When it comes to eyebrow grooming, the right tweezers can make a noticeable difference in speed, comfort, and results. The best options blend precise grip, gentle handling, and thoughtful design elements such as rubberized grips and protective caps. Among popular picks, Tweezerman Slant Tweezer stands out for decades of reliable performance, featuring properly sharpened, thin, angled tips that slide beneath fine hairs and grip with minimal skin irritation. The free sharpening service is a notable bonus, even though it may entail a delay or require a backup pair during the wait.
Properly sharpened and thin enough to slide under even the finest hairs, the slanted tips handily grip most targets. “You wouldn’t think the thickness of the tips could make such a difference,” said one long-term tester who’s had the same pair for more than a decade. “But especially when you’re shimmying them under baby-fine hairs that lie flat against your skin, you get the sense that every nanometer counts, almost as much as the sharpness.”
There is such a thing as too sharp, though: Once you cross into that territory, a tweezer may be prone to pinching, as some testers found with the Rubis Swiss Cross Classic Tweezers. The Tweezerman Slant pair’s angled tips are thin, sharp, and grippy enough to pluck even the finest hairs. Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter
Then there are the multitudes of graphics and colors, which are fun, sure, but also helpful. A bit of brightness goes a long way toward making a small tool stand out in a crowded drawer or toiletry bag. Nicola tidies up her arches with the nimble Tweezerman Slant Tweezer. Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Not all Tweezerman pairs are eligible for free sharpening; those with painted tips, for example, are not. And once you ship a pair off for sharpening (at your own expense), it can take up to two months to get back to you. So you might want to buy a backup pair if you plan to use the service. The occasional tiny hair may elude these tweezers. The protective cap that comes with the Tweezerman Slant is small, clear, and easy to lose. Most tweezer caps are like this, though.
Best for splinters and ingrown hairs: Tweezerman Ingrown Hair/Splintertweezer
This pair’s sharp, pointy tips are ideal for digging out foreign objects. And like our other pick, these tweezers come with a free (if slow) sharpening service. Although we used it less often than our Slant pick, the long-nosed, pointy-tipped Tweezerman Ingrown Hair/Splintertweezer has provided sweet relief when unwelcome objects have embedded themselves in our skin. Those include - but certainly aren’t limited to - the titular ingrown hairs and splinters. In the hands of our geographically diverse testers, these tweezers have also successfully removed sea urchin spines from a surfer’s feet in Hawaii, cactus needles from a toddler’s legs in Arizona, and stubborn ticks from various body parts across the Northeast. (While the CDC suggests using any clean, fine-tipped tweezers for tick removal, you may want a specialized pair or kit if you live in an especially buggy area.)
The Tweezerman Ingrown Hair/Splintertweezer’s pointed tips help excavate tricky targets. Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter
Like our top pick, the Ingrown Hair/Splintertweezer comes with a free service that helps keep the tips extra sharp. And as the sea urchin-spine remover noted, the wide grip is also helpful for holding the tweezers steady, though these days, he uses them mostly for wood splinters. “It is very effective in cleanly removing them,” he said.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Some testers have found that rather than gripping every ingrown hair, these tweezers sometimes slide off - or slice - the hair. Not all Tweezerman tweezers are eligible for free sharpening; those with painted tips are not, for example. And once you send a pair off for sharpening (at your own expense), it can take up to two months to get back to you. So you might want to buy a backup pair if you plan to use the service. The protective cap that comes with the Tweezerman Slant is small, clear, and easy to lose. Most tweezer caps are like this, though.
How we picked and tested
Sticking to products that are well reviewed, widely available, and recommended by health and beauty experts, our testers have tried dozens of tweezers. During successive trials in the years since this guide was first published, in 2013, we’ve plucked facial and body hair - and at times splinters, cactus prickers, and sea urchin spines. Along the way, we’ve evaluated tweezers on the following criteria:
- The right tip shape for the job: For brows, moles, and random strays, we looked for tweezers with wide, flat tips and angled edges that can slide beneath a hair and grip it without cutting it (or pinching the skin). We prioritized pointy tips for extracting ingrown hairs, splinters, cactus spines, and the like.
- Sharpness: Sharp tips are essential for firmly gripping tiny objects. We nixed tweezers that were dull out of the box or that became dull quickly after we started using them.
- Thinness: Too-thick tips are hard to slide under super-fine hairs.
- A color range: While there’s nothing wrong with classic black or silver, we appreciated tweezers that offered some optional personality. After all, bright and/or patterned tweezers are easier to find in a crowded drawer or makeup bag.
Why you should trust us: Abbie Kozolchyk has covered grooming tools for decades - first as a beauty editor at women’s magazines and now as the senior staff writer on Wirecutter’s beauty and personal-care team. Shannon Palus tested countless health products during her tenure at Wirecutter. We review and test products with complete editorial independence, and we are never made aware of any business implications of our editorial recommendations. You can read more about our editorial standards here.
The competition
Testers who used Arches & Halos Tweezers on brows reported a nice squeezing resistance and great tip angle. But the tips were almost too sharp, and they sometimes cut hairs close to the surface. Beauty Secrets offers an array of adorably shaped and patterned Novelty Tweezers. But what gets lost in the $2 bargain, testers said, is sharpness and precision. Brow Code Professional Eyebrow Tweezers were too long and slim for some testers to grasp securely. The Japonesque Slant Tweezers did an okay job for the price ($10), but the tips couldn’t shimmy under super-fine hairs as well as our Tweezerman Slant pick. Plus, the tweezers dulled after just a few months of weekly use, and Japonesque does not have a sharpening service. KS&Co X Rubis Angled Tweezers offered excellent tension and grip but at a high price. The Nippes Stainless Steel Slant Pink performed well but lacked the color range or sharpening service. The Regine Switzerland Slant Tip performed well but is more than twice the price of the Tweezerman Slant. The Rubis Swiss Cross Classic tweezers were so sharp that some testers pinched themselves. The TweezerGuru Professional Stainless Steel Slant Tip was hard to maneuver for some testers. The Revlon Expert Tweezers Slant Tip dulled easily and required more force to close.
Key item features PRECISE PLUCKING - LEADER professional precision eyelash tweezers have perfectly aligned precision-ground tips with a strong wide for better grip and optimal tweezing control and execution. PRECISION TIP - Slant-end tweezers for precise brow grooming and removal of stray unwanted hairs. Easy to shape the eyebrows and modify the delicate contours of the face. EASY GRIP - Rubberized pad for improved grip and comfort. A non-slip grip provides maximum comfort and control for a smooth, clean pull. Grab and pull the hair from the roots easily, effortlessly every time! Versatile: Suitable for various grooming tasks, including eyebrow shaping, facial hair removal, and extracting splinters or ingrown hairs. Professional Quality: LEADER tweezers are designed for professional-level precision and are suitable for use at home or in a salon.
Specs Current price is $6.50
