Brow Lamination Protocol

Brow lamination supplies checklist

Set everything out before the client arrives. A fully prepared station means fewer interruptions and a calmer, more confident service.

Keep your Brow Conditioning Oil visible on your station. Clients who see it are more likely to ask about it, and taking it home is the best thing they can do to keep their brows looking polished.

Step by step brow lamination protocol

Preparation

1. Take before photos from the front and at a slight angle. You will refer to them throughout the service and match them for your after photos.
2. Cleanse the brows with a baby shampoo mixture or cleansing solution on a cotton round, removing all makeup, oil, and product, since the solution cannot penetrate through buildup.
3. Protect the skin around the brows with a thin border of petroleum jelly applied with a cotton swab. It is not always required, but it is always the safer choice, especially for sensitive clients and anyone returning within six weeks of a previous lamination.

Step 1

1. Open the Step 1 packet and mix it lightly so nothing has separated.
2. Apply Step 1 with a doe wand or stick, coating every hair evenly and completely, and set your timer for the client's hair type using the processing times below.
3. Comb the hairs into the direction you want with a mascara wand or small dental brush. This is the shape you are working toward.
4. Cover right away with a reusable silicone cover or plastic wrap, and clean any product that has spread outside the brow with a cotton swab.
5. At the halfway mark, check and recomb. Lift the cover, assess the hairs, recomb, redistribute the product if needed, and clean up any excess. If the hair still feels stiff with no flexibility, add time in 30 second steps only.
6. Check at the estimated finish time. Gently bend one or two hairs. They should curve smoothly and return slowly rather than snapping straight back. If they bounce back quickly or will not bend, add time in 30 second steps.

7. Remove Step 1 in two passes. Lift the bulk with a dry cotton round or swab, then use a very slightly damp cotton round to neutralize and remove the rest. Do not move on until all of Step 1 is gone.

Step 2

1. Reapply the petroleum jelly border around the brows.
2. Open the Step 2 packet and mix it lightly, then apply it with a doe wand or stick so every hair is fully coated.
3. Set your timer for exactly the same time as Step 1.
4. Comb the hairs into their final position, cover with a silicone cover or plastic wrap, and clean excess product from the skin.
5. At the halfway mark, recomb and redistribute the product if needed.
6. Remove Step 2 in two passes, first with a dry cotton round or swab, then with a very slightly damp cotton round, and confirm all product is removed.

Waxing and tinting

These two steps can happen in either order, depending on the client's goals. Tint first for very light or sparse brows that need color before you make shaping decisions. Wax first for a significant reshape, so you have a clean canvas and do not tint hairs you are about to remove.

Waxing:

• Apply oil to the skin around the brow with a cotton swab before waxing. Small amounts of oil and witch hazel used carefully around, not on, the brow hairs will not affect the lamination.
• Brush the laminated hairs out of the way of the area you are waxing, and be precise, since laminated hairs cover more of the skin.
• Laminated brows offer a wider canvas, so take time with your consultation about long term shaping goals and check in with the client as you go.
• Wax and trim as you normally would, but trim with care. Hairs cut too short lose the weight they need to lie flat and can leave a spiky brow that is hard to style.
• Finish the area with witch hazel on a cotton swab around the brow.

Tinting:

• Protect the skin with petroleum jelly for clean lines, or keep tint remover on a cotton swab ready to clean edges as you go.
• Mix tint 1 to 1 with developer right before you apply it, since it starts processing the moment it is mixed.
• Most lamination clients only need Graphite regardless of natural color, because hair and skin are far more porous after the chemical process and absorb color much faster. Clients with dark brown or black brows can use their matching shade.
• Brush the tint on in the direction of the lamination so every hair is evenly coated, and remove any tint from the skin immediately, since skin stains easily after a lamination.
• Process for 30 seconds to 2 minutes while you watch closely. Most clients need only 30 seconds to 1 minute with Graphite after a lamination.
• Remove the tint before the color looks finished, because it keeps darkening after removal and even more so after a lamination. Work one brow at a time if you are unsure.
• Remove tint with a very slightly damp cotton round and a gentle touch, since the hairs are fragile right now.

Finishing

1. Apply Keratin Booster with a stick or doe wand and comb it through. This is when you set the final style: straight up for a full, fluffy brow, up and slightly out for a softer look, or straighter at the front and drawn out toward the tail for a more structured shape.
2. Check in with the client and confirm no waxing or styling changes are needed before they see the result.
3. Take after photos that match the angle and framing of your before photos.

How long do you process a brow lamination?

Processing time depends on hair thickness and density, not on a fixed timer. For most clients, 10 to 11 minutes per step is the sweet spot. Use this table as a starting point, and always confirm readiness with the flexibility test. You are the professional, so watch each client's brows and adjust the time to what you see.

