Trichotillomania Eyebrow Makeup, Microblading & False Lashes

If you pull your eyebrows or eyelashes, you’ve probably spent a lot of time in front of a mirror working out how to hide the gaps. You’re not alone in that. Trichotillomania (trich), a condition where people feel strong urges to pull out their own hair and find it very hard to stop, affects about 1 in 50 people, and brows and lashes are among the most common places people pull from.

This guide is for adults with sparse, patchy or missing brows or lashes. It compares trichotillomania eyebrow makeup, microblading, false lashes and extensions, and the catches that matter most if you pull.

How do the options compare?

Makeup is the easiest and most flexible option. The longer-lasting options can look more natural day to day, but they cost more, involve a professional, and are harder to undo.

What makeup works with no brows or lashes?

Brow pencil, brow powder and eyeliner all work with no hair at all, because they colour the skin rather than the hair. They’re cheap, you can change your mind every day, and if you get it wrong, it washes off.

For eyebrows:

• Pencil is the easiest to control. A brow pencil with a spoolie (a small spiral brush) lets you draw short, hair-like strokes and then soften them.
• Powder gives a softer, filled-in look and suits larger bare areas. Apply brow powder with a small angled brush, lighter at the inner end and deeper towards the tail.
• Stencils help you draw the same shape on both sides. Brow stencils take a lot of the stress out of getting them even.
• Tinted gel coats any hairs you do have and adds colour to the skin underneath. Tinted brow gel works best when some hairs are growing back.
• Transfers are thin, stick-on brows that last a day or two. Stick-on brow transfers can help on days when drawing feels like too much. Test one on a small patch of skin first.

For eyelashes:

• Eyeliner drawn in a soft, smudged line close to the upper lashes gives the look of a fuller lash line, even where lashes are missing. A soft eyeliner pencil is easier to smudge than a liquid.
• Mascara can make sparse lashes look thicker. Apply it gently, and replace it regularly: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees cosmetics in the US, says makers usually advise throwing mascara away two to four months after you buy it.

Is microblading a good idea if you have trich?

It can be, for some people, but it’s a big decision because microblading is a tattoo. A brow artist uses a hand tool with a row of fine needles to make small cuts in the skin and place pigment in them, drawing strokes that look like brow hairs. A 2025 review of the research says results last up to about three years, fading slowly as the body clears the pigment.

Some people with trich say having brows that are always there takes the pressure off. They stop spending time at the mirror, and they feel less exposed at the gym, in the rain or in the morning. Others find the opposite. There are no studies of microblading in people who pull, so weigh these points up before you book:

• Healing. The skin flakes and itches for several days afterwards, and a touch-up visit usually follows. Some people who pull find itchy, healing skin hard to leave alone.
• Regrowth. If your own brows grow back, the new hairs may not match the tattooed shape. New, stubbly hairs can also become a target in themselves.
• It’s hard to undo. The FDA warns that removing a tattoo usually takes several treatments and can be costly, and that complete removal without scarring may not be possible. Pigment can also fade unevenly or blur over time.
• Health risks. The FDA lists infection from unclean equipment or contaminated ink, allergic reactions, small lumps called granulomas, and raised scars (keloids) in people prone to them. The 2025 review adds that people with very oily skin often get shorter-lasting results.
• Your skin now. If the skin on your brows is sore or broken from pulling, wait until it has fully healed.

If you go ahead, choose an artist who is properly licensed or registered where you live, as rules differ between countries and local areas. Ask how they would approach brows with little or no hair, and whether soft shading (sometimes called powder brows) might suit you better than strokes. It’s also worth trying the shape with pencil for a few weeks first, so you know you like it.

Can I wear false lashes or eyelash extensions?

Yes, but the two work very differently, and that matters if you pull.

Strip lashes are a band of false lashes you glue along your upper lash line and take off at night. They don’t need any natural lashes to hold on to, so they work even if your own lashes are gone. Natural-looking strip lashes are easiest to wear every day. The FDA advises checking the glue’s ingredients, because eyelid skin is delicate and prone to allergic reactions. When you take them off, peel from the outer corner slowly, or soften the glue with an oil-based makeup remover first, so you don’t pull out any lashes of your own.

Eyelash extensions are single fibres glued on to your own lashes by a technician. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the US professional body for eye doctors, says they last about three to four weeks and fall off as your natural lashes shed. That means:

• You need natural lashes for them to attach to. If your lashes are very sparse or missing, extensions may not be possible.
• Tugging does damage. The AAO warns that rubbing, tugging or pulling at extensions can break your natural lashes and permanently damage the follicles they grow from.
• They can become a new target. Some people who pull say extensions feel so unlike natural lashes that they start fiddling with them, and a tug on an extension takes a natural lash with it. Others say the length and feel of extensions helps them keep their hands away.

The AAO also warns about eye infections and allergic reactions to the glue. It suggests checking the salon’s hygiene and the technician’s training, asking for the glue’s ingredient list, and having a spot test on your wrist first. If you react, don’t try to remove the extensions yourself: see a doctor.

If you’re hoping your own lashes will grow back, our guide to pulling out your eyelashes covers regrowth and lash serums.

Can makeup or cosmetic treatments make pulling worse?

Sometimes, and it helps to know where the traps are. Makeup doesn’t cause pulling, but the routine around it can bring you close to your brows and lashes with a mirror and your hands free.

• Use a normal mirror, not a magnifying one. A dermatologist (skin doctor) at Cleveland Clinic advises getting rid of magnifying mirrors, because close-up checking leads to more plucking.
• Keep tweezers out of your makeup bag. If you need them, store them somewhere that takes effort to reach.
• Set a time limit. Doing your brows in a set few minutes stops "just one more look" turning into a long session.

Be careful with eyebrow and eyelash dyes and tints. The FDA says permanent tints and dyes on brows and lashes have been known to cause serious eye injuries, including blindness.

Our guide to pulling out your eyebrows has more brow-specific steps. Our guide to whether hair grows back after trichotillomania explains what to expect as brows and lashes return.

When should I get help for the pulling itself?

Makeup and lashes can make each day easier, and there’s no shame in using them. But if pulling upsets you, takes up your time, or you’ve tried to stop and can’t, support can help with the pulling itself, not just how it looks.

The UK’s NHS (National Health Service) describes Habit Reversal Training (HRT), a type of behaviour therapy that helps you spot the urge to pull and do something else with your hands, as the main treatment. Our guide to Habit Reversal Training explains how it works. Our complete guide explains what trichotillomania is and what helps.

Many doctors and therapists have never worked with someone who pulls. Everyone in our directory has told us they understand hair pulling and already help people who pull, in person or online. You can search the directory to find someone who understands hair pulling.

If covering up has left you feeling very low or hopeless, please talk to someone today.

In an emergency, call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department.

• Lifeline — 13 11 14 (www.lifeline.org.au)

Questions people ask

Sources

1. Shishak & Kuthial (2025). Eyebrow microblading: Science, art, and complications. Skin Appendage Disorders, 11(4), 355–359.
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2024). Tattoos & Permanent Makeup: Fact Sheet.
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Eye Cosmetic Safety.
4. American Academy of Ophthalmology (2018). Eyelash extension facts and safety.
5. Cleveland Clinic (2020). 5 ways to get overplucked eyebrows to grow back. Health Essentials.
6. NHS. Trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder).