Give your brows Big Bushy Energy with nothing more than a bar of soap

I’m very particular about my brows. I like them to have Big Bush(y) Energy, and splay out in all different directions in their natural glory. The only things I let touch them is my trusty brow gel, and my brow-shaping pro (who tends to them a mere two times a year). But now I’m about to rub soap all over them.

Much to my surprise, a bar of soap is an under-the-radar secret weapon for full, bushy brows. “Soap brows are getting such a buzz and so many of my clients are asking about them,” says Robin Evans, a New York-based brow expert. “What’s great about [soap] is that it’s pliable, so it doesn’t get stiff or flaky, and it’s buildable so you can keep applying it so that product adheres to the hairs, making them look more lush.”

I first stumbled upon the brow trend in an Elle Australia article, then when I brought it up, two people I know admitted that they swear by soap brows too. Who knew? Actual brow gels can sometimes get crunchy and flaky, says Evans, who adds that the product can brush off when you keep trying to groom or try to reshape them. “Soap, on the other hand, stays on until you remove it,” she says.

If you’re staring at your bar of soap (for what it’s worth, glycerin-based and clear ones work best) wondering how the hell you use it to fluff up your brows, hear me out: You’ll need a spoolie and something to spritz with. “First you’ll dampen your spoolie with a setting spray, or a simple toner or water,” says Evans. “Then you roll the spoolie around in the soap and gather it up, and apply it to the brows as you brush in upward strokes.” She recommends filling them in before doing this, then once the soap dries, to apply more pencil underneath the line of the brow where spaces or sparseness appears from brushing the brows upwards.

And voila—Brooke Shields, watch out.

For more brow beauty intel, here are 5 expert tricks for naturally gorgeous brows. And this is how almond oil and castor oil can help your brows grow.