The Instagram audience is a fickle one, and my thick eyebrows can be polarizing. The same photo will invite comments like, “brooooooows” followed by several heart-eyed smileys, and then something along the lines of, “ew, somebody get this girl some tweezers.” Well, I have tweezers, and they don’t remedy what is not an issue of stray hairs. I know that what’s bothering this (charming) second set is the overall wiry-ness. My brows have the width, length, and curl pattern of what many women only experience with their pubic region and despite any grooming efforts they will just be. Thanks dad!

I can pluck all Instagram wants but this won’t stop the long, looping hairs above from lapping over and disrupting any attempt at a shape-up. Sure I could trim, but the thick hairs are left with a blunt, sharp tip that looks hard and unnatural. Instead, after a suggestion from my mom, I’ve been applying deep conditioner to my brows to help calm the curl and smooth them into place. The one that works best for this (and which I had to re-up on this week, hence its One Thing status) is the fatty, thick Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask. I’ll usually do a facemask around 2-3 times a week, and take that time to throw the deep conditioner on my brows. The oils in the conditioner (olive, sweet almond, and something called meadowfoam) weigh down and smooth the hairs, making them softer and easy to brush, and stay, in place with some brow mascara. The healthy sheen is a bonus effect, but then there’s no pleasing Instagram user Christine, who is now creeped out by my “greasy brows.” Win some, lose some.

—Annie Kreighbaum

An easy way to win? Read up on everything brow-related in one easy-to-find place.