Refectocil eyebrow dye experience?

[Elizabeth E]

Hi All!

I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but I figured it would belong here. I've gotten tired of putting mascara on and doing my eyebrows every day. My eyes are very dark brown, so I look a bit like an alien when my eyelashes aren't dark too. After three and a half years of plucking, I decided to embrace my natural eyebrow shape. However, my brows are pretty sparse and much lighter than my hair.
I've tried 2-step henna and indigo, but although it tints my eyebrows well, the colour goes out immediately when I put oil or any kind of lotion on. I've looked at a couple of different dyes and saw that Refectocil gets good reviews. But before I just go ahead and buy the dye and developer, I'd like some advice from people who use/have used Refectocil.

How long should I leave the dye on?
I know some people say 5 minutes while others recommend 15.
How long does it generally last?
Can I put castor oil on my eyebrows and eyelashes, or will it cause the dye to fade a lot?
Will it damage my hair?
(as I'm in the process of growing out my eyebrows, I don't want anything that can stunt growth)

Any advice is appreciated! :flower:

[Joules]

I used Refectocil when I was studying in makeup school (we had a"brow architecture" course), and I worked with it for some time.

How long should I leave the dye on?
10 minutes for hair only, 20 minutes if you want your skin to be tinted also.

How long does it generally last?
YMMV, but not very long. About 3 weeks at most. I'd personally recommend henna for eyebrows (not the same as regular henna for your head), it lasts pretty much until all your eyebrow hairs renew.

Can I put castor oil on my eyebrows and eyelashes, or will it cause the dye to fade a lot?
Most likely yes (another reason why I'd recommend henna). You can still use oil, you'll just have to re-dye more often.

Will it damage my hair?
Come on, it's just eyebrows and eyelashes, the individual hairs are 5-10 mm long and they renew within 2-4 months, who cares if they're damaged or not? It's not like they're gonna be split and frizzy :lol:

[Elizabeth E]

Thanks for replying, Joules :o

I'm glad to hear damage isn't something to worry about because even if the dye lasts only two weeks or so, that's still a long time of not having to fill in eyebrows/put on mascara.

[LittleHealthy]

I use this myself! I’m fair haired and use the brown, I leave it on 10 minutes. What Joules says is correct, really! I find after 2 weeks you get a bit patchy but you can just touch up those areas :) I wouldn’t use oil over the dye, my face oil sometimes gets on my brows and it definitely affects the longevity of the dye! Could be good to know if you want to speed the fading process though.

[Elizabeth E]

Okay, so I got the Refectocil dye in the shade Pure Black. I followed the instructions to mix it and left it on both my eyebrows and lashes for twenty minutes. I cannot believe how well the brows turned out - they look the way they do when I fill them in! It's been two days since I've dyed and there aren't any signs of fading yet, so I'm happy :D