Four reasons why your brow hair is not growing

We are a nation of trend followers, like it or not; that said certain trends don't always suit our individual features. As my father always said, "There is a huge difference in fashion and style, Aisling, always aim to be stylish."

Not that I listened - and my brows have me to thank for that.

Eyebrows have always been a fascination to me. I learned from an early age how important brows are to a person's face, and from the very beginning of my makeup artistry journey, I was hooked. Throughout the last fourteen years of my career, I took on brow course after brow course to better my ability, and I eventually opened Empower Studio in Ballsbridge, where we specialize in eyebrow design.

I have had the pleasure to have been awarded Brow Artist of the year by Social and Personal Magazine and have been lucky enough to have had many press mentions for my brow ability. What I'm trying to say is, I know and understand brows.

The question I am asked most in my business is, "How do I grow my brows back?" More often than not, there is a reason why your brow hair is not growing, especially if you have been trying to grow it for years.

Here are the four most common reasons why your brow hair might not be growing.

• Using face creams in them

Not only do face creams clog the hair follicles and prevent hair from growing, a lot of active face creams like ones with AHAs, AHBs, Retinols or any acidic based face cream which work wonders on your face severely damage the hair follicle and prevent hair from growing. So in future, avoid your brow area when moisturising.

• Thyroid (hormonal) or blood deficiency

Both of these are natural reasons for hair loss. You can identify thyroid mainly by the tail of your brows being particularity sparse. If you have noticed your eyebrows have thinned or even disappeared, in particular, the outer edge of the eyebrows, that’s a sign that it may be time to have your thyroid checked.

• Long-term consequences of plucking or waxing

These techniques, unfortunately, can scar the roots of the hairs. However, the hair follicle lies dormant under your skin - it rarely dies - so by stimulating hair growth with a product to heal the follicle and promote hair growth, it is possible to grow the hairs back. We have tried it all in the studio and have found that DoTerra medical grade Rosemary Essential Oil works particularly well for regrowth.

• Diet and Stress

A strand of hair is composed of mostly protein, which means your hair needs protein to grow. If you don't get enough protein into your diet, the hair goes into a "resting phase". When the body is stressed, it uses more of its nutrients to support your system. Since the body gives its leftover nutrients to your hair and nails, if they are all used up due to poor diet or stress there is none left for the hair follicle and, therefore, it dies.

The only other situation I have come across is compulsive pluckers. Many people tell me they just don't grow, and they only pluck a few stray hairs. My reaction is to tell them to throw out their tweezers. Not because I don't trust them, but because sometimes we are unaware of our actions and in obtaining the perfect brows, every hair is vital. Give it a go; you might surprise yourself.

Are you a 1980s style over-plucker? Or have any of these reasons struck a chord with you?