Henna brows use a powder made from the henna leaf (Lawsonia inermis) mixed with an activator into a paste. The difference is where the colour lands. Henna stains the brow hair and the skin underneath it.

That skin stain is the whole point. It shades the gaps where hair is sparse, so the brow reads as a finished shape rather than a set of darker hairs.

Result? A softer, fuller looking brow with a shadow effect through any thin patches.

Both do the same job as a brow pencil, except you wake up with it already done. That is the honest appeal. No filling in every morning, no smudging at the gym, no reapplying after swimming.

Tint is the lighter commitment of the two. It is a good first step if you have never had brow colour before, because it only touches the hair and grows out quietly.

Henna is the option when shape is the problem rather than colour. If you were a nineties over plucker, or your brows have thinned out, the skin stain does work that tint simply cannot.

Neither one is permanent makeup. There is no needle, no pigment under the skin, and nothing to correct later. It fades on its own.

1. Consultation and colour choice. Your natural hair colour, skin tone and how bold you want to go all get factored in.

2. Your brows are mapped and the area is cleaned to remove makeup, oils and skincare, which would otherwise block the colour.

3. Barrier cream is applied around the brow to keep the tint off the surrounding skin.

4. The tint is mixed with its developer and brushed through the brow hair.

5. It processes for a few minutes, checked as it develops → Timing is judged on your hair, not a fixed clock.

6. The tint is wiped away with damp cotton pads.

7. Shaping is done last with wax and tweezers, so nothing is removed that the colour needed.

1. Consultation, colour choice and brow mapping. The outline is drawn on and agreed with you before anything is applied.

2. The area is cleaned and lightly prepped so the skin will take the stain evenly.

3. Henna powder is mixed with its activator into a paste.

4. The paste is packed into the mapped shape, covering the hair and the skin beneath it.

5. It sits for 10 to 20 minutes depending on how deep you want the stain → Longer processing means a stronger skin stain.

6. The paste is lifted off to reveal stained skin and coloured hair.

7. Shaping and tidying is done to finish.

Both fade out on their own. The henna skin stain softens first, then the hair colour follows. Nothing needs removing.

Oily skin breaks henna stain down faster. Dry to normal skin holds it longest. Exfoliating acids, oil cleansers and heavy sweating all shorten it.

Most clients rebook a tint every 3 to 4 weeks and henna every 4 to 6 weeks.

A patch test is required at least 48 hours before your first brow colour appointment. This is standard practice across the UK beauty industry and it is a condition of our insurance.

• A small amount of the tint or henna is placed on the inside of your elbow.

• It stays on for around 10 minutes, then gets wiped off.

• You watch the area for the next 48 hours for any redness, itching or swelling.

• If there is any reaction, we will not carry out the treatment.

We patch test every new client, even if you have had brow colour elsewhere. Products and formulas differ between salons. You will also need a fresh test if it has been over 6 months, if your medical history has changed, or if we change products.

First 24 hours (henna especially): keep the brows dry. No swimming, sauna, steam rooms or heavy sweating.

Ongoing:

• Avoid oil based cleansers and makeup removers on the brow area.

• Keep exfoliating acids, retinol and scrubs away from the brows.

• Fake tan and SPF both lift the stain faster.

• Do not pick or rub the area.