Learn how to properly trim and shape a mustache to keep it looking groomed and stylish. Find out, too, how to get the perfect chevron, horseshoe, or waxed handlebar.
Trimming and Shaping a Mustache
I’ve sported a mustache my entire adult life, regardless of fashion. People compliment me on it, and it’s probably the first thing they notice about me.
It was originally inspired during the 80s by Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds, which may explain why I usually keep it in a neatly trimmed chevron. But I have ventured into the realms of the handlebar and, briefly, the horseshoe.
Wearing a stand-alone mustache successfully is basically a question of finding a style and shape you feel comfortable with, as well as keeping it properly trimmed and groomed.
Based on a wealth of experience, let me show you how this is best done.
How Often Should You Trim a Mustache?
Trim your mustache about once a week. If you dye it to cover grays or even out color, do this before you trim. The color will then seem less saturated and more natural.
How to Trim a Mustache
What You Need
- Mustache, hairdressing, or straight nail scissors
- Hair or beard clippers (optional)
- A fine-tooth comb (preferably a seamless carbon or hand-sawn mustache comb)
- An extra hand mirror
- Good lighting
Source: The Neat and Tidy Man
Source: The Neat and Tidy ManTrimming a Mustache With Scissors and Clippers
Use scissors to reduce length and clippers to tidy and reduce bulk.
- Comb your mustache downwardly.
- Using the lip as a guide, snip along the lower contour with only the point of the scissors in order that you’re not cutting too much hair at once. This will give more accurate results. If you wet your mustache, remember that it will appear shorter after it’s dried; with some experience, you’ll know instinctively how much to cut off.
- Run the electric clippers over your mustache downwardly. Use a longer size guard if you only want to clip hairs that don’t lie flat, and a shorter one to thin and reduce bulk. Until you’ve gained more experience, it’s best to start with a longer guard to prevent cutting off too much hair.
- Comb again and trim away any hairs that stick out at the sides with scissors.
Trimming a Mustache Without Clippers
If you don’t have clippers, you can tidy and reduce bulk with a comb and scissors, as barbers do. The comb basically serves as a guard, but getting the mustache symmetrical is more difficult than with clippers, especially if you want to thin out more radically.
Tidying
- Run the comb lightly over one half of the mustache at such an angle that hairs not lying flat poke through its teeth (see photo above).
- Snip away offending hairs, working from the center.
- Trim the other half of the mustache in the same way.
- Comb and trim away any hairs that stick out at the sides.
After you’ve finished, use an extra hand mirror to view the profile, checking that all hairs lie flat.
Thinning
Hold the comb upside down and push it under the mustache. Pull it slightly away from you until only the hair length you want to trim pokes through the teeth (see photo above).
Trimming the Philtrum
Cut a nick into the center of the mustache at the bow of the lip. This suggests the philtrum (the groove that runs between the nose and mouth), which is considered one of the most attractive features of the human face.
You may have noticed that the actor James Franco’s philtrum remains completely bare when wearing a mustache.
Source: The Neat and Tidy ManKeeping the Perimeters Tidy
When shaving, pull the ends of your mustache inwards to remove stubble from the perimeters and maintain definition.
To prevent your nose hair from connecting to your mustache, trim beneath the nostrils with a Wilkinson Sword Precision Styler or similar.
How to Shape and Style a Mustache
The three most popular mustache styles today are the chevron, the horseshoe, and the handlebar.
Which you choose depends mostly on your personality. The handlebar is certainly for the more extroverted. The horseshoe suits the free-spirited. And the chevron is for the man who wishes to emphasize his masculinity.
The Chevron
The most famous wearers of the chevron are probably Tom Selleck and the late Burt Reynolds. It’s also the style I am wearing in the demonstration photos above.
Trimming a Chevron Mustache
Keep the ends more or less level with the corners of your mouth, and trim along the lip line or just below it. You can allow it to get bushy, but make sure it’s always tidy.
If your face is very thin, it’s recommended to shave the ends so that the mustache is no wider than the mouth. You may need to do this, too, if you’re in military service. Trimming above the lip line is often another stipulation.
