The 5 Brow Gels That Actually Keep Every Hair in Place (From an Editor With Very Full Brows)
Main image – Courtesy of writer
We all have that one feature that feels most like us. For me, it’s my brows.
Bushy and bold, they’re the feature I love most about myself, and I genuinely can’t imagine life (or my face) without them. They also remind me of my grandfather, who I have to thank for passing them on.
Having naturally full brows does mean I ask quite a lot from my brow products, though. A gel that gives a lovely fluffy effect on finer brows doesn’t necessarily have enough hold to keep mine in place, while anything too heavy can quickly make all that hair look stiff or overloaded. I want hold and definition, but I still want my brows to look like brows.
Image – Courtesy of writer
I’d like to think I’ve become something of a brow gel connoisseur over the years. My brows have tested some of the biggest names on the beauty market, from cult classics to new launches, and these are some of the formulas that truly stand up to the challenge. For all brow needs.
1. Best for keeping hairs in place: Kosas Air Brow Clear Lifting Treatment Gel
If you’re after that laminated brow look (without having to book in at the salon every six weeks), you’ve found it. One sweep through with this Kosas gel and your hairs won’t move for the rest of the day. I love it for the mornings I feel like adding a lot of volume (that won’t drop an hour or two in).
It’s also a little more skincare-minded than your average brow gel. The clear formula contains panthenol, sodium hyaluronate and biotinoyl tripeptide-1, alongside glycerin and other humectants. In other words, while its immediate job is obviously to lift and set the brows, there are conditioning ingredients in the mix too.
The clear finish also means you can really load up on the fluffiness without simultaneously adding more colour – particularly useful if, like me, your brows already bring plenty of that themselves.
Kosas Air Brow Clear Lifting Treatment Gel is £20 from Cult Beauty UK and $26 from Sephora US.
2. Best for colour tint: Merit Brow 1980
My brows are already quite dark, but I still like making them a statement. In my experience, the best gel for adding a colour tint is this one from Merit. It’s rich in pigment, and leaves your brows looking and feeling really fluffy. (Never with the dreaded crunch.)
Brow 1980 is actually described by Merit as a volumising pomade, and the formula has been designed to add colour and body while keeping the hold flexible. Mineral pigments and kaolin clay help build that natural-looking colour and fullness, while panthenol – AKA pro-vitamin B5 – is included to condition the brow hairs.
There’s also carnauba wax to help thicken and add shine. The tapered precision brush is another nice touch, particularly when you want to add colour without accidentally painting half your forehead in the process.
Merit Brow 1980 is £21 from Sephora UK and $24 from Sephora US.
3. Best clear gel: Ilia In Frame Brow Gel
Sometimes less is more, and a clear brow gel will always do the trick. I love this one from Ilia for the no-makeup days where I still want to look put-together. The brush head applicator is very small, which is great for a precise application.
The formula itself is lightweight and designed to give brows a lifted but still natural finish, rather than making them look obviously slicked down. Ilia says it’s clinically proven to hold brows in place for eight hours and has been formulated to resist flaking, while hydrolysed quinoa and the brand’s Hair Renewal Complex are included to help brows look fuller and healthier over time.
For me, that combination of an invisible finish and such a precise little applicator makes it particularly good when I want my brows to look groomed without looking overly “done”.
Ilia In Frame Brow Gel is £25 from Space NK UK and $25 from Sephora US.
4. Best for already bushy brows: Hourglass Arch Brow Volumising Fiber Gel
You could argue that thick brows don’t need much doing to them. I would counter simply: the bushier the better. In particular, I’d recommend this pick from Hourglass as the brush is quite thick and dense. Great for longer hairs and leaves a lovely fluffy payoff that lasts all day.
The secret to the extra volume here is microfibres, which are suspended within the formula and designed to build both colour and fullness as you brush it through. The hold is deliberately soft and flexible rather than stiff, and Hourglass says the formula is both smudge- and flake-proof. There’s also a clever dual-sided brush, with shorter and longer bristles so you can control how much product you’re applying.
On already-full brows, it really leans into what you’ve naturally got rather than trying to make everything look too neat or precise.
Hourglass Arch Brow Volumising Fiber Gel is £29 from Space NK UK and Hourglass US.
5. Best for thinner brows: Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting Gel
If your brows are a little more tamed than mine, I think you’ll really like this gel from Rare Beauty. It has a smaller brush head so it’s perfect for precision with thinner brow shapes and shorter hairs. It also leaves a really nice amount of pigment. Not too thick or clumpy.
The formula is water-based and designed to give strong but flexible hold, with Rare Beauty specifically promising that it won’t feel stiff, sticky or crunchy. It’s waterproof too, so it’s made to stand up to both sweat and the skin’s natural oils throughout the day.
The tapered brush has soft but firm bristles designed to coat hairs from root to tip, which is particularly handy when you’re working with a finer brow and don’t want to swamp it with product. The tinted shades use iron oxides to add colour, giving you that extra bit of definition alongside the lift and hold.
Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting Gel is £19 from Sephora UK and $21 from Sephora US.
The takeaway
If there’s one thing my brows have taught me, it’s that not all products are created equal. Whether you want more colour, more fluff or just something strong enough to keep every hair where you put it, there’s a formula here for you. Personally? I’ll always be team the-bushier-the-better.
