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Mustache Styling: 11 Essential Tips For An Incredible Stache

May 2, 2023
Mustache Styling: 11 Essential Tips For An Incredible Stache

Mustache styling is an art form that’s developed so much over the years. There’s already a huge amount of information on it out there already. 

But there are always those questions that plenty of people ask yet don’t get proper answers to. 

That’s what we’re addressing here. Some random but important questions on mustache styling that need clear answers. 

Let’s get to it. 

1. Should The Mustache Be Shorter Than The Beard? 

The mustache is usually kept the same length or shorter than the beard. Not so short that you aren’t able to train it to the sides or style it, but not so long that it creeps over the upper lip. 

The simplest and most effective way to trim the mustache would be by using a pair of mustache scissors. This allows you to be very precise, only snipping away at stray hairs or hairs that are too long. 

From 123RF

You could use a pair of trimmers or clippers to trim the mustache down, but you may end up taking too much off. In addition, it’ll trim the mustache down very evenly which looks more unnatural than when using scissors. 

Ultimately, you want the mustache to fit neatly and uniformly within the beard. But as the hair is often thicker and denser in the mustache area, you’ll find yourself trimming it a little shorter than the rest of your beard in order to make it look more uniform.

However, if you want the mustache to be more prominent like when you’ve got a Handlebar mustache and short beard, it may actually be a good idea to keep the mustache longer than the rest of the beard. 

2. Should Your Mustache Touch Your Nose? 

The mustache should not touch the nose. You should aim to leave a tiny strip of skin in between the bottom of the nose and the top of the mustache by snipping any stray hairs in between. 

The reason for this is that you don’t want the mustache to look like an extension of your nose hair. When it looks like the mustache is simply flowing out of your nostrils something has gone wrong. 

You want a clear but subtle separation between the nose and the mustache. This is the best way of keeping the upper border of the mustache looking well-groomed and neat. 

A good technique is to use mustache scissors to trim the upper border of the mustache at approximately a 45-degree angle downward to either side. 

Use the scissors to snip any hairs that lie too close to the nostrils. 

3. Should Your Mustache Grow Over The Lip? 

The mustache should not grow over the upper lip. This is a common grooming mistake; it leads to a mustache looking untidy and also interferes with eating. 

Trimming the mustache above the lip should be considered a priority. It can make the difference between an unruly mustache and an effective one. 

The best way of doing it is to comb it down first to see how far the mustache hair extends beyond the lip. Then, using a pair of mustache scissors, snip the edges that crawl over the border of the upper lip. 

Be careful not to snip off too much. You still want the mustache long enough to eventually train it to the sides and style it. 

Even if you don’t want to style it to the sides and prefer to allow the mustache to lie vertically downward, ensuring it doesn’t extend beyond the lip is still important. 

4. How Do You Keep A Mustache From Curling Into The Mouth?

To keep a mustache from curling into the mouth you’ll want to ensure that it’s kept clean and the edges are snipped regularly using mustache scissors. In addition, mustache styling products such as balm and wax will help keep it in place. 

Although trimming is the most important factor here, people underestimate the power that basic styling products can have when trying to prevent mustache hair from getting into the mouth. 

For example, a couple of drops of mustache oil makes the hair more responsive and easier to keep under control. 

In addition, a mustache comb will keep it straighter and flatter and make it easier to style. 

Over time, you’ll most likely want to train the mustache to lie to the sides instead of vertically downward toward the mouth. Cleaning, oiling, and combing will make it easier for you to twist it into place like this. 

Using a styling product with some hold like balm or wax will help to keep it in place. 

Mustache hair curling into the mouth is a very common problem that can be bad enough to put men off from growing one altogether. But the key to solving it is actually just adopting simple grooming techniques. 

5. What Should You Do If A Mustache Is Long But Thin?

If your mustache is long but thin, try to make it look thicker by trimming the hairs to an even length, brushing it regularly, and applying some mustache balm or wax.

Although many mustaches start to fill themselves out as they grow longer, some men may find that their mustache remains thin despite growing it long. 

In these instances, one thing to consider is whether the uneven lengths of the mustache hairs is making it look patchier. 

In other words, having long mustache hairs lying immediately next to short mustache hairs is making it look thin and uneven. 

Try snipping and trimming to make the mustache hairs more even in length. This will make it look more uniform and this alone often makes it look thicker. You can keep the average mustache length long, but it shouldn’t look as thin anymore. 

Brushing is also a great habit to get into when you’ve got a long mustache. After three to four weeks of growth, you should really start brushing your beard or mustache

Use a boar bristle beard brush to brush the mustache daily. This will train it to lie straighter and flatter, and will also redistribute natural oils across the mustache. Over time, it should start to make the mustache look thicker and fuller. 

Finally, applying products like mustache balm or wax is a great way to make a long mustache look less thin. 

Twisting the mustache to the sides using some product like this will cause the mustache hairs to clump and stick together. This should close some gaps between the mustache hairs and lead it to look fuller and more cohesive as a result. 

