Microblading healing day by day + my experience!

I did a thing! I had my eyebrows microbladed!

I wanted to show the full process of microblading because I obsessed over it before I decided to get it done and then again after I had it done. The whole process is so much more than seeing someone’s before and after results. I’ll be honest, the healing was an emotional rollercoaster, but IMO, so worth it!

Here are my brows before. As you can see, I barely have any hair, especially at the ends. I also grew them out for the procedure so this is as thick and filled in as they get naturally. I also don’t play around much with makeup – occasionally I’d use a brow pencil to fill them in. I would, however, get my eyebrows threaded and tinted when I could. Between the cost of these two and not feeling like I looked a whole lot different, it made the most sense for me to look into microblading. When I broke up the cost monthly, it was a good investment.

The healing process was difficult. The stages of healing are fairly accurate to the little sheet I was given during my session.

Everyone’s healing process is so different but this is a pretty accurate overview. Here is my healing process day 1 through day 24. I still have a few weeks until my touch up appointment and will update this post when that happens ♥️ (update at bottom).

Initial appointment & day 1

Right after my appointment, I absolutely loved the shape of my brows, but I panicked a bit because they were darker than I wanted. You really have to trust the process here. They will get darker later that day but overall they will shrink in width about 20% and will lighten about 20-40%. I can’t stress this enough, trust the process.

Is microblading worth it?

In my opinion, absolutely! But for me, I didn’t have a lot to lose since I didn’t have a lot to begin with as far as eyebrows. I wasn’t good at filling them in or picky at all. I think a lot of girls who are more professional with their makeup and eyebrow care may be disappointed if they are expecting exact results or don’t see much of a change. This was worth it to me though!

Does microblading hurt?

In my experience, no. Not at all. Not even close to the pain felt while getting a tattoo, but I have a good pain tolerance and that didn’t hurt either. They do numb your eyebrows before the procedure and I’m sure if you are in pain, they can apply more after the first pass (the first time they go through your eyebrows and make the cuts is considering the first pass). And after doing a lot of research, it’s been a common theme that you shouldn’t feel much pain, only a little discomfort. Your artist should know the depth of how deep they need to go. You should not bleed, and only slightly if you do. I have heard things like an increase in pain and sensitivity during your menstrual cycle, but I am unsure if that is true or not. The worst part about the procedure for me was hearing what sounded like metal scrapping and knowing that was my skin!

What are some tips for finding the right tattoo artist?

My biggest recommendation is word of mouth! 100%. Seeing friends or anyone else’s brows who got them done by that artist is a great way to feel more confident in that artist. Specifically look for the final results and not just right after the procedure. You want to see how their work healed. And do not just trust Instagram photographs because from what I heard, people have stolen other photos and claimed them as their work.

What can I expect pre, intra, and post procedure?

After finding an artist you want to work with, your first appointment will be just a consultation. I really can’t imagine you not having one. This appointment shouldn’t be on the same day as your procedure. I really think you need time to ask questions and go home and think about this. It’s a tattoo after all! You’ll be asked questions and talking about medications (blood thinners), pregnancy, healing process, and discuss what you want your eyebrows to look like.

After the consultation, you’ll come back to the salon and sign some papers. You can expect your appointment to take about an hour from the first pass to the last pass. They will put a numbing cream on your eyebrows before the procedure and you shouldn’t be in any pain, minor discomfort maybe, during the procedure. Speak up if you are in pain. They can apply more cream. Your artist will map out your shape and talk about your color before they begin. Make sure you are 100% satisfied with the rough draft of your shape. Now is the time to adjust you don’t love.

After the procedure your eyebrows will be beautiful but much darker than you’d probably like, or for me at least! My jaw fell open! During the rest of the day, you can expect your eyebrows to feel tight and some discomfort if you frown or sneeze. This is completely natural. Your eyebrows may seem somewhat puffy and red. This made my eyebrows look even darker. You may not be able to see your individual hair strokes due to this. Don’t fear! Once they heal, that redness will go away and you’re eyebrows will be lighter and not as thick. Make sure to listen to your artist through the healing process, no matter what other artist say. There is a reason you went to that particular artist. If that artist tells you to do the “dry healing” method vs “wet healing”, be sure to listen to them.

If you have any other questions, please reach out 🙂

Here are my brows one week post touch up!