Mustache styles have been popular in men’s fashion as early as first documented history.
However, they truly gained popularity in the late 1500s, making a modern emergence in England.
Since then, mustache styles have changed significantly, with different designs and products available to achieve specific looks.
If you’ve always been curious whether you could rock a mustache style, there’s no better time than now to try it out.
We’ll discuss how you can train your facial hair to achieve different mustache styles and the top products you should get your hands on.
We’ll also explore the most popular mustache styles, helping you find the perfect shape for your facial features.
How Do I Grow Facial Hair for a Mustache?
Before diving into the mustache styles that look great on men, it’s important to consider whether growing one is even possible.
For many men, facial hair can be sparse and patchy, which is challenging to work with if you want to develop a mustache.
Let’s look at a few essential tips to help you decide whether mustache styles suit you.
Step 1: Pick a Mustache Style
The first thing you’ll want to do before buying any products or beginning your facial hair journey is decide on a mustache style.
Knowing what look you’re going for can help you manage your expectations and pick the right products to get a perfect style.
For example, you might be interested in a walrus mustache, but your facial hair growth might give you a pencil mustache at the most.
Step 2: Invest in Mustache Tools
Undoubtedly, once you start growing your chosen mustache style, it’s important to keep it maintained.
Otherwise, you’ll have a ton of wild facial hair growth that will look unkempt and take away from your overall aesthetic.
As such, here are the two essential mustache tools you need to get your hands on:
- Trimmer: Mustache trimmers with interchangeable heads are a must-have, whether you’re going for handlebar mustaches or a toothbrush mustache. They allow you to detail and customize your facial hair in minutes.
- Beard Trimming Scissors: Beard trimming scissors or mustache scissors are a great addition to your facial hair kit. Instead of using full trimmers, you can use the scissors to make quick and tight adjustments.
Step 3: Invest in Mustache Products
One thing every guy with a thick mustache has in common is a list of mustache products they frequently use.
With a thick mustache, you’ll need to nourish your facial hair and skin properly, so they remain healthy, clean, and ready for growth.
Let’s review some mustache and beard products your natural mustache will love.
- Beard Oil: Even though it’s called beard oil, this unique product is also fantastic for your mustache. Oil helps to soften your mustache hairs, preventing them from being thick and bristly. It helps make your mustache easier to style while reducing skin irritation.
- Mustache Wax: Whether you’re aiming for a Fu Manchu mustache or a military mustache, wax is a must-have. This unique product helps to lock in the mustache style you’re going for that day without being too heavy and greasy.
- Beard Soap: Some guys prefer regular body or face wash to clean their mustaches in between styles. However, investing in a high-quality beard soap can make a significant difference, as it’s designed specifically for a full mustache. Beard soap will have ingredients to keep your full mustache soft and reduce skin flaking, dryness, and irritation.
Step 4: Practice the Art of Good Skincare
A great way to understand working towards the best mustache styles is to imagine your face like the top of your head.
You have individual hair follicles where hair growth can sprout on your face. Unhealthy follicles and top lip skin can stunt hair growth.
As such, it’s time you begin focusing on your skincare routine to encourage your facial hair to grow as healthily as possible.
That said, this isn’t a surefire recommendation for everyone, as some men have different hair growth genetics.
There are a few tips to consider if you want to enhance your skincare to help boost your chances of having a natural mustache.
Tip 1: Find a Good Cleanser
There’s nothing more important for skincare than to find a good cleanser that nourishes your epidermis.
Without nourishment, you’ll have a poor base for your mustache.
You might notice skin flaking, itchiness, and general discomfort that even beard oil can’t fix.
You’ll want to determine your skin type before settling on a cleanser. For example, oily skin requires a different cleanser than dry and combination skin.
Tip 2: Choose a Moisturizer
There’s a common myth that many guys think if they have oily skin, they don’t need to invest in a moisturizer.
However, did you know that your skin can get oilier if you don’t use a moisturizer?
Choosing a clean, lightweight moisturizer with little to no fragrance is a fantastic solution for maintaining your skin health.
Tip 3: Start Using Serums
There are plenty of serums on the market that suggest they stimulate beard growth.