6. Can Men Pluck Their Mustache Hair? 

Although it’s possible for men to pluck their mustache hair, it isn’t practical and can lead to some irritation. Trimming with mustache scissors is a quicker and more effective option. 

The area of the mustache that is most tempting to pluck is just beneath the nose. 

As you want a clear separation between the bottom of the nose and the top of the mustache, it can be tempting to pluck any stray hairs that lie in this region. 

But as this sort of area can be quite dense and thick, it’s often better to simply trim this area. Plucking can be painful, slow, and ineffective. 

7. What To Do If Your Mustache Is Lighter Than Your Beard? 

It’s quite common for the mustache to be a lighter shade than the rest of the beard. Facial hair is often a range of different shades, but you’ll most likely notice the color start to even itself out as it grows and fills in. 

So, if it bothers you, patience is often all that’s necessary. As the beard and mustache grow thicker and longer, the shade will most likely become a little more uniform (although not completely). 

In fact, it can look quite unnatural when the whole beard and the mustache are exactly the same shade. 

If you’ve given it enough time to fill itself in and still aren’t liking the difference in color between your beard and mustache, dyeing the mustache is an option. 

You can choose to dye the entire beard and mustache, or simply dye the mustache to make it more closely resemble that of the rest of the beard. 

But try not to make it all look exactly the same color – this can make it appear quite obvious that you’ve dyed it. 

8. What If One Side Of A Mustache Is Thicker? 

It’s common for one side of the mustache to be thicker than the other. If you aren’t willing to embrace it, try growing out the entire mustache to see if it evens out. Alternatively, trim one side to make it appear more even. 

As is the case with a lot of facial hair problems, growing it out longer will often make it look better. 

Once you’ve grown it out, you’ll be able to trim the longer or thicker side more easily to make it appear more similar to the other side. 

Sometimes, it’s a difference in shade or color that makes one side of the mustache appear thicker. If this may be the case, dyeing the mustache so that it’s a more uniform color can make this difference in thickness look less obvious. 

But at the end of the day, it’s more than likely that other people don’t notice this asymmetry as much as you do. Asymmetrical beards and mustaches are very common – so much so that it can be considered the norm. 

A perfectly symmetrical mustache may sound appealing, but it can actually look unnatural sometimes. 

9. Does Beard Oil Work On Mustaches? 

Yes, beard oil can be used on mustaches. It’s a great way to moisturize the mustache and also add an appealing scent. Beard oil also makes the mustache hair more responsive and easier to comb and style. 

It adds a nice, gentle sheen to the mustache that often makes it look fuller. 

Although specific “mustache oils” exist, using the same oil that you use on the rest of your beard (i.e beard oil) is fine. 

Sometimes, owning too many different grooming products can become overwhelming and reduce the likelihood of you using any of them. 

A great way to distribute the beard oil through the mustache is to use a mustache comb to comb it through. 

It’s a good way to prevent the beard oil from accumulating in any particular area of the mustache and causing clumping. Instead, it’ll distribute the oil evenly throughout the mustache and from root-to-tip. 

10. How Often Should You Oil A Mustache? 

Try to oil the mustache once a day. Doing so after you wash the mustache and just before you comb it is a good habit to get into. 

One drop should be enough for the majority of men as it’s a small area to cover. 

Although some men do oil their mustache more than once a day, it’s usually not necessary and could lead to wasting the product. 

Beard oil and mustache oil aren’t cheap – you’ll want to be sure that you’re using them efficiently and cost-effectively. 

If, however, you wash and dry your mustache in the middle of the day, you may want to add a drop to top up. 

11. Are Mustaches Professional? 

A mustache can look professional as long as it’s clean and well-groomed. It can add an air of maturity, experience, and confidence in the workplace. 

However, no matter how professional the rest of your aesthetic may be, a poorly-groomed and untidy mustache will never look appropriate in the workplace. 

This is why regularly trimming and proper styling are so important, particularly when rocking a mustache with no beard. In these instances, the entire focus is on the mustache – it’s front-and-center and so you’ll need to make sure it looks the part. 

A well-groomed mustache usually won’t be a problem for a job interview except in the most traditional, strict, and conservative of workplaces. 

If you aren’t sure, however, it may be a good idea to drop the mustache for the interview and introduce it when you get the job. The main reason for this is that you don’t want it to affect your confidence. 

If you spend even an ounce of your energy wondering whether your interviewer is into the mustache or not, it isn’t worth it. You don’t want that sort of distraction messing up your experience. 

To sum that all up, mustaches should be fine for most workplaces, but keeping them tidy really is the utmost priority. 

Conclusion

There may be a whole lot more to mustache styling, but that wasn’t the point of this article. 

The point was to plug the holes in the vast amount of information out there to answer some of the frequently asked questions that rarely get answered properly. 

Hope it helped. Happy styling.