How to Grow a Mustache

Co-authored by Timmy Yanchun

Last Updated: October 26, 2022 References

Growing a mustache is a great way to transform your look. If you're tired of waiting for your mustache to grow in, or you're not sure what style mustache you should go with, don't worry! There are steps you can take to help your mustache grow faster and also to find the right style mustache for your face.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Growing Your Mustache Out

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Be patient with your facial hair growth. Though your facial hair may grow quite quickly, it may take several weeks to over a month to grow in fully, depending on the type of mustache you want to sport, and the speed that your beard grows in. It can take a while, so try not to rush it.
- Contrary to popular belief, trimming your beard regularly does not cause it to "grow back thicker." It's not always bad advice though: This is often a way to convince guys with bad-looking facial hair to shave off that peach fuzz and wait until it starts coming in a little thicker.
- You can use some basic good-health techniques to promote facial hair growth to speed up the process. Maintaining a diet high in protein, saturated fat, and Vitamins A, E, and C, getting enough exercise and rest, and–above all–keeping your face clean and well-groomed, can help promote facial hair growth in men.
2
Grow out your beard first. The hair on top of your lip can look a little thin at first. If you want to avoid some initial awkwardness, consider growing out all your facial hair first, and then trimming the rest of the beard off when the mustache is thicker, or progressively trimming everything except your mustache to make the transition less abrupt.^{[1]
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- Trim and maintain your beard while you nurture your soon-to-be mustache.^{[2]
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Invest in a good quality trimmer. Any time you're sculpting facial hair, it's a good idea to invest in a beard trimmer to make the job easier.^{[3]
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Research source} It's easier to shape your mustache accurately with an electric trimmer than with a basic razor you'd use to take all the hair off completely.
- Usually, you can get a decent rechargeable beard trimmer for $15-20, available at most retail stores. They'll come with a variety of guard shapes and sizing options, making it easy to keep your mustache in shape.
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Trim what you don't want. Most basic mustaches extend just about down to the sides of the mouth, leaving the hair atop the lip untouched. All it takes to shape a basic mustache is shaving off any facial hair you don't want. This usually means everything on your cheeks, under and along your jaw, and around your mouth, except your top lip.^{[4]
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- After trimming the basic shape you want, leave your mustache alone. Shave or continue trimming the other areas of your facial hair growth regularly to keep your mustache standing out above the rest of the hair in your beard.
- It's sometimes common for some kinds of hair, to let some of the beard grow back and have a mustache that's a little longer than the rest. It's half-beard, half-mustache. Best of both worlds.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Styling Your Mustache

