Microblading healing day by day
Microblading is changing people’s lives - creating convenience, building confidence, and letting people sleep in longer in the morning - seriously. Having the opportunity to have a microblading procedure took 20 minutes off of my makeup routine every morning.
But with social media showcasing people’s airbrushed lives, artists and clients tend to showcase perfect, immediately after work, often leaving out the raw experience and the ups and downs that go along with the healing of permanent makeup.
Showing the results just immediately after a procedure is not the same as showing the entire process, and can leave client’s who get the procedure with A TON of questions about their healing process. The procedure itself is only about 10% of the true microblading experience, and the next 30-60 days after are the real deal.
So for anyone considering a procedure, and for artists who want to show their clients what they can expect during healing, below is the real experience of the healing process for the first month - the good, the bad, and the scabbing.
For a detailed look at my pre and post aftercare instructions as per Tina’s recommendation see our blog post on Prep & Aftercare and PMU Aftercare 101.
I used the Tina Davies Aftercare Healing Gel throughout my healing process for days 1-7, you can read more about this on our blog here.
Here are my natural eyebrows - pre-microblading:
DAY 1
Day 1, you're excited! You get to go into your artist’s studio with patchy uneven brows, or no brows at all and voila, you come out with legitimate hair strokes that you want to show off to the world, literal #browgoals.
Before and Immediately After
They look textured, dense albeit a little bit red, but it’s a world of a difference, you feel like a changed person. Your brows are bold in color. If you aren’t used to filling them in a lot, they will look slightly more dramatic in appearance than normal, tender, slightly swollen, and you may even experience some slight bleeding. The day you get them done you may be in awe of your fresh set of brows.
If you’re used to filling them in and are used to bolder brows, you may be in love. If not, don’t panic. The permanent makeup has been applied to compensate for fading of 20-40%, so if they look darker than you normally wear your brows, stay calm, the color will fade over the next week.
DAY 2
You will try really hard not to sneeze, because of the multiple tiny paper cut-like wounds on your face, but I had mine done during allergy season, and there’s no avoiding it. Your brows will be reddish, still quite tender, and maybe even a little bit thicker in texture than the day before. You may really notice the difference in your brows and feel like people are looking at them, but chances are you’re more self-conscious about it rather than people noticing them being darker than normal.
At this point, I really loved the way that they looked and was super happy with them. I could still see every hair stroke that was made and the redness for me had subsided a lot. They had not started to form hard thick scabs yet. Day 2 was pretty easy.
DAY 3-4
By Day 3, you shouldn’t notice a huge difference from the previous two days, if anything, the pain and tenderness will start to subside, and the brows will get slightly dark or thicker, but nothing major. At this point, you’ll probably be loving the convenience of getting up and having instant brows without the hassle of having to create them yourself. You’ll likely find yourself daydreaming about beach days with completely waterproof brows, but don’t act on this at LEAST until day 10!
DAY 5
Day 5 is when things start to change. This can be the turning point in the healing process, where your brows are getting itchy and it is advised to NOT scratch them, as the wound may still be open. A thick layer of scabbing may form, and the fine hair-strokes that were created may be hidden. You may feel like you want to start panicking. RESIST the urge to blow up your artist’s phone firing off questions and accusations alike. You have a wound on your face, therefore your body is trying to repair itself, hence the scabbing. It’s all a part of the healing process, and if you’ve had any other kind of tattoos in the past, it heals very similarly.
Just know that this is totally normal and even if it doesn’t look pretty, you shouldn’t worry, they’re going to be #browgoals again in no time.
DAY 5-7
This is the scary time period when the serious scabbing will start, and begin to peel away from the skin. If you’re anything like me - you will be extremely tempted to pick or peel the scabs. Don’t give in to this temptation, it could affect your healing very negatively. If you pick it, you could lose pigment that was deposited into the skin and could end up with a holey, patchy eyebrow. By gently rinsing the area regularly the scabs will slowly start to fall off - when they’re ready. This phase is definitely the hardest of the process. As a client looking on social media, I haven’t seen anyone talk about or show this side of the microblading healing process. All we see is perfectly fresh strokes, but scabbing? Who knew your entire eyebrow would shed and go through this transformation? It’s so important for clients to know and truly understand the whole process, and really be assured by their artist that what they experience is perfectly normal, and necessary for their eyebrows to heal properly.
