedures.” 

Source: businessdailyafrica.com