Best Eyebrow Growth Treatments for Women

Minoxidil and bimatoprost both have controlled trials showing they grow thicker eyebrows. In a head-to-head trial of 60 women, both improved brows over 4 months, and neither beat the other by a statistically significant margin. So you can choose by how you want to apply it and which side effects you would rather live with. Then give either one about four months before you judge it.

Which eyebrow growth treatments have proof they work?

Both treatments have been tested against a placebo on eyebrows. Minoxidil is best known for treating scalp hair loss. Bimatoprost is the active ingredient in Latisse, the eyelash drug.

In a 16-week minoxidil brow trial, 40 people put minoxidil 2% lotion on one brow and a placebo on the other. The minoxidil side did significantly better on every measure: how the brows looked in photos, hair thickness, hair count and how happy people were with the result.

Bimatoprost has two trials of its own. In a 7-month multicenter trial, significantly more people using bimatoprost 0.03% once or twice a day saw fuller brows than people using a look-alike liquid with no drug in it. A smaller 9-month pilot of 20 people with mild to moderate brow thinning found the same pattern. Brows treated daily with bimatoprost looked noticeably better than brows treated with the drug-free liquid, and the researchers saw no side effects.

Is minoxidil or bimatoprost better for eyebrows?

Neither grew brows significantly better than the other. One trial compared them directly. Sixty women, in their 30s on average, were split into three groups of 20. Each group put minoxidil 2% gel, bimatoprost 0.01% gel or bimatoprost 0.03% gel on both brows once a day for 4 months.

All three groups grew brows. Brows improved by at least one grade in 100% of the bimatoprost 0.03% group and in 80% of both the minoxidil and bimatoprost 0.01% groups. Hair count and hair thickness went up in all three groups too. The differences between groups were not statistically significant, so the trial does not show that one grew brows better than another.

The groups differed on satisfaction. Women on bimatoprost 0.03% rated their result 8.0 out of 10 on average. Women on minoxidil rated theirs 6.6, and that difference was significant. The bimatoprost 0.01% group came in at 6.8.

How long does it take for eyebrows to grow with treatment?

Plan on about four months before you judge your result. That is how long the minoxidil brow trial and the head-to-head trial ran before measuring.

You may see some change before then. In the 7-month bimatoprost trial, brows looked darker by month 1 and fuller by month 2, and they kept improving through month 7.

Take a photo of your brows with no makeup, in the same light, on day one and once a month after that. Slow change is hard to see in the mirror, and the photos will show you what happened.

Plan for what happens when you stop, too. For eyelashes, the Latisse label says lashes go back to how they looked before over several weeks to months after you stop. Ask your clinical team how long to keep going once your brows look the way you want.

What side effects should I watch for so close to my eyes?

Minoxidil's side effects stayed small in the brows. In the minoxidil brow trial, side effects were minor and nobody had to stop because of them. 39 of the 40 people finished the study.

Minoxidil grows hair where it lands, so keep it on your brows. Apply a thin layer only on the brow, and wash your hands afterward.

Bimatoprost carries more warnings near the eye. The Latisse label warns that the colored part of the eye can turn more brown, and that this is likely permanent. Eyelid skin can darken too, but that usually fades after stopping. Hair can also grow on skin the liquid keeps touching.

None of that showed up in the 7-month brow trial. Nobody on bimatoprost had skin or iris darkening or red eyes. Side effects of any kind were about as common on bimatoprost (38.1% twice a day, 42.4% once a day) as on the drug-free liquid (35.5%). If you use prescription eye drops for eye pressure, tell your clinical team, because the label says Latisse can interfere with those drops.

Which eyebrow treatment fits me?

• Your part or temples are thinning too. Minoxidil makes sense, because one medicine can cover your scalp and your brows. Our clinical team can prescribe minoxidil if it fits your goal.
• You want the treatment with its own placebo-controlled brow trial and no eye color warning on its label. Minoxidil is a strong place to start.
• You care most about how happy you are with the end result, and the iris warning on the label does not bother you. Ask your clinical team about bimatoprost. Women in the 0.03% group rated their brows higher, even though their brow growth was not significantly different.
• Your brows thinned suddenly, fell out in patches, or you are not sure why. Tell your clinical team what changed and when, so they can work out the cause before you pick a treatment.

Both treatments grew brows in the head-to-head trial, and minoxidil can treat your brows and your part with one medicine. Take the quiz so our clinical team can see whether minoxidil fits your brows, and your part if it is thinning too. They will build a plan you can start judging in about four months.