At the end, they will have the brows they always wanted.
DAY 7-10
Your scabs will probably be all flaked off or flaking off on their own by this point and you’ll start to see the light at the end of the healing tunnel. But because the skin has not completely mended itself back together, there may still be some cause for concern. The color during these days may seem way too light or even grey and missing in spots. You might feel like your skin didn’t take the pigment, but that’s not the case. They’ll almost look like you’ve filled them in with a powder, so again just remain as calm as possible and begin to start enjoying the fact that your eyebrows are done for you every morning. It’s important to note that at this stage, the wounds should be closed so if you’re feeling self-conscious about the light look of them, you are able to apply some makeup to fill in for the time being.
DAY 14-21
Healing is almost complete! YAY! You’re almost there.
The color and definition of the hair-strokes will return at this point. The color is beginning to even out and look more natural and brow-like. People you tell about the procedure won’t even believe that it’s a tattoo. It’s truly amazing. You’ll be settling into your new shortened makeup routine - oh and those waterproof brow beach days? AMAZING!
DAY 30
Guess what? Your healing process is complete! Your skin is completely healed and color is looking great. They should look soft and natural. This is the point where you’ll be able to tell if there is anything you want to add or change, there could be a couple spots from loss of pigment, which is all dependent on how well your skin took the pigment, but this is OKAY because your follow-up appointment should be just around the corner!
Healed Results:
All in all my experience with microblading was amazing! Through the ups and downs of the healing process, I was always assured that everything happening was normal, and was guided on how to take proper care to ensure the best results!
Hopefully, this guide to a typical healing experience is helpful to artists looking to give client's an in-depth look at what they can expect!
You can watch my full experience below:
Touch Up: Tina recommends that a client does not come back for a follow-up microblading procedure until the skin is fully healed, and suggests 3 months after their initial procedure as the optimal time to come back for their follow-up!
Are you waiting for your touch-up appointment and need something to give you a bit more definition until then? Check out how you can use the Pro-Pencil or Skinny Pencil to touch up your brows in the meantime, here.
Fast forward 2 years and here are my results. Flawless!
Loved what you read and want to see more Healing Day by Day experiences?
Check out our other blog posts below:
Combo Brow Healing Day by Day
Lip Blush Healing Day by Day
Microblading: My Healing Journey
Healed Results:
109 comments
Just reading through all the comments, and so reassuring to everyone that is going through that journey when you first venture out of salon,
It is a process and second time I have had done, but you still keeping checking in the mirror so many times a day to see if they are really fading and you are sure everyone is noticing.
Be strong and know that patience is the key.
Jane Walker
Great article! I’m only on day 2. So dark! I can’t wait for them to lighten up.
Debra
Had my 2nd touch up. I was glad as I had lost some pigment and had patches. My fault as I didn’t follow aftercare, very important. So I was committed on my touch up. This time anasthetic took too long to kick in, it was a bit painful and there was more blood spotting. At first my brows looked so dark, I’m blond so it freaked me out. Day 3 and omg that itching was so intense and uncomfortable. I had to lightly tap brows with a cotton pad to relieve the itch. No rubbing or scrubbing. The itching for me is the worst part. Day 4 and I can see all the scabbing, Day five and it looked very flakey, some flakes were hanging by a tiny bit and looked horrible so I gently lightly brushed my brows with a very soft new tooth brush, no scrubbing the skin. Just brushing my own brow hair, this helped remove scabs that were stuck on my hair. NOT my skin. This was great and removing unsightly flakes adhered only to brow hair it looked so much better and relieved itching.
