Trim a Mustache
Mustaches are a classic facial hair choice for men, and they never seem to go out of style for long. If you’re planning to grow one, it’s important to know how to keep it groomed. Trimming your mustache periodically will ensure it stays attractive and enhances your appearance. Read on to learn basic trimming skills.
Steps
- Grow the hair above your lip. If you can wait until it’s thick and long, you’ll have more to work with when it comes to achieving a certain look with your trim.
- If this is your first mustache, it may take several weeks until your hair is long enough to trim.
- Begin etching out the shape of your mustache by shaving your cheeks and chin while you wait for your mustache to grow.
- Have some patience: if you start to trim your mustache too soon, you won’t get the best results.
- Find a location with good lighting and a mirror. This will most likely be your bathroom, but if there’s a brighter spot in your house, consider setting up a mirror there instead. You want to create barbershop-caliber conditions before you get to trimming - a shadow or a slip of the scissors could make it necessary to shave it off and start over from scratch.
- Wet your mustache. Just as you would wash your hair before a haircut, it’s a good idea to wash your mustache with a little facial soap or shampoo before beginning your trim. This will soften it and make it easier to trim. You could also simply moisten a comb under the faucet and comb it through to dampen your mustache. Pat it with a towel so that it’s damp, but not soaking wet.
- Comb your mustache. Use a small comb with closely spaced teeth to brush your lip hair straight down. This will ensure that you get an even trim.
- Trim your mustache along your lip. Hold a pair of trimming scissors parallel to the top of your lip and carefully clip the bottom of your mustache along your lip line.
- Keep your trimming hand as steady as possible to ensure that your mustache is trimmed evenly.
- Follow the shape of your mouth to shape the bottom of your mustache.
- Your mustache hairs should just meet the top of your lip. Don’t trim too far above your lip; remember that your hair is damp, and it will be a little shorter when it dries.
- If necessary, remove bulk from the body of your mustache. Using a mustache trimmer, reduce your mustache’s volume by trimming the top layer of hair.
- If you don’t have a mustache trimmer, use your fine-tooth comb to gently lift the top layer of mustache hair. Carefully trim it to the desired length with your scissors.
- This step may not be necessary unless your mustache is thick and bushy.
- Trim the top of your mustache. Shave the area above and to the sides of your mustache for more definition. Be careful not to shave into the mustache itself.
- Comb your mustache hair again. Check to ensure that the sides are evenly trimmed.
Tips
- Contrary to popular belief, shaving regularly has no effect on the thickness of your beard or mustache. Not everyone has the same amount of hair growth. Choose a style that fits your face.
- You only need to trim your mustache every few days to maintain its shape and appearance.
- Use mustache wax to achieve unique styles. You may find it helpful to style your mustache before trimming it. This way you can see which areas need the most work.
- Know how you want your mustache to look before beginning to trim it. Special or unique styles require specific shaping and trimming. Consider using a computer program that allows you to upload your picture and see how different styles will look on you.
- Facial hair is much coarser than hair on your head. Use hair conditioner on your facial hair to soften it.
Things You'll Need
- Mirror
- Water
- Fine-tooth comb
- Shampoo(optional)
- Conditioner (optional)
- Mustache wax (optional)
- Razor
- Mustache trimmer
- Mustache scissors
