Hairstrokes and Powder Brows

Hairstrokes are a staple of the PMU industry. With this being said, it is essential for an artist to understand which equipment, procedure, and style will suit them best for this procedure. This procedure is the most popular PMU procedure because they provide the client with a natural, no-makeup look. Whereas powder brows will leave the client with a more dramatic, soft makeup look.

When recommending a procedure to a client, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Fitzpatrick Scale

Skin type on the Fitzpatrick scale
Retention
Skin Maturity
Durability of the procedure

Ultra-Thin/ Hypersensitive (Type 1)

Very thin skin
Invisible pores on eyebrows
Susceptible skin conditions and bleeding
Hypersensitive to treatments
Thin epidermis layer
Pink undertone

Thin/ Non-Sensitive (Type 2)

Very small pores
Thin, non-sensitive skin
Fair Skinned
Susceptible to bleeding

Medium (Types 2-6)

Small pores
Not susceptible to bleeding easily
Medium sensitivity

Thick (Types 2-6)

Large pores
No specified sensitivity
No specified susceptibility to bleeding
Oily skin

Understanding your clients’ skin type and thickness is important as it will guide you to know what to expect from the results of the procedures, as well as which products to use.

Skin thickness will determine which machine you should use for the pigment to penetrate the skin properly. Some areas of the skin are thinner or thicker than others. Proper needle depth can be determined by taking note of bleeding and good pigment retention in between your passes.

Powder and Hairstroke Brows

Powder brows are a great procedure for those with oilier skin as that skin type can often cause pigments to move which won’t be as notable with powder brows compared to that of hairstroke. Hairstrokes will be created with thinner strokes to give off that perfect natural look. Although hairstrokes are preferred on drier skin, the final product may not be completely clean and precise. Hairstrokes will last the client a long period of time and is suitable for older skin.

There are no specific stroke sizes that are directly recommended for either procedure since most artists have personal preferences according to their style. When creating hairstrokes, most artists use small stroke machines at a low voltage speed. Meanwhile artist who create powder brows, often use a higher voltage speed with a higher stroke, since pigment will penetrate the skin easily and in turn, require less passes and avoid trauma to the skin.

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