Day 8 feeling much better colour is lighter, still a few scabs but I’m patient enough not to pick and ruin the pigment forming in the hair strokes,
All during the process I was careful not to get my brows wet. I wore a shower cap in the shower and pulled it over my eyebrows. I was pleased with my shower hack.
I think that I will have a great result and I’ve realised the aftercare importance. Loving the shape and look. Not a lot of patching so feeling pretty pleased,😊
Jane
Day 4. Freaking out, itchy …..that’s what made me look for this informative piece. The shade looks dark, glad to hear it will tune down abit. Mine doesn’t look thick, it me see how it goes anyway. They say trust the process …..
Diamond
Wish I would have read this earlier. I went to salon today to get it done. Got in my car and freaked because it looked like someone took a sharpie marker to my face. I got home and took a wet rag to it and nothing came off. I then exfoliated my face and brows to get it off. Still nothing. Now I’m reading this post hoping my face gets back to normal soon. And I hope I didn’t mess anything up. Oops!!
Tasha
This is by far THE BEST article that I’ve found on the healing process and has helped me stay calm and understand what to expect. Also, your brows are fabulous!!
THANK YOU TINA!!
CJ
I am in day 6 ad they’ve faded so much that I’m worried I’ve spent a fortune on this!!! The scans are almost healed and after reading that the color will “reappear” soon keeps me hopeful. Does that really happen? I mean does the color actually now reappear and darken? I sure hope so as I am used to a bold brow and right now they’re a very very light almost reddish so it really clashes with my dark hair!! I am hoping you all are correct and that the color will reappear soon!!!!!
Cat
Hi, I’m on day 6. I have very blonde hair and now look like a drag queen. They have just started to scab so really hoping it gets lighter. Love shape but the colour makes me look like a crazy angry bird. Thankyou for article. I’m in Australia and had no pain what so ever from numbing cream.
Tara
Well I made it to day 15! I was just admiring my brows (for the first time). I was so nervous how they looked until today. I am finally seeing some color coming back and some of the hair strokes reappearing. If I had done more research I may not have done this…but as of today I definitely would. Trust the process. That’s my best advice.
Pamela Fisher krieger
Thank you for the picture experience. My story is a little different I got mine done about 3 days ago and I am already patching & mine has lighting up and thinning out. I’m not going to lie I am freaking out because I’m only on day 3 and I’ve already started flaking and patching. I hope it’s going to work out. I’d be really sad if it doesn’t because right now I’m feeling my process is going faster than everyone else’s .
Mimi
Thank god for this post I can relax a bit now… Today is my second day and I want to cry! my eyebrows look so thick and dark that I feel I made a mistake…I’m literally Bert from Sesame street right now… I know is a process is just I didn’t expect this…
vivi
My daughter is a stylist and JUST added microblading to her menu of treatments available…I volunteered to be her first customer. I woke up day 2 and had a mini stroke, day 3 they looked better, day 4 OMG did they look better, day 5 I had rock star eyebrows and sent pics to all my friends who are now lining up to get their’s done! I’m in the scab/flake time now on day 6 but I’m not worried. Thanks for this article…I’m going to send the link to my daughter so she can show her clients.
Dana
I had my eyebrows microbladed 4 says ago. They are really dark and a little itchy today, but no scabbing or flakes present. I am trusting the process….
Sara Croco
I just had mine done today and it’s so dark! It’s an angry bird like dark and bulky, but the artist said that it will look very natural and pretty once it’s healed because it matches my eyes and face shape. I had it for a discounted price so I am a bit worried if I made the right decision. Hahaha Anyways, I sooo excited for Day 30! My eyebrows are essentially non-existent so this will definitely save me time prepapring my eyebrows every morning. Thanks for this article!
Xenna
Thank you for all this info!! I’m on day 5 and thank god I’ve been working from home. Because when I first saw my brows I wanted to cry! This info really does help to understand the process. I can’t wait until this is over and finally not hide from people!!
