Microblading aftercare including Do's and Don'ts plus instructions for best results

Microblading Aftercare – Do’s and Don’ts + Instructions for Best Results

Following your microblading aftercare instructions is incredibly important for best results!

If you don’t follow the instructions 100% you risk reducing the length of your results and may increase your risk of infection.

Use these guidelines for the BEST possible results after your microblading procedure:

Microblading After Care Do’s and Don’ts

DO’s

Do only use a baby wipe to touch them
Do avoid brow area while you wash your face
Do sleep on your back if possible
Do put small bandaids on the ends if you are a side sleeper
Do keep them as BONE DRY as possible

DON’Ts

Do NOT get them wet
Do NOT touch them for 24 hours
Do NOT sweat or workout
Do NOT put ointment, lotions or makeup on them
Do NOT stay in direct sunlight or go to a tanning bed
Do NOT pick, itch or rub your brows
Do NOT have hair touching your brows (bangs)
Do NOT use benzoyl peroxide, salicyclic acid, or retinoids
Do NOT use a sauna

By following these simple steps you can and will enjoy long lasting perfect brows.

Just make sure to follow them as close to 100% as possible.

The last thing you want is to spend the 3 hours getting your brows microbladed and then have your results reduced by several months because you wanted to put some make up on or something similar!

I also recommend that you account for the healing process and make sure you don’t have any important dates such as pictures, weddings, etc. during the time you will be healing.

Because the healing process can change day by day, I’ve also included a walk through of what to expect and how long it takes to heal below:

Day-by-Day Healing Guide & Walk Through

Your microblading healing process can definitely have its ups and downs.

The color may change over time as you heal and as your body accepts the pigment, but trust me when I say you will LOVE your results.

Use this guide so you know that what you are experiencing IS normal and everyone goes through something similar…

Day 1: I LOVE MY NEWS BROWS! Your brows are fresh, perfect and brand new. What’s not to love?

Day 2-4: “These are way too dark and thick.” Your brows will actually get darker over this period of time, but don’t freak out! They will lighten again.

Day 5-8: During these days your brows may be flaking and scabbing off. Make sure to NOT pick or remove the scabs or you may inadvertently remove some of your pigment!

Day 9-10: “My brows have completely fallen off!!” Your brows will appear like they are completely gone during this time, but don’t worry – they will still be there! And this is also why it’s important to have your touch up.

Days 11-28: “My brows are coming back but they are patchy!” Your brows will appear to be patch and incomplete during this part of the healing process. Most of these patches will fill in over time but if for some reason some area doesn’t take the touch up will help fill the gap so to speak.

Day 42 (after touch up): “These are better than I could have ever imagined!!!” And now you are back to the way you felt after the first day 🙂 Trust me when I say that this is a real cycle.

Stick with it though and your results will be amazing:

Now that you have some idea what to expect let’s talk about the importance of aftercare and how it will impact your results.

In addition we will go over some of the variations to aftercare and how they may impact your results:

Is aftercare important?

After care is the most important part of the whole service!

The reason is simple:

I can create a beautiful brow but without the proper aftercare your healing and color retention may be less than optimal.

The microblading process requires that I only “scratch” the surface between the dermal and epidermal junction.

This means the depth is not as deep as with a regular tattoo.

There is a sweet spot that must be reached in order for the pigment to be properly placed, if the depth is too shallow the pigment won’t retain.

On the flip side, if I go too deep then we may risk scarring or getting discoloration from the pigment.

Since the pigment isn’t embedded deeply into your skin there are many factors that try to “push” the pigment back to the surface.

That is why I tell my clients they must undergo “dry healing”.

Dry healing is just that:

Healing without the use of any ointments, water, steam, sweat, moisterizers, skin oils, etc.

When I say dry I mean it: BONE DRY.

The reason is that these oils, creams, lotions, etc. will all be trying to get into your microblading wells and push out the pigment (reducing your results).

If you are working out and sweating your sweat will get into the wells we created and try to push the pigment out.

When water gets into your brows from your shower its loosening the pigment and again trying to take its place.

Even your natural facial oils are not ideal during the healing process, but they are a necessary part of the normal healing process.

While I know it is a complete pain in the butt to avoid water during the healing process I promise it will result in the beautiful brows you are looking for.

Why do some technicians do ointment healing and some do dry healing?

I think some of this depends on your training and your preference.

I personally was trained to do aquaphor healing but have since switched to dry healing so I have experience with both.

I did some more research as I started doing my own clients and found the other technicians I admired had crisper and more pigmented results after their clients were completely healed.

While ointment healing with aquaphor can still create beautiful results I believe that dry healing results in the best and most crisp microbladed brows.

When you have ointment on your brows it can:

#1- Sometimes push the pigment out…

#2- And potentially blurs the strokes a little as they heal.

I have found that dry healing brings my clients back for their touchup with an 80-95% retention rate! (which is amazing).

Yes there are always exceptions and I will have a rare client do aquaphor healing but if you come to me be prepared to avoid water like the plague and endure dry healing.

What can I expect with dry healing?

You can expect them to get thicker and darker for the first 4-6 days.

After that they will start to crack and flake.

DO NOT PICK THEM!

If they are barely hanging on and come off that’s okay but if you are using any force at all you are literally pulling the pigment back out of your brows and risk scarring.

They will probably go through an itchy stage but don’t hate me for this because I promise that once you can wake up with them healed you will be so happy you got this done!

As the scabs/flakes are coming off you might feel like all the color is gone too.

Don’t worry:

The pigment is NOT gone and will come back as it heals.

There might be some patchy areas here and there (average retention is about 85%) but we will fill in any gaps during the touch up.

Emotional Healing

The healing process isn’t limited to just physical healing.

Some people don’t even think about the emotional process that goes on during this time period.

Some people handle it completely fine and some people cry and wonder what in the world they did to their brows.

Just know IT. IS. COMPLETELY. NORMAL.

After your brows are done they get darker and more full for a while then start flaking off leaving them “patchy” and light.

Please please don’t judge your brows until they are completely healed.

Even before your touchup they will still need some tweaking to make them perfect and this is normal.

I’ve had clients cry tears of joy after the initial appointment but I’ve also had some clients cry during the healing process wondering if they made a mistake.

I am not writing this part to scare you, but to educate you that you aren’t the only one freaking out.

It is a complete process but so worth it in the end.

My clients have said it has boosted confidence in so many ways and their only regret is that they didn’t do it sooner.

Back to you

As long as you follow the aftercare instructions to the letter you will have amazing results.

Remember that this is probably the single most important part of the entire microblading process so make sure to follow it!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

– Kat

Kat Rich

Hi! I'm Kat and I write these posts. I'm obsessed with eyebrows, hair and anything related to fitness. Right now I do microblading, 3d brows and semi-permanent eyebrows in Mesa, Arizona as a certified microblading artist. I'm a licensed cosmetologist and have been for over 10 years as well. I love experimenting with new products and love to share my experiences. Have questions? Leave them below!