Nope, not just the most satisfying body part to pluck, eyebrows serve real important purpose. Since we’ll take any kind of procrastination (and I trust you’re the same), we did a little digging to find out exactly why those ‘sisters not twins’ sit upon our eyelids. Evolution, ageing, and Mona Lisa’s lack of, here are 7 weird facts about eyebrows. Thank us at future pub quizzes.
By Rachel Spedding
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1 They’re designed to help us see
Aside from being the most therapeutic part of our makeup routine, brows do have a real function. Us humans rely on our sight more than any other sense, and brows work to protect our eyes, through keeping moisture out (like rain and sweat). They can also deflect debris, and shield our eyes from the sun: a new meaning to ‘power brow’, right? We may have evolved to lose most of our body hair, but eyelashes and eyebrows have remained in tact to keep our peepers clear.
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2 They’re an evolutionary advantage
While we’re not the only species sporting brows, we are the only mammals with eyebrows against bare skin. This is actually considered an evolutionary advantage, as other humans are able to interpret expression and emotion. While other mammals rely on brows as tactile sensors, we’re able to perceive anger, sadness and pure joy (like grabbing that freebie outside the tube station in the morn – rosemary water? Just what I wanted).
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3 We’re not the first ones to groom them
Yep, though the scouse brow may be the current zeitgeist, plucking, defining and even threading to keep brows in shape are methods that go way back. Every culture throughout history has had a different way of shaping, we’re talking from 3500 BC. From shaving them clean off (looking at your Renaissance Florence), to barely-there brows with a tweezed hairline in Elizabethan England, brow trends are ever-changing.
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4 The Mona Lisa doesn’t have eyebrows
Never thought of that before, eh? Eyebrows are often considered the most important aspect of facial recognition (research suggests that it’s tricky to identify individuals in images when their brows have been removed), but obviously we know the famous face of the Mona Lisa pretty well. Interesting fact though, in 2007 a press release stated that that she was originally painted with lashes and eyebrows, but years of overcleaning may have faded them (Mona, one word: microblading).
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5 Your brows have a lifespan
It’s true. Your brows last four months on average, that’s how long it takes for the cycle to ‘refresh’ (each hair to fall out and a new one to grow back). Good news if you’ve overplucked (nineties babies can I get a ‘yessiree’), they should grow back. Of course, hair does thin as we age, thanks to changes in hormones, but the average lifespan is four months. As for plucking, if you’ve noticed a little bump appearing once you’ve pulled a hair out, that’s the follicle closing to try and save it. Cute.
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6 Your brows are more active in the summer
That growth time speeds up come sunshine season. Yep, the warmer weather, a more active lifestyle, and the hormones released during this time, are factors contributing to faster growth. It’s only a minor change, but if you’re aiming for bushier brows, grow them out during warmer climes. Half-board to Portugal next week, anyone?
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7 Brow-mouth coordination is a thing
Though brows can help us to identify and express emotion (pity brows to mum and dad, you know the drill), they’re also on a kind of autopilot, determined by pitch of voice. As your tone rises, so do your brows. It's like a non-verbal communication, that’s pretty much involuntary. In short: your brows could give you away (paint them on wisely).
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