Ana
Okay guys got my brows done today and wanted to crawl in hole. Got unexpectantly called into work. Felt like everyone was looking crazy at me…I feel like I look like I have two tarantula legs for eyebrows ( I’m blonnnnde) ugh! Freaked out…what have I done?!? Lol until I read this post.. y’all definitely calmed my fears… I just need to chill and be patient. Whew… thanks
Celia sellers
I had mine done 14 days ago! So painful! After several applications of numbing meds it was clear I am immune to it. I endured the whole process, every stroke with nothing. A doctor was in the salon and asked me questions… like did your epidurals work when you had children… no they didn’t. He says natural redhead gene makes you immune to anesthesia!! What?! Mind blown! I’m blonde btw. My brows look … if you want to call them that very light. I’m hoping all my pain wasn’t for nothing!!! Please come back to me BROWS!
Victoria
Thank you for sharing you experience. I’m on Day 4, I didn’t know what to expect after the procedure. Your information give me hope. I’m so nervous about. Thank you again.
CARLINE BAZILE
Thankyou for this day by day information! Its perfect to help us all understand what is going to happen. I had mine done for the 2nd time a week ago after the First artist really messed them up and they were uneven, I was so upset! Thankfully I found this new artist and she fixed everything I’m so happy with the shape and color now! The healing is exactly like it says here, not too much itching but they did peel a little I’m still very happy it took off 25min of makeup time and its so nice to wake up with pretty brows! Thankyou 😊!
CHERYL
My brows were done today. And I feel super nervous and bad when I look at them in the mirror I don’t know what I should expect I can’t stop crying. I feel like I ruined my whole face. Hope that it will be better during the process
bay
I was very nervous about having microblading… As it is a commitment and once it’s done… It’s done!
Once I made the choice I could not have gotten luckier with an amazing, experienced artist who was very understanding about my concerns and walked me through the process step by step! I am so unbelievably happy with the results and so very grateful to Sarah!!
Raegan Thomas
Thank you so much for this article and to all the women’s comments! They have been so helpful- I’m on Day 2 and I was near freaking out yesterday. My eye brows are so dark and huge! They look a little boxy on the insides and hoping they’ll soften. Reading everyone’s posts have cracked me up and given me hope- I totally agree that I look like an Angry Bird!! but now I have hope and I’m excited to see how beautiful they’ll look like in a few weeks! Thank you, fellow eye brow warriors!!
Sandra
I’m so happy I found this! I’m on day 3 and the itching has began. It’s taking everything in me not to scratch.
Leslie
Thank you so much for this article. This is exactly how the healing process has happened for me. No one tells you about Day 5-10 really. I was only told about the initial darkness but not about the pigment coming back. Phew.
Carmen
Day 2 here, I am so glad I found this article! It explains so much and the photos helped me so much. I didn’t feel any pain because my artist used lidocaine before she started and another application of it during the process. But I did get a really bad headache 5 hours after I left her salon. It was almost like a mild migraine. She matched my dark auburn hair color so I’m not use to them having a reddish tint. I woke up this morning and was like oh sh*t, what have I done! But I’m trusting my artist and the process because I know I’m going to have brows that are beautiful. Thank you so much for the article!!
Jeannie
Thanks for posting this. I did something kind of crazy. I did them myself. The shape is good but they are so dark!…which I think is to be expected on day 2. I think I did more a shading technique than drawing hairs but I already had a good amount of hairs in my brows. I have been using my red light mask to speed up the healing process. I think I will go in another millimeter or two on my left brow. But I am just waiting for these to lighten up. :) My brows were pretty full before and had a shape but a little sparse towards the middle. Also my darker brows are making me look more ethnic which I actually like :) I am half mexican but usually I look a bit white. But I am honestly glad they will lighten because dark brows are a bit bold for me.
Lauren
Just had it done today. They’re a bit dark so I don’t know if I’ll ask for recolor when I go back. I really hope they lighten a bit. But I guess I’ll see. My artist said they will absolutely lighten so I trust her judgement. Everyone says they look great but I’m still getting used to them. I don’t wear makeup, but was tired of not having full eyebrows.