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Choose a style that suits your face. Not all styles of mustache should be used for all types of faces and hair.^{[5]
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Research source} Pay attention to the way that your facial hair grows, and where it's the most thick. No point in trying a fu manchu if your hair doesn't stay thick all the way down the side of your mouth.
- To see how a mustache might look, try editing a picture of you in Photoshop, adding a fake mustache. You can also ask friends and family how they think you would look. If you can do neither, simply look in the mirror and imagine yourself with the mustache of your choice.
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Try out a shorter style. Shorter mustache styles are best for men with very coarse, thick, and dark hair. Since the style and the hair will be short, these styles will show up better the thicker and coarser the hair. Try out the following short mustache styles:
- The pencil: Famously sprouted by John Waters, R. Kelly, and innumerable silent film villains, a pencil mustache looks as if it were drawn thinly on top of the lip with a make-up pencil. To trim one, follow your upper lip line with a trimmer, carefully removing the hair between your nose and your lip, until a thin line is left. The mustache should end at the corner of your upper lip, or just beyond.^{[6]
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- The fu manchu: This classic features a slim pencil-like mustache that starts at the upper lip, but continues down the sides of your face until reaching the bottom of your jaw, and sometimes beyond just like a stereotypical Chinese philosopher. Grown slightly bushier and wider, this same basic mustache shape is known as the "horseshoe",^{[7]
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  Research source} which is worn by retired wrestler Hulk Hogan.
- The boxcar: A boxcar is a fairly simple mustache, but one that ends just a bit before you reach the corner of your lip. To trim it, leave your mustache alone, but trim a straight line perpendicular to the corner of your lip, so the hair ends just before it. It should look like a perfect rectangle. Don't go to short or you'll end up with a toothbrush moustache, worn by Adolf Hitler and Robert Mugabe.^{[8]
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Try out a longer style. If you want to try out a bushier, burlier mustache, it usually works best with generally straight hair that's still somewhat coarse. Especially thin hair will grow long, but won't "bush up," and might just end up hanging over your lip like walrus tusks (which feels annoying). If you've got the right kind of hair for it, consider the following longer mustaches:
- The English, Imperial or Handlebar: An English-style mustache is your ticket to looking like you stepped out of a Victorian novel. To style this mustache, you need to stop trimming your mustache just above the corner of your mouth and let it grow out some, to a point. Then, using mustache wax, twirl the longer hairs at the corner up, into a curl.^{[9]
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- The Walrus: A walrus is a mustache for outdoorsmen, rhinoceros hunters, and men who know how to throw tomahawks. Think Theodore Roosevelt. To grow a walrus, do absolutely nothing but shave your cheeks, leaving your mustache alone. No trimming until it drives you absolutely nuts (which might not take long). Not for beginners.^{[10]
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- The Selleck: Named for the famous TV personality Tom Selleck, this mustache is also known in some quarters as the "pornstar." Shaped essentially like a walrus, pointing down at the corners, gently, the Selleck is full from lip to nose, but trimmed to avoid hanging over your lip.^{[11]
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Experiment with combo styles. While it might be cool to slap silly names on mustache styles, the truth of the matter is that growing a mustache is largely about getting creative in the mirror with your beard trimmer. If it looks good to you, it's not wrong. Try combinations of the following the next time you shave to see what works. You can always shave it off.
- Goatees or circle beards, are basically fu manchus or handlebar mustaches that connect on the chin. Just shave your cheeks and under your neck.^{[12]
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- Mutton chops connected directly to the mustache give you a vaudevillian or Civil War vibe, like you just waltzed out of a photograph, or Brooklyn.^{[13]
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- Try a straight mustache, with some deep-set five o'clock shadow and a soul patch if you want to look like an out of work actor.
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Keep the ends trimmed. Although some mustache devotees argue about the merits of trimming, your mustache may be in need of grooming every so often. Certain mustaches will require more work than others. But a combination of washing, waxing, combing, trimming, or shaving will most probably be part of your regiment every day if you want your fully grown mustache to live a full, well-worn life.^{[14]
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- Depending on your mustache, trim it with mustache scissors every day to once a week. After a month of trimming the mustache weekly, you should have a pretty good idea of how much facial hair to chop off each time you trim.
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Use a proper grooming regimen to keep your face clean. Try to wash your face with natural foaming cleanser each morning and before you go to bed. This will keep it clean and prime it for brushing and waxing.^{[15]
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- Having facial hair of any sort can keep your natural body oils and dirt trapped against your skin, which can lead to breakouts in some men. It's important to keep your facial hair clean and well-groomed to keep your skin healthy.
EXPERT TIP

Timmy Yanchun
Professional Barber
Timmy Yanchun is a Professional Barber and Co-Founder of Svelte Barbershop + Essentials. Svelte Barbershop + Essentials is a men’s grooming company, specializing in men’s hair, beard, skin, and shave products, originally located in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California but has now branched out to 3 locations across Los Angeles. Timmy has been cutting hair since age 13 and opened his first of 6 barbershops at age 18. He is also the co-founder of the newly launched brand LTHR, the world's first wireless hot lather machine for barber quality shaves at home. Timmy and Svelte have been featured in GQ, Men's Fitness, and Hypebeast.

Timmy Yanchun
Professional Barber

Our Expert Agrees: To help your mustache stay healthy as it grows out, wash and condition it every day. You can also add a beard softener or a beard oil to keep the hair soft.
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Shape your mustache. Some styles of mustache involve a bit of training and a lot of wax, while others can be kept in place with a comb. If you're building a bountiful handlebar or a polished pencil, you'll probably need to comb, twist, trim, and even shave every day to keep your particular style looking good.
- After you wash your face or get out of the shower, apply a bit of mustache wax to the middle of your mustache with a finger. Next, lightly work the wax outwards, covering your entire mustache. Then use a comb to get the 'stache fully saturated.
- To comb a mustache, use a beard comb, which should be smaller and with finer teeth. Add a small dab of natural beard oil to wet the tiny teeth of the comb, which will help lubricate the hairs and train them into place.
- Start combing at your philtrum (the cleft under your nose), combing outward toward the corner of your lip, and down.

Community Q&A

Question

Will increased masturbation help me grow a mustache?

Community Answer

It might not help you grow one, but it will help you pass the time while it does grow.
Question

Can an 18-year-old boy grow a beard?

Community Answer

It depends on genetics. Don't shave it off. It's a myth that shaving regularly makes your beard grow.
Question

How can I grow my mustache so that it gets thicker?

Community Answer

Don't shave regularly -- it's an myth that your facial hair gets thicker after shaving. Leave bit to grow for about a month, then shave.

Warnings

Be careful when shaving.

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When outlining a moustache, hold the trimmer against the hairs hanging below the lip and move it to the right, then go back to the middle of your moustache and move it to the left. Never try and do this all at once, because the moustache will look uneven.

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Shave against the grain with a razor.^{[16]
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