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We put together a comprehensive guide for how to trim a mustache because they don't just grow out of nowhere. A great 'stache must be trimmed, shaped, and coached into place. Careful maintenance of your mustache is not only the best way to keep it from growing into some walrus-like growth on your upper lip (unless that is, in fact, the goal)—it also helps achieve the type of mustache style you're after, since that might not be the one your face naturally grows on its own. Whether you're growing yours out for the first time or are simply maintaining what you've already got, we've got both the technique and the tools you’ll need to get the job done correctly.
How to Trim a Mustache
- Consider the end goal. How you approach trimming a mustache is determined by what you're after. Are you simply maintaining the ’stache you have now? Do you want to grow it fuller? Longer? Wider in certain parts? Is it still growing into your desired style, but it needs direction and styling? All of these things will dictate how you navigate through all of the other steps.
- Cleanse and comb. Regardless of the kind of trimming you’ll do, you need to start with a freshly washed and dried canvas. So, wash your face first (a normal facial cleanser will be sufficient), and then towel dry. If the mustache is long enough, comb through it (with a fine-tooth comb) so that all of the hairs lay flat and come untangled. Then give it a few minutes to dry off—it’s important to have dry hair when trimming.
- Take out bulk: The easiest way to do this uniformly is also to take a beard trimmer with a guard of your choice—memorize the ideal length that you keep your mustache. After that, you can mind the finer details or any shorter trimmings around the perimeter. No trimmer? No problem: to help control the volume of your mustache, use a comb to lift the hairs and snip at them to a uniform length.
- Take out length: The easiest way to manage length is to comb all of the hairs down. This gives you an idea of where you need to trim—like, everything that falls over the lip. You can then use your scissors or trimmer to steadily snip away at the hairs up until your desired mark. For symmetry purposes, it’s best to work your way from the outside in towards the center, and then again from the opposite direction.
- Clean up the perimeter: Use the detailing head or naked T-blade of any trimmer to help define clean lines around the perimeter of your mustache, including directly under the nose. You may need to tend to this edge cleanup a few times a week, too, to manage stubble as it sprouts.
- Consider leaving the ends longer: If you want to have a handlebar mustache—or even the slightest curl on the ends—then grow the outermost hair a bit longer than the inner stretch. This will give you the length needed at the ends to style it upwards with some wax.
- Take it slow: Even if you do this once or twice a week, a simple slip of the hand can wreak havoc on your mustache, and might even require you to start from a bare face.
The Best Mustache Trimming Tools