If your mustache is thick enough, you can grow out a chevron until it covers the top lip or even the whole mouth. You then have what is known as a “walrus.” This style looks super manly, but eating and drinking can become awkward—the reason I’ve always ended up trimming it back.
The Horseshoe
The horseshoe is named not only after its shape (an upside-down horseshoe), but also after those who traditionally favor it: truckers and bikers. It is, however, typically associated with Hulk Hogan.
The horseshoe, trucker, or biker mustache is basically a chevron with ends that extend to the chin, which are referred to as “pipes.”
Shaping Your Mustache to a Horseshoe
The easiest way to create the horseshoe is by first growing a goatee. When length and thickness are substantial, simply shave the chin area, leaving the “pipes” intact.
Men with long faces should avoid this style.
By the way, if you find growing a stand-alone mustache uncomfortable due to remarks and criticism from your social or professional circle, start with a goatee, work your way up to a horseshoe, then trim off the pipes to leave a chevron. For some reason, people tend to accept full beards and goatees more readily than mustaches.
The Waxed Handlebar
The handlebar is so called because it resembles the handlebars of a bicycle.
As you can see in the photo below, I’ve often enjoyed wearing one. The trouble is, it draws attention, which is the reason I’ve always ended up cutting the handlebars off.
It’s also high maintenance.
Trimming and Shaping Your Mustache to a Handlebar
Some men part their mustache at the philtrum and brush it towards each end, where it is then curled, either with or without wax. I find this uncomfortable, and it looks scruffy on me.
For a groomed appearance, I trim the main body as I would a chevron so that it can be combed downwardly, but let the ends grow. After a couple of weeks, I’m able to start curling with wax.
Source: The Neat and Tidy ManWhich Mustache Wax?
Choice of mustache wax depends on the type of curl you want. For a natural look, use a soft-setting product, like Taylor’s of Old Bond Street. For a more defined curl or a coiled look, go for something that sets stiffly and holds firmly, like Brother’s Love Bavarian Moustache Styling Pomade. This is available in clear and hazelnut.
Most men find a stiff-setting wax better during the early stages of growth.
If the main body is unruly, keep it under control with a soft-setting wax and “train” it by daily brushing with a natural bristle brush, either boar or sisal.
By the way, while reading an online beard and mustache board, I discovered that many men apply non-toxic, water-based glues like Pritt Stick in place of wax. These are PVC- and solvent-free. I decided to give it a go and this is what I am using in the above photo. It is fairly stiff-setting, long-lasting, and easily washed out with water. It could be worth a try before investing in wax.
How to Apply Mustache Wax
Your mustache should be completely dry before applying wax.
- Rub a tiny portion between your thumb and index finger.
- Spread the wax through the length of one end only, then shape to an upturned curl. Work quickly if using a stiff-setting product to prevent it from balling up.
- Do the same on the other end.
- Inspect for perfect symmetry and tweak if necessary.
If applying wax to the main body, use a mustache brush or a soft toothbrush, working from the philtrum outwardly.
Caring for Your Mustache
The market is saturated with beard and mustache care products. There are balms, shampoos, butters, creams, and oils, to name a few. I have tried them all, but nothing works better than my daily regimen.
The best thing I ever did for my mustache was stop using hot water. For about a year I’ve been showering and shaving cold.
Cold water closes the hair cuticle to lock in moisture, lending a smoother appearance. Hot water has the opposite effect: it opens the cuticle and strips the hair of its natural oils.
I used to cleanse my face and mustache with a soap-free facewash. But due to lathering problems in cold water, I substituted this for a superfatted curd soap, which seems to have contributed to the fantastic condition of my skin and mustache—I at least correlate it with this.
Once or twice a week I treat it with Men’s Master Repigmenting Gray Hair Shampoo, a conditioning product that tones down grays. This I apply to dry hair using a brush, leaving it on for five minutes.
Directly upon leaving the shower, I tease my mustache into shape with a Kent hand-sawn comb. I then apply skincare products (moisturizers), which I also distribute into my mustache. When dry, I go over it with a boar-bristle brush, which smooths the cuticle and stimulates circulation for stronger growth. As already mentioned, a natural bristle brush is also great to train a wiry mustache or one that refuses to grow in the desired direction.
© 2024, J. Richardson. All rights reserved.
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