Every girl experiences the day where she wakes up, looks in the mirror, and thinks that her eyebrows are the victims of a werewolf mutation after a full moon. Some girls get waxed, some do threading, and the traditional ones do the elbow-grease-ridden task of tweezing. If you are the latter, attacking the thick brow without guidance can be painful, tiresome and grueling. Here are some common-sense tips to help get your eyebrows selfie-ready, without the drama and pain.

1. Pluck after a rub-a-dub-dub.
Warm showers can help open pores to help the brow hair slip out easier. If you find yourself already squeaky clean, an alternative is to heat up a cup of water for approximately 30 seconds in a microwave and apply with a washcloth, maintaining warm contact for a few minutes.

2. Like every good workout routine, stretch before.
Pinching your eyebrows and stretching them away from your forehead can help stretch the skin and expand the pores, helping the hairs be pulled easier. This is one I wouldn’t recommend doing in public, unless you’re ready for the looks of concern.

3. Use the right tool for the right job.
Using flat-edge tweezers can be great for pulling out stickers under your skin or for tough jobs, but in the case of the brows, break the bank and get yourself a good pair of sharp, slanted tweezers. If you already have a pair and you find it’s still difficult, it could be time to replace them. Oils from your skin and hair, as well as overuse, can cause tweezers to lose their grip on small hairs, which can cause you to lose your grip on sanity.

4. Home base; you’re safe.
Always pull from the base of the hair. Oftentimes, beginners who are more focused on the shaping of the brow, often pull from the tip, causing the tweezers to slip, or create too much pain at the pore. When shaping, find the hair out of place and follow it down to the root and pull from there for a less eye-tearing pull.

5. I’m on my plucking period!
Ladies, once a month, right before the miracle of uterus battles happens, your skin becomes the most sensitive. If possible, try to schedule your regiments of brow trimming away from this time.

6. Go with the flow.
Again, when focusing on the shaping aspect and the overall picture, it’s easy to forget to give each hair the proper attention it deserves. Simply plucking the hair in in the same direction as it grows can help reduce irritation. Failure to do so can cause tearing of skin and splitting of hair, meaning more effort in the long run.

7. Ice, ice, baby.
Heating the skin before plucking can help open the pores for smoother exits, but using an ice cube directly after the pluck can reduce redness and soreness.

Home remedies are definitely good substitute for market products. With these basic tips above, you’ll have eyebrows sharp enough to scare away the amateurs. Erase the pain and raise the talent. Dear readers, get selfie ready.