Diva
This was a great guide for me! I’m on Day and have mild itching and visible scabs poking through and detaching! It’s kinda crusty but only really noticeable to me. Seems I’m right on track! My artist warned me but you never really know until it happens!
Laura
I’m on day 12 and havent really had any issues. No noticeable scabbing, very mild itching and a little fading for a few days. The procedure didn’t hurt very much bc she put lidocaine on multiple times throughout. My brows have looked great since day one. Moral of the story, pay for the very best in town, it’s worth it.
Sarah
WOW! Thankyou so much for such an open and honest healing process. I just had mine done three days ago. Day 3 and I’m starting to see scabs form. This has been such a breath of fresh air. Literally NO one tells you the aftermath of having what is essentially an eyebrow operation! Healing is so important, and thankyou for sharing your journey with the world. Love from the UK London!!! xxx
Larelle Downes
OMG!!! So glad I came across this. I had my combo brows done on Monday-so day 3. I can relate to everything these ladies are posting except the pain part. I never felt any pain just heard the sound, it sounds like velcro. I’m pretty embarrassed to go out in public. Waiting for day 10 so I can wear a cap at least. I love the shape of my brows just hope I don’t come out of this looking like an angry bird! Ha 😂
April Burke
nice article and awesome blog
Dental clinic in kochi
VInu Vellat
I had mine done on 1/29/2020 and I’m still in the Bold stage. Yes, I’m trying to remain calm and true the process but I wish I had researched and planned this instead of going not knowing the entire stages of healing. Hoping this works out.
Gina
Thank you for posting this. I can’t wait until mine heal 😊❤️
Star
Hi. I am on day 2 and my brows are dark and scary. Had I known the process and done enough research- I would not have done them. I have been panicking and I feel so embarassed. I look like an angry bird and I refuse to leave my house. Your brows look sooo pretty. I can’t wait until the process is over. I pray that I can look normal again.
Wendy Irizarry-Lopez
I’m on day 2 and feel like someone took a sharpie to my eyebrows! Thank god I found your post today! It stopped me from driving back to my salon. I’m going to trust the process or get bangs!
Andrea Castro
So happy I found this article! Just got my brows done 2 days ago and I was scared! Lol. They’re so dark and thick! I was so planning to call the technician on Monday to share my concerns. This article and all the comments helped calm me waaaay down! Including your pics throughout the process was also
very helpful. Your final brows look amazing! Thanks
for sharing !!
Leeza
So it is safe to say you are god sent lol. I am officially on day 4 of microblading and my eyebrows are so itchy !! They appear dark but Im glad to hear that they will lighten. Thanks for this helpful post and for the people commenting because it was the laugh of the day lol. I really needed it.
Ashley
Thank you for this! I had my brows done 4 days ago and they look so dark and bold. They start to be itchy as of today(day 4). Reading your story makes my calmer and hopeful for a beautiful brows.
Marina
This article is a blessing lol my eyebrows look pretty pathetic right now it’s hilarious! I’m on day 7…..I’m so ready to peel this sh*t off but I won’t. It was expensive & I don’t have a choice. The Picture from “7-10 days” is exactly how I look right now. The not washing your face is definitely difficult, but LADIES, we will be waking up & saving 20-30mins just drawing this in! Be patient, as I am trying as well! THANK YOU TO ALL THE LADIES SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCE, this community is amazing.
Nani
I got mine done today. My stylist gave me a cool emoji healing sheet with a timeline, like a shocked face for day 10 and “where did my brows go?” I have several tattoos so I understand the healing process of scabbing. I think what makes this harder is that it’s on our face. I see many people say don’t get them wet. Here are the care instructions I received:
1st day, dab with dry cotton ball every 5-10 minutes to absorb any seeping; wash after 4 hours. She gave me a solution. I use 3 cotton balls. 1st I soak with the solution and dab my brows. Then the 2nd with plain water to dab off the cleaning solution. The 3rd I dab them dry.
Tomorrow I will begin to use a gel she gave me. I put it on a q-tip and spread a light coating over them to keep the scabbing process soft. I’ll do this 3x per day for 7-10 days.