They typically contain nutrients and ingredients to assist hair production but aren’t guaranteed to work for every user.
Remember, a lapse in facial hair could result from your genetics, an irreversible concern.
Step 5: Make Some Lifestyle Changes
The most crucial part of growing the top mustache styles is ensuring your overall health is top-tier.
You’ll want to reduce your stress, get a ton of sleep at night, and avoid certain bad habits, like smoking.
A few studies suggest smoking can lead to hair loss, as can stress.
Aside from having the potential to finally grow the walrus mustache or handlebar mustache of your dreams, you’ll also be healthier overall.
Focus on a good diet, boosting the nutrients in your body that can help with hair growth.
You can even consider taking supplements and vitamins for additional support to become the healthiest version of yourself.
Step 6: Dye Your Mustache
For some men, mastering any mustache style is impossible due to their genetic inability to grow a thick, natural mustache.
In these instances, facial hair dye could become one of your best friends.
You can use dye to thicken your existing facial hair, making it appear full and bushy.
Sure, there are kits that you can use at home (e.g., Just For Men), but our recommendation is to visit your barber.
A barber will have special techniques for professionally applying beard and mustache-darkening products.
They’ll ensure the color is uniform across your top lip and looks as natural as possible.
Professional barbers will also choose the best color that suits your natural hair.
This process is also a great option if you’re going grey earlier than you want.
Mustache Styles: Which Styles Are Best for the Everyday Man?
By now, you have a good idea of how you can work towards growing a natural mustache in an assortment of styles.
Luckily, men love hundreds of different mustache styles, ranging from a chevron mustache to a handlebar mustache.
Let’s explore some of the most popular hair patterns for your upper lip that you can start growing today.
| Mustache Style | Features |
| Handlebar | Very thick The ends are curled upwards Waxed edges and points |
| Toothbrush | Shaved sides Short, chunky, bristly |
| Imperial | Thick and burly Includes hair from the upper cheek Edges are curled upwards Ends are left natural |
| Walrus | The biggest and boldest Grown to the bottom lip Easily shaped and groomed Voluminous and thick |
| Pencil | Very thin and short Kept at mouth-width Space between mustache and upper lip |
| Chevron | Natural growth Partially covers the upper lip Has a slight upside-down V shape |
| Horseshoe | Thick and burly Has an upside-down U shape Includes cheek hair |
| Military | Regularly groomed off the upper lip Mouth-width or less Kept neat and clean |
Classic Mustache Styles
You’ll find the vast majority of mustache styles in this guide will fall under the “classic mustache styles” headline.
This is because the patterns that look the best are the ones that have been tried and tested for hundreds of years.
From the handlebar mustache to the classic soul patch, there are a ton of great options to consider.
Handlebar Mustache
A handlebar mustache is the single most unmistakable mustache style that is a blend of debonair flair and victorian style.
Its roots are classic, but with its over-the-top luxurious appeal, it has been brought into the modern world.
There are different types of handlebar mustaches that you can choose from. However, they all have the same trait: being large and above the lips with curved extremities.
A couple of other options you might recognize as handlebar mustaches include:
- English Mustache
- Imperial Mustache
- Hungarian Mustache
How to Grow a Handlebar Mustache
Growing a handlebar mustache is by far the most challenging mustache style for a ton of men.
This is because it requires thick and burly hair that can be shaped into a specific style.
Typically, it’s reserved for men with the healthiest facial hair growth.
A few tips for growing a handlebar mustache include:
- Always prepare for months of grooming with this style, as you’ll have to let your hair grow for at least three months.
- Try not to trim your mustache, regardless of how much it tickles.
- Use mustache wax to style the outer edges of your mustache into the iconic handlebar shape.
- Sometimes, growing a full beard and blending it into your mustache growth can help you get the full handlebar style more cleanly.
- Regularly comb and brush your hair in the direction you want them to rest in, training your hair for when it’s time to style.
Toothbrush Mustache
The toothbrush mustache is one of the less desirable mustache styles, but it certainly makes a bold statement.
