Henna brows or a brow tint: what’s the difference?
Key facts
- Brow wax and tint
- £25, 20 minutes.
- Henna brows
- £30, 45 minutes, including the brow shape and wax.
- Skin stain
- About 24 hours with a tint; 5 to 10 days with henna.
- Colour on hair
- Up to six weeks with either treatment.
- Patch test
- Free for new clients, at least 24 hours before treatment.
Henna brows or a tint come down to whether you want colour on your skin as well as your brow hairs. A regular tint colours the hairs; henna also leaves a skin stain. If your brow hair is fair and you want a natural result, a tint may be enough. If you have gaps you’d like to fill, henna can give you a soft, powdered look.
What does a regular brow tint do?
A regular tint darkens the brow hair. I trim and reshape the brows, then apply the colour. It takes about 3 to 5 minutes to develop, and the colour lasts up to six weeks on the hair. The tint also leaves a light stain on the skin, but that usually shows for only about 24 hours. After a couple of washes, it fades to a subtle finish.
I use RefectoCil tints and mix from five shades. If your brow hairs are fair, or you want more definition without a filled-in look, a tint is a good place to start. It also suits you if you’re short of time and only want colour on the hair.
What’s different about henna brows?
With henna, I colour your brow hairs and leave a stain on the skin underneath. That skin stain can make sparse areas look more filled in, with a soft, powdered finish. It can look similar to semi-permanent make-up, but it isn’t semi-permanent make-up. The colour fades.
I map the shape to your face first, and you check it in the mirror. I then apply the henna in layers, so you can choose a softer or bolder result. There are ten shades, and I can mix them. The red tones found in traditional henna have been taken out of this brow henna, so it doesn’t give an orange-brown tone. While the colour develops, I wax and tidy your brows.
How long does each one last?
A regular tint leaves a light skin stain for about 24 hours. It fades after a couple of washes, while the colour on the brow hair lasts up to six weeks. You may still see henna colour in your brow hairs up to six weeks later, while the skin stain lasts 5 to 10 days. It fades naturally, and the result varies with your skin type and aftercare.
Henna takes 15 minutes to develop, longer than a regular tint. If you mainly want darker brow hair, the extra time and skin stain may give you more than you need.
Which one should I choose?
I’d start with three questions. Do you want to darken fair brow hair but keep the result very natural? If so, I’d choose a regular tint. You get colour on the hair without aiming for a lasting filled-in look on the skin.
Do you want your brows to look as though you’ve filled them in, without drawing them on each day? Henna may suit you better, especially if you have sparse areas or gaps. Its skin stain does some of the work that brow make-up would do.
Does your usual brow colour look too orange-brown, even though you still want a soft result? Henna is worth considering because its shades don’t have the red tones of traditional henna. I’ll help you choose the shade and how bold to make it.
If it’s the way your brow hairs sit that you want to change, you could try brow lamination. It includes a tint and costs £45. If you want something that can stay for a year or more, take a look at semi-permanent brows. How long they last depends on your skin type and aftercare.
What do they cost, and how long will I be there?
A brow tint on its own costs £12 and takes 10 minutes. A brow wax and tint costs £25 and takes 20 minutes. You can see that treatment on my eyebrow wax and tint page.
Henna brows cost £30 and take 45 minutes. That price includes the brow shape and wax. A henna tint without the wax costs £25 and takes 30 minutes. I map the shape before applying the colour, and you can check it before I carry on. If all you need is darker hair, I’d tell you to book the tint.
What should I do before and after henna brows?
If you’re a new client, book a free patch test before either treatment. It takes 10 to 15 minutes and must happen at least 24 hours before your appointment. I can’t do the tint or henna treatment without it.
After henna, keep the brow area dry for 24 hours. Avoid exfoliators around your brows to help the skin stain last. Before swimming, a thin layer of castor oil helps protect the colour from chlorine. I’ve put these steps in my brow lamination aftercare guide too.
If you’re in Brighton and think the skin stain would help with gaps, my henna brows page has the treatment details. If you only want darker brow hair, a regular tint is enough.
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