Different Approach
Regarding Hairstrokes, pattern design is intricately related to the structure, location, density, and length of the client's natural brow hair. Starting artists often underestimate this, compromising the artistic quality of their Hairstrokes brows. While almost all artists claim to consider the client's natural brow characteristics in powder brows and microblading, the situation with Hairstrokes is different. Natural hair's actual importance and structure are much more critical in hairstrokes. Much More Attention to Detail Experienced artists don't view the natural brow area merely as a canvas for replication. They envision the healed result and how it will transform, including retouching. They ask themselves, "To what extent will the added Hairstrokes differ from the initial situation?"
Only after confirming that the Hairstrokes will blend seamlessly with the client's natural hair do they select a pattern with an appropriate backbone and guiding lines. Many artists have admitted they would not continue the procedure if they realized the machine-created strokes would look significantly different from the natural hair, often due to limitations in how much the created Hairstrokes can curve and bend. Starting artists often analyze natural hair too little and apply a pattern over the existing brow. This approach results in minimal blending and a less natural appearance than achievable. Artists must pay close attention to the natural hair and carefully select a pattern that complements and enhances the client's unique features.
Pattern Density and Retention
Many starting artists don't fully grasp the foundational concept of Hairstrokes patterns. Unlike microblading or other techniques, the primary goal of third-wave Hairstrokes is to achieve a natural look at the level of the entire brow, not just at the level of a single stroke. This fundamental distinction is what sets Hairstrokes apart from microblading.
For instance, in microblading, the blade with a row of needles excels at creating realistic individual hairlines. The sharp linear cut is highly effective at mimicking natural brow hair at the level of one line or a combination of lines forming a stroke element. However, the issue with this is retention. Both empirical evidence and biological studies have shown that the damage to the collagen network, possible inconsistent depth, and repeated cuts to the same skin area cause these lines to blur. If blurring doesn't occur during the healing phases, which it often does, especially with organic pigments or on oily and thick skin, or if the cuts are made too deep into the hypodermis, causing migration, it will eventually happen over time. Therefore, while microblading may look nice and sharp immediately after the procedure, such realism does not last due to the inherent issues with the technique.
In contrast, with Hairstrokes, the approach is broader and more holistic. It focuses on the overall appearance and flow of the brow rather than the sharpness or detail of individual strokes. This approach is more forgiving and adaptable to the natural changes and movements of the skin, leading to better retention and a more consistently natural look over time. Artists venturing into Hairstrokes must understand this fundamental difference and adjust their techniques and expectations accordingly.
The True Challenges with Hairstrokes Patterns
The lines in Hairstrokes patterns are typically longer and darker in the center, with stroke elements in the pattern considerably less dense. This means that when a stroke line or element in Hairstrokes is analyzed, there is a clear and undeniable discrepancy compared to natural brow hair. Often, no human hair has such exact strength and length found in brows. Similarly, in most cases, there is less density in the natural brow hair of human brows. However, this concept is not the weakness of Hairstrokes but its strength. If executed correctly, the result of such a pattern will mimic natural brows even better over time, producing a healed result that is natural, blends with the brow, and looks considerably more like Hairstrokes than a too-dense pattern made with microblading, which often looks sharp only right after the procedure.
The Mistakes Beginners Make
In comparison, there's no doubt that a sharp and dense microblading pattern can resemble actual brow hair more closely than Hairstrokes, but that effect lasts only a few days after the procedure. The real strength of Hairstrokes is that they will look natural from a bit of distance permanently - all through their healing. Thus, the mistake many artists make when starting with Hairstrokes, especially those who have done microblading before, is to make the strokes too short, trying to mimic natural brow hair too closely, as they are still influenced by the "microblading effect." The key to success lies in completely resetting the approach to pattern creation and understanding the conceptual difference: the idea is to mimic reality at the level of the brow, not at the level of a single hairstroke as a line inside the brow.
If not done correctly, one must understand that migration and blurring of the strokes can be an actual problem with Hairstrokes. This means that migration will occur if the strokes are made too short, the pattern is too dense, and too much pressure is applied so that the needle reaches the hypodermis. However, the very concept of making fewer, longer lines enables minimizing this to an extent where it is no longer an actual issue.
