If, to borrow a well-worn phrase, the eyes are the window to your soul, then your eyebrows are the window frames. One of the most expressive parts of the human body, these little tufts of hair play a key role in communicating a wide range of feelings, from happiness and sadness to “What the hell is my ex-girlfriend doing here?” and “Yup, I definitely left the stove on”.

More plainly, though, eyebrows let other people know whether or not you take care of yourself. Like nails and facial hair, kempt brows are one of those minor details that, individually, seem rather inconsequential, but together have a very real effect on whether the first impression you make is more “sophisticate” than “Mr Groucho Marx”. So, here’s a handy five-step guide to better-looking brows.

Like the rest of your face, your brows need regular exfoliation. Sure, they’re predominantly hair, but the skin that lies beneath them is just as prone to collecting debris and dead skin cells. “Use a facial exfoliator once or twice per week,” says Ms Simone Green, senior consultant at barbershop Drakes of London. “Apply a pea-sized amount to the face and neck, taking care to gently rub through the eyebrow area as well, before wiping with a warm cloth and rinsing thoroughly.”

The key to a successful trim is first deciding the tools you need for the job: for men with especially large brows made up of long, thick hair, your thicket may be more swiftly thinned with a small comb and beard trimmer. But we wouldn’t recommend doing that at home. Instead, for more precision (and, consequently, less chance of ending up looking like Soulja Boy circa 2016), Ms Green recommends trimming with a pair of scissors – specifically curved brow or rounded-point scissors. “Brush your brows upwards with an eyebrow brush or fine-tooth comb to reveal any long, unruly hairs, and then carefully trim them down to size,” she says. Generally speaking, it’s better to start from the inside of the brow (near the nose), as this is usually where hairs tend to be longer.

Most eyebrows are home to a few lone rangers – those hairs that grow ever so slightly outside the brow’s natural arc. While trimming these hairs will lessen their conspicuousness, it’s best to give them their marching orders altogether. Which is where plucking comes in. “Using precision tweezers, pull out the hairs that lie outside of the brow’s natural line,” says Ms Green. “These could be above or underneath your eyebrows, or in the area between them at the top of the nose.” If you can’t quite make out where your browline starts and ends, it’s better to err on the side of caution. “Remove just half of what you think you need to,” says Mr Marcus Allen, global vice president of grooming emporium The Refinery. “It’s better to pluck too little than too much.” Mr Allen also recommends repeating the process every six weeks or so, depending on the rate at which your brows grow.

Once you’ve trimmed your brows down to size, it’s time to groom them. The first step? Brushing. Simple, yet effective, even well-barbered brows benefit from a quick brush that brings everything nicely into line. “Using an eyebrow brush or small, fine-tooth comb, brush the eyebrows up and out using light strokes,” says Mr Allen. “And don’t forget to follow the direction of the brow’s growth to give a natural-looking finish.” Not only does this leave your brows perfectly coiffed, it also helps rid them of any fluff or trimmed hairs that might otherwise spoil your efforts.

A trim and brush is probably enough preening for most men’s brows. But for those who prefer a more manicured effect, there are several ways in which to further enhance and define them. One such method is an eyebrow gel. The brow equivalent of the stuff you put in your hair, slick a little of this through your brows to more clearly define them, keep them in place after brushing as well as add a subtle, healthy-looking shine.