It boomed in popularity with Charlie Chaplin, the style inspiration most men used when aiming for this type of facial hair.
However, it’s not the style you want to go for, as dozens of more attractive mustache options exist.
A toothbrush mustache is easy to spot because it features shaved sides with a small patch of mustache hair in the center of the lip.
It’s a much stubbier mustache and accentuates the width of one’s nose, which is one of the many reasons men avoid it.
Imperial Mustache
The Imperial mustache is one of our favorite styles if you’re looking for mustaches that look great on relatively anyone.
It’s a unique style because it uses upper cheek hair and upper lip hair to create an incredibly thick handle.
You might be wondering, how does this differ from a standard handlebar?
With an Imperial mustache, you’ll shape the ends upward rather than down.
Also, the ends won’t be waxed thin into a point like with a handlebar mustache, and they’re often left more natural.
How to Grow an Imperial Mustache
Let’s review some tips to learn how to grow an imperial mustache.
- The best thing you can do for this style is to grow your beard and mustache simultaneously, as you’ll need your cheek hair for styling.
- Mustache wax and beard oil will become your best friends, as you have to keep the hair soft and pliable.
- Get used to daily combing and training your hair in the direction you typically style into.
- It’s also likely you’ll need to trim your mustache daily, keeping any stray hairs at bay.
Walrus Mustache
If a distinction is what you’re looking for, a walrus mustache is a style you need.
It features an incredible thickness that nearly touches your bottom lip, with some styles traveling below the bottom lip.
Much like its name suggests, this mustache looks like a walrus’s whiskers, making it the most involved mustache style on this list.
Undoubtedly, such a thick line of hair on your top lip isn’t the most practical option in the world.
However, it looks fantastic, especially if you use Teddy Roosevelt, David Crosby, or Friedrich Nietzsche as your inspiration.
How to Grow a Walrus Mustache
There are a few helpful tips you can use to master this style over time.
- Generally speaking, be prepared to wait up to 12 months for this mustache to grow fully.
- Some men may not be able to achieve a full walrus because their terminal length could be shorter.
- Invest in a high-quality beard comb to maintain and train your mustache hairs.
- Be prepared to continually brush your beard hair out of your mouth when eating or drinking.
- Beard-trimming scissors can be quite helpful for maintaining a straight, professional edge at the bottom of your mustache.
Pencil Mustache
If you prefer styled straight mustaches, a pencil mustache is made for you.
It’s slick, thin, and short, making it an excellent option for guys who don’t typically grow a lot of facial hair.
Also, you can reach your desired length in much less time.
Undoubtedly, this style was primarily worn in the 30s and 40s but became a massive hit in the early 2000s.
Since then, it has slightly faded out of the popular spotlight, especially as it has a devilish connotation with its clean lines.
From Sammy Davis Jr. to Erroll Flynn, pencil mustaches are another type of natural mustache with straightforward styling tips due to their thinness.
How to Grow a Pencil Mustache
Let’s jump into a few sure-fire tips to help you grow a pencil mustache.
- A shorter length is most important with this type of facial hair, as it needs to be thinner than the height of your upper lip.
- You’ll likely have to shave a small gap between your lip and where the mustache starts.
- This style looks best on darker hair, so consider dyeing your facial hair if necessary.
Modern Mustache Styles
Let’s explore a few of the most popular modern mustache styles you can master.
Chevron Mustache
The chevron mustache has been one of the more popular options for facial hair growth since the early 60s, if not before then.
Much like a handlebar mustache, a chevron mustache best suits men that can grow thick and burly facial hair.
It’s often referred to as a natural mustache style, as you won’t have to worry about styling it as you would a handlebar mustache.
What makes this style identifiable is that it has an upside-down V shape.
Its timeless appeal and nearly maintenance-free style make it the ideal choice for any guy looking to start growing a mustache.
How to Grow a Chevron Mustache
Here are a few key tips to help you start growing your chevron mustache:
- Natural growth is critical with this style, so simply let your mustache grow on its own for the coming months.
- Once the hair starts to cover your upper lip, start trimming it so that the hair doesn’t fall into your mouth.
