Soap Brows Are All Over Instagram—Here's How to Get the Look

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Updated on 11/15/22

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Makeup Artist

A woman with soap brow eyebrows — Dee Mills / Byrdie

IKYK: Just a simple swipe of brow gel, a few strokes of your trusty eyebrow pencil, or a bit of soap with a spoolie can give you an instant confidence boost. You might have noticed that more and more celebrities have been grooming their brows to look laminated or gelled up. This look is known as soap brows.

Wondering how to do soap brows and what tools to use? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know to achieve the look, straight from experts Patrick Ta, celebrity makeup artist and founder of Patrick Ta Beauty, and Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Soap Brows Are All Over InstagramâHere's Your 4-Step Tutorial — Byrdie | Design by Zackary Angeline

Meet the Expert

Patrick Ta is a celebrity makeup artist and the founder of Patrick Ta Beauty.
Anastasia Soare is the founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, which is known for its brow grooming products.

What Are Soap Brows?

Soap brows, which were popularized by celebrity makeup artists like Ta and Priscilla Ono (Rihanna's makeup artist), are a brow style in the form of brushed-up, feathered brows that appear full and fluffy. It requires just two, sometimes three makeup products to achieve and can be done in a matter of minutes. "This trend's accessibility for all levels of makeup 'artist' has been vital for its success," explains Ta. "Having the ease to really shape and lock in that effortless brow is ideal for every time you glam."

Originally, soap brows were seen on the red carpet on stars like Hailey Bieber and Lily Collins, to name a few. However, the style was quickly replicated on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram and immediately went viral. Although it originally began with hard soap and a spoolie, brands have now created hard gels, special eyebrow brushes, and more, which produce the same results.

The Tools You'll Need

To achieve soap brows the 'original way,' you'll need a spoolie and a bit of soap. However, as brands have launched products like brow shaping waxes and brow gels, you can replicate the same look with just one mess-free product.

Both Soare and Ta advise gathering a transparent soap or a brow lamination product to create soap brows. "The key is a clean spoolie brush and your favorite brow lamination product (soap, wax, gel etc.) to work through the hairs to achieve that sleek look," explains Ta. In other words, the products you use are imperative to achieving your desired results.

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Activate Your Soap or Dip Into the Gel

Woman dips a spoolie into a bar of soap — Dee Mills / Byrdie

Note: If you plan to use soap, you'll want to get it a teeny-tiny bit wet to activate it. If you plan on using a brow gel or wax, you'll want to use the spoolie or brush to swipe the formula from the tin or spatula onto the cap. You'll only need a little bit of product, so it pays to be careful as too much will leave a noticeable residue on your eyebrows.

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Run the Product Through Your Brows

Woman runs soap through her brows — Dee Mills / Byrdie

Before application, Soare recommends making sure your brows and the surrounding areas are both clean and dry. "Start with a very small amount of product," she says. "You don't need too much. And always make sure you clean your applicator or spoolie regularly so that the old product doesn't transfer and interfere with your look."

Run the spoolie or eyebrow brush into the product or soap—without taking too much—and then apply it to your brows. "The technique I turn to most often is brushing the natural hairs up and working the product through, quickly, into the desired shape and locking the brow in by pressing the hairs into the skin," explains Ta.

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Finish Up

Woman runs a spoolie with soap through her eyebrows — Dee Mills / Byrdie

To finish, you can leave your brows as is or take the extra step to fill in any sparseness. "I recommend lightly finishing with a brow powder an angled brush to fill in any areas of spareness," Soare says. It's all up to you and the desired brow look that you want to achieve.

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The Final Look

Woman with soap brows — Dee Mills / Byrdie

And there you have it: Red-carpet worthy eyebrows in less than five minutes.

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