In case you missed it, the hefty eyebrow style from the 1980s is back. Just in time for my brows to thin and become disorderly, but that’s how fashion usually works.

As a sucker for trend, I saved a Yohji Yamamoto jacket from that era (it was given to me after I modeled in a Revlon Charlie Girl perfume photo shoot) just so that I could wear it again when big shoulders and wide cuts came back on the fashion scene!

Having said that, the thought of how to re-create the thicker, tamed eyebrow look has catapulted me to learn new tricks, and therefore pass them on to you with my usual gusto. Here are my three strategies to tame crazy brows and not hurt yourself at the same time.

Find Your Scissors

Back in the day, you learned not to run with scissors, but not how to avoid poking your eye out while trimming your eyebrows, so be careful.

Take a spoolie, or a fine-toothed comb, and brush your eyebrow hair upward until you clearly see the ragged edges. Then, take your scissors and with great care trim along the natural shape of your eyebrow being cautious to not cut into your actual brow.

If you can’t find your natural eyebrow shape, you can find a diagram and guide here.

Eyebrow shape can be regional and cultural, so go with the shape that most suits you. If you are baffled, try a recommended eyebrow stylist and have them do it. In any case, this technique assures that your eyebrow hair length will be appropriate for your eye shape and will tame any wild and misguided pieces.

Shape and Fill

Once, I had my eyebrows shaped by a professional – and only once. Nothing against aestheticians, as I am one, but this person decided to fill in my brows as if I were age 12. I looked like a scary version of Groucho Marx when she finished.

This is not to say that this will be your experience as it can really help to have this done. Filling and shaping eyebrows can wake up your whole face, and also make you look outlandish, depending on how you do it.

For stylish and not crazy brows, take either an eyebrow pencil, or eyeshadow with a thin brush and follow the uppermost line down to the appropriate end of your brow which you determine using the above mentioned diagram.

For a wonderful eyebrow pencil try Jane Iredale Retractable Brow Pencil. Then with small, short strokes, fill in your brows using a color that flatters your skin and hair. If it looks too “line-y,” soften it with your finger or the spoolie. The end result should be a finely shaped brow with blurred lines.

Use Glue

Okay, so don’t use glue. Use eyebrow gel which resembles glue but washes off in the shower. You can buy eyebrow gel in different shades, which can be enough additional color for some of you to not have to fill in your brows at all.

Try Glossier Boy Brow in a shade or clear (colorless) depending on what you need. In the video I used Brow Gal, but Glossier Boy Brow is superior in my opinion.

Just brush the product in your brows using short, careful strokes, and watch your brows hold their shape and color all day. It also works for mustaches and beards, so be sure to tell your SO (significant other) about this when they want to shave off a few years. (Pun intended).

As fashion goes, the full shaped eyebrow craze will probably end sometime next year along with my overpriced wide-shouldered jacket I’ve been saving. After that, I’m putting money down that brow styles will shift to mimic Marlene Dietrich’s high-arched, thin brows.

You will still be trimming those crazy wild hairs, but spending far less time on filling them in. At least be assured that Mr. Spock brows won’t be in style anytime soon.

Do your brows need taming? What have you done to date? Has it helped? What are your favorite crazy brow products that really work? Please share with our community!