I see a trend in the comments that it seems the ones who scabbed the worst are the ones who dry healed without any ointment.
It is a bit shocking at first, especially since my eyebrows are majorly thin and graying. But I have glasses and I’ll be patient with the process. I have always found a bit of ointment on my tattoos helped with the scabbing not ripping out color, so I am hoping this to be the key.
I also hope all the ladies now have beautiful eyebrows!
Vennie Kocsis
Honey you are the real MVP!! I got mine done 5 days ago. I was super panicked immediately afterwards because they were so dark and thick. Everyone assured me they looked good, but I hated them. Now I’m at the holy shit where did they go, I’m sorry what I said about you brows Phase. Lol. I’m hoping that they magically reappear as you said. My follow up is in October, so looks like I might have to fill them in for a while. Thankful for your blog and the reassurance that it’s all normal.
NS
I had my brows done yesterday. It really looks soooo thick and dark. Thank god I’ve seen this post as i started to get worried. They really look awful right now. I’ll always be reading this everyday to remind myseld that these brows will get better. Guess im not gonna go out for the next few weeks or so. I meed my brows lighter. Lol
Georgina
Hello, I got my eyebrows done 7 days ago, I was given an ointment and told to apply twice a day. For the past 2 days my eyebrows have been very itchy, but I have not seen any scabbing, peeling not discoloration. I have not gotten my eyebrows wet at all, this has been the hardest part for me. The day I got them done, I looked as if I was going to come out in the angry bird movie lol, I accompanied my son to his doctor appointment and went out to lunch afterwards, people probably thought I needed a tutorial on penciling in my eyebrows lol.
Laura M Ruelas
Hi! You saved me from the eyebrow ledge! LOL. I am on day 7. I have seen scans for a week and just now got to wash my hair. This morning the scans you talk about are starting to flake off ever so slightly and to my dismay it looks like I did nothing on the tiny area that is finally showing through. I was horrified. You are right. My skin looks faded as grey on the tiny patch of scab that flakes off. Thank you for giving me hope that the color of the procedure “espresso mixed with dark blonde” will ultimately show through after the skin regeneration. I am counting the days till this is over. I will be happy to show you pictures as I too am taking photos day by day. Thank you! Absolutely the best article out there and you are beautiful by the way.
Maria Ellis
Thank you for this read, wish I had read before my freak out/meltdown around day 5 & thought my flakey eyebrows were completely falling off my face. I agree the photos that follow the procedure gave me a false sense of what I thought my brows would look like and wish there were more photos or stories of what the brows look like in the weeks that follow. Appreciate this article!
Veronique Richardson
So I am a guy with half brows so decided to have them Microbladed. It was pretty painful but absolutely worth it. Looked like a cartoon character for a few days but now on day 18 and they look so natural. My advice is get someone who really knows what they are doing. Your face is your fortune – don’t settle for second best.
Plan the process in advance so that you don’t have appointments for at least a week thereafter.Don’t pick, don’t scratch or get them wet – buy a cap lol
Stuart
I’m so glad I found this article. I had my microblading done 1 week ago. They are scabbing at this point and this morning I completely freaked when I washed them with a cotton pad and a bunch of the hair stroke came off. I legit thought I messed them up. I text my artist and she said it was normal and part of the process. I trust her but it is so reassuring to read this and see all the pictures. As for the procedure itself it was not painful at all. But after the numbing cream wears off after the procedure they feel like a bunch of tiny paper cuts and it stings but nothing really painful just uncomfortable.
Eileen Marquez
So appreciate all the feedback from everyone! Excellent forum. I did my pre-research, but reality speaks a louder volume. I’m on day 8 and look a tad scary! I’m a Retail Manager so i’ve Had to be front and center and I say- thank goodness for my glasses and bangs!
Carol Berman
I had mine done yesterday. My tech numbed my brows before each pass. She told me what to expect. She stressed leaving the scabs to heal on their own. This process is exactly how she described. I got the hairlike strokes with out the shading also.
Sandi
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.