- Another important area to trim is the corners of your mouth, ensuring the beard doesn’t extend beyond them.
- Keep up with your beard trimming and combing, or you may find yourself growing a horseshoe mustache.
Horseshoe Mustache
When you look at a horseshoe mustache, it’s equally as identifiable as a handlebar mustache with its thick, bushy appeal.
It is a fantastic alternative if you’re a fan of the Fu Manchu mustache but want something a little thicker.
Unlike a Fu Manchu mustache, a horseshoe style connects in the middle of the lip and is quite thick and bushy down the sides.
With this style, you’ll have hair extended from your mouth down to the jawline.
Some men can grow their mustache and train the hairs down, while others fare best by combining their beard and mustache hair.
To have the thickest horseshoe possible, you’ll want to use your cheek growth to add bushiness.
How to Grow a Horseshoe Mustache
Here are a few key tips to begin your horseshoe mustache growth journey.
- The easiest way to grow this style is to start with a full or circle beard and trim your mustache shape.
- Be prepared for a long growth journey, as your desired thickness could take up to six months to come in fully.
- The thickness of your horseshoe shape should be the same from the upper lip down the sides of the corners of the mouth.
- Invest in a good pair of trimming scissors so you can regularly trim extra overgrown hairs.
Military Mustache
The military mustache, also known as a lampshade mustache, is another modern option for men.
It’s also frequently referred to as a “cop stache” because it’s been seen on state troopers and the like in popular media.
For many servicemembers, beards and mustaches are permitted. They simply have to meet specific styling recommendations.
A few of these restrictions include:
- Facial hair cannot be wider than the top lip’s edge
- Facial hair cannot be higher than the bottom of the nose
- Facial hair cannot touch the upper lip
- Mustaches cannot appear bushy or chopped
All of these traits combined will give you the military/lampshade/cop mustache.
How to Grow a Military Mustache
Let’s get into a few helpful tips to assist you with growing your perfect military mustache.
- Grooming is key with this style, as it’s expected of servicemembers and police officers alike.
- You’ll want to use a trimmer or razor to remove hair outside your desired shape.
- Growth for this mustache shouldn’t take too long, approximately two months at the most.
Mustache Styles FAQs
1. How to choose mustache styles?
Choosing mustache styles for your face depends entirely on your face shape and hair growth.
You’ll want to select a style that will be easy for you to grow while also accommodating your face’s contours.
Ideally, figuring out your face shape can give you a good idea of what mustache would look best.
For example, handlebar mustaches look fantastic on men with diamond or triangle-shaped faces.
You can find online guides to help you measure your face and determine its shape.
2. Should mustache be shorter than beard?
The length of your mustache compared to your beard depends entirely on the style you’re going for.
For example, a handlebar mustache might be longer than your beard, while a pencil mustache won’t.
In most instances, your mustache should be shorter than your beard.
3. Where should mustache stop?
Deciding where your mustache should stop depends entirely on the style you’re going for.
For example, a Fu Manchu will be considerably longer than a Dali mustache or mutton chops.
For convenience, consider a shape that doesn’t cover the entirety of your lips, making it easy to eat, drink, and talk.
4. Why are mustaches popular right now?
Men’s facial hair always comes in and out of style based on the celebrities seen sporting it.
In recent years, top celebs like Henry Cavill, Michael B. Jordan, Chris Pine, and Samuel L. Jackson have catapulted them back into popularity.
5. How to properly style a mustache?
Properly styling a mustache will require a few key products and tools.
You’ll need a beard/mustache comb, wax, and oil to help soften the hair to make it more manageable.
You’ll need to brush your mustache in your desired styling direction, ensuring you massage the wax into the hair to keep it in place.
The more often you use high-quality products on your mustache, the easier it will be to style.
Also, you’ll learn new techniques to keep your facial hair looking its best.
It’s Time to Start a Mustache Today!
You don’t have to be the next Tom Selleck or Ron Swanson to pull off a mustache. Any guy can do it.
Instead of focusing on daily shaving, you can enter the wild west of mustache growth and add an extra allure to your everyday style.
There’s no better time than now to use mustache styles to show off your best features.
