I Used Frownies For 30 Nights—Here’s What Happened

If you’ve ever so much as dipped your toe into the world of non-toxic beauty, chances are you’ve heard of Frownies. The brand’s flagship product, Forehead Facial Patches, has been around since 1889, but they’ve shaken up the beauty scene particularly in the past half-decade as a crunchy girl’s alternative to Botox. The product promises a reduction in expression lines on the forehead that rivals the results seen from injectable anti-aging procedures. 

Understandably, the brand has its share of skeptics: how could something as simple as a facial patch deliver results similar to expensive injections? But for every one skeptic there’s a diehard Frownies fan who’s seen firsthand just how effective these humble facial patches can be. One thing seems certain: when it comes to Frownies’ success, seeing is believing. So to see if Frownies genuinely live up to the hype, I wore them for thirty nights in a row. 

To be clear, I’ve used Frownies before to reduce expression lines on my forehead, but I’ve never used them consistently. As such, my results have varied. On mornings after using Frownies overnight, I would like what I saw in the mirror. But as the day wore on, the wrinkles returned. And that’s to be expected. The trick to achieving a wrinkle-free forehead with Frownies is making it a habit. This 30 day experiment was my way of seeing just how much my set-in expression lines could be reduced with consistent Frownies usage.

What Are Frownies?

The original Frownies Facial Patch was created in 1889 by Margaret Kroesen for her daughter Alice as a way to soften the fine lines that formed while Alice played the piano. It remained one of Hollywood’s best-kept beauty secrets throughout the twentieth century, and was a favorite beauty product among the Kennedy women. To this day, the brand remains family-owned and operated and is currently in its fifth generation.  

In a recent interview on Alex Clark’s Culture Apothecary podcast, fifth-generation Frownies owner Helen Morrison explained that the brand’s sales have increased tenfold since 2020. This boom is likely due to an increased skepticism of pharmaceutical products like Botox, and a simultaneous rise in demand for natural anti-aging solutions. 

Since you’re likely an ingredients girl (I see you spending twenty extra minutes in the grocery store scanning each label), let’s start there. The ingredients listed on a box of Frownies are refreshingly simple: natural-weighted, unbleached kraft paper, and starch-based, water-activated adhesive. To put it in even more succinct terms: sticky paper. That’s all. Compare that to the ingredients list for a dose of Botox and you’ll wonder how the two products could ever be put in the same category. 

So how exactly do facial patches work? Just like their ingredients list, Frownies’ methodology is straightforward. According to the Frownies website, “Frownies Facial Patches for wrinkles act similar to a splint or cast where it helps limit expressive facial movements. History shows, fine lines and wrinkles caused by repeated facial expressions can be relaxed.” In other words, wearing Frowines overnight inhibits movement of your facial muscles while you sleep, giving your forehead a chance to rest. Theoretically, this 7-9 hour freeze diminishes the appearance of expression lines, meaning you’ll wake up to a smoother forehead. By wearing Frownies night after night, those forehead muscles become more relaxed in general, which reduces the appearance of wrinkles long-term. 

My Results

So how effective were Frownies for reducing my forehead expression lines? Let’s take a look: 

You’ll notice I still have expression lines on my forehead after my 30-day experiment. But to me, the finer lines are much less noticeable and the deeper expression lines appear less set-in. Keep in mind, these photos were both taken at the end of the day, when our wrinkles are most prominent. 

Here’s what my forehead looked like on the morning of day 31, immediately after removing my Frownies: 

You’ll notice my forehead looks a lot smoother first thing in the morning, since the expression lines set in more as I move my face throughout the day. 

The Verdict 

Do I wish my results were more drastic? Sure. It would have been nice to say see you never to my forehead lines altogether. But I also know that’s not realistic. There’s no way my expression lines – which I first noticed about five years ago – could vanish in thirty days using Frownies alone. If the goal was to get rid of my forehead wrinkles quickly, Botox would have been a better route. 

Which leads me to my next point: Of course, I could have had more dramatic and immediate results from Botox. But I wanted a more natural solution for my deepening expression lines, and that’s exactly what Frownies delivered. It’s a trade off. Using Frownies instead of Botox means it will take longer for me to see results, but I won’t have to deal with Botox’s sketchy ingredients and side-effects. 

It may take months for my wrinkles to disappear to the point where I can cut back on using Frownies every night, but at $25 per box (compared to the national average of $450 per treatment of Botox), that’s an expense I’m willing to take on. 

In short, I’m willing to play the long game for a product that naturally reduces signs of aging – which means Frownies fits the bill. 

Tips and Tricks 

There were a few things I wish I had done differently from the onset of my Frownies experiment. Learn from my mistakes so you can have a smooth forehead in less time! 

Overlap Your Patches: This is the biggest piece of advice I can give you for quicker results. Frownies are perforated so that you can apply them as squares or as smaller triangles. Your best bet is to break them up into triangles and overlap them. That’s because when the patches overlap, they become stronger, further prohibiting muscle movement that leads to expression lines. When I started overlapping, I saw more drastic results in the morning, even though I applied the same number of Frownies in the exact same formation.  

Start as early as possible: Frownies work best as a preventative measure, so get ahead of it. Start using them at the first sign of expression lines – or even earlier.

Cover your whole forehead: I get it. It’s tempting to cut corners during your evening routine, stick a couple Frownies squares on your forehead and call it a night. But resist the urge. A larger Frownies cast means your facial muscles will move less, which means fewer wrinkles. 

Wait a few seconds after wetting so they can get sticky: A stickier cast is a tighter cast, which means less muscle movement and a smoother forehead. Trust me, it’s worth the extra few seconds. 

Final Thoughts 

So was my thirty day Frownies experiment worth it? Absolutely. While I don’t have the perfectly wrinkle-free forehead that I could have achieved if I had gotten Botox, my expression lines have certainly softened. Furthermore, I’ve noticed that I move my forehead and eyebrows less throughout the day since using Frownies which will expedite the wrinkle-reduction process. It took some time to get into the habit of applying my Frownies at night, but once I made it part of my routine I barely gave it a second thought. 

If you’re looking for an affordable, natural way to reduce and prevent wrinkles on your forehead, and you’re willing to play the long game, Frownies are a no-brainer.