When in doubt, start conservative and add time in 30 second steps. You can always add time, but you cannot undo overprocessing. Step 2 always processes for exactly the same time as Step 1, so set a separate Step 2 timer and do not change it.

The flexibility test

• The hair bends into a smooth curve when you push it, not a sharp bend.
• When you let go, it returns to its position slowly rather than snapping straight back.
• If the hair springs back instantly, it needs more time.
• If the hair bends limply with almost no resistance, stop, because it may be close to overprocessing.

Tinting after a brow lamination

Tinting after a lamination behaves very differently from tinting untreated brows. The chemical process opens the hair cuticle and makes both the hair and skin much more porous, so color that takes three minutes on a normal brow may be finished in 30 seconds after a lamination.

• Use Graphite for blonde, light brown, and medium brown brows, since the hair absorbs color intensely after a lamination.
• Use the matching dark brown or black tint for naturally dark brown or black brows.
• When in doubt, go lighter. You can add a second coat, but you cannot remove tint once it has set.
• Always remove tint before the color looks finished, because it keeps deepening as it oxidizes.

Brow lamination aftercare instructions for your clients

Share these steps with every client before they leave. Clients who follow their aftercare see longer lasting results and trust your recommendations, including your retail suggestions.

• No water, humidity, or sweat for the first 24 hours. Suggest washing the face with a washcloth and taking extra care around the brows for the first day.
• No makeup or products on the brows for 24 hours.
• No sleeping face down or rubbing the brow area, since the hairs are still flexible, especially in the first 24 hours.
• After 24 to 48 hours, begin conditioning the brows daily with Brow Conditioning Oil.
• A quick daily brush with a spoolie or a light hold brow gel helps with styling as the brows settle.
• Avoid sun exposure and exfoliation around the brows for 24 to 48 hours.
• Wait at least six weeks between laminations, and eight to ten weeks is better for long term brow health.

Send clients home with our Brow Lamination Aftercare Cards so the instructions go with them.

Retail recommendation: Brow Conditioning Oil

A lamination chemically reshapes the brow hair, so daily conditioning afterward matters. Brow Conditioning Oil nourishes and softens the hairs after the chemical process, helps keep them from feeling dry or brittle, and keeps brows looking polished between appointments. Clients who condition daily keep their brows looking their best between visits, and it is a natural moment to add retail to every ticket.

• A simple script: "I always send clients home with the brow oil. Starting in a day or two, it is the most important thing you can do to keep these looking great."
• Keep a bottle on your station where clients can see it, since curiosity starts the conversation for you.
• Stock it at half of retail in the Brow Conditioning Oil 3 Pack.

Tips and technique

Shaping

• Laminated brows show more of the hair's coverage than untreated brows, which gives you more flexibility for shaping and more responsibility.
• Talk through long term shaping goals before you pick up the wax stick, since what a client wants today may affect their options six months from now.
• Check in several times during the service: before waxing, after waxing, and after styling with Keratin Booster.
• Be conservative with trimming, since hairs cut too short cannot lie flat.

Petroleum jelly

A petroleum jelly border takes seconds and protects the skin from chemical contact. Prioritize it for sensitive skin and for clients returning within six weeks of a previous lamination, because a chemical burn on the surrounding skin has no quick fix.

Oil and witch hazel during the service

Small amounts of oil or witch hazel used to clean up tint or wax will not affect the lamination, as long as you apply them carefully around the brow hairs rather than saturating them. Work around the laminated hairs instead of wiping or rubbing over them.

Recognizing and preventing overprocessing

Overprocessing is the most serious technical error in a brow lamination, and there is no fix for breakage, so prevention is everything.

• Signs of overprocessing include hairs that look bent or kinked at the root, tips that look bent or curly instead of tapered, and hairs that feel brittle or break when touched.
• Always add time in 30 second steps, never in larger jumps.
• Near the upper end of the processing time, lift the cover and watch the hairs directly rather than relying on the timer.
• For minor overprocessing with no breakage, finish with Keratin Booster and have the client condition daily with Brow Conditioning Oil after the first 24 hours to keep the hairs soft and cared for.
• Be honest with the client if overprocessing happens, so they know how to care for their brows and what to watch for.

Brow lamination contraindications

Review these with every new client before you begin. When in doubt, reschedule rather than risk a reaction.

• Retinol or active skincare such as AHAs, BHAs, or vitamin C used within the last 72 hours
• Chemotherapy or a significantly compromised immune system
• A known allergy to perm solution or to any ingredient in Just The Strip products
• Pregnancy in the first trimester
• Active sunburn on or around the brows
• Microneedling or a chemical peel within the last one to two weeks, depending on the treatment

If a client shares any of these, do not proceed. Reschedule once it has cleared, and note the conversation in their client record. You can request safety data sheets for Step 1 Cream, Step 2 Cream, and Keratin Booster on our Safety Data Sheets page.

Frequently asked questions about this brow lamination protocol