Moustache Styles

6 Non-Douche-y Ways To Style A Moustache

Maybe your motivation for growing a moustache in November was noble — you wanted to help raise money and spread awareness for men’s health. Or maybe you wanted to contribute to a worthy cause but also secretly wanted to know what you’d look like with different facial hair. That opportunity presented itself, and the ladies in your life couldn’t complain about it.

But no matter your original intent, Movember is now a thing of the past, and you may have become attached to your ‘stache. So if you want to continue to rock it beyond November, here are six ways to do, complete with celebrity examples.

 

The Pencil

A properly groomed moustache can be very chic. Think of the ‘staches worn by Cary Grant or Clark Gable back in the day, and you’ll immediately understand how suave an impeccably cared for upper lip can be. For a modern-day incarnation of the pencil moustache style, look to Orlando Bloom’s recent red carpet appearance. To get the pencil, which is defined as a thin and narrow, closely clipped moustache, you’ll want to use either a single blade razor or wax to achieve ultimate precision. If you’re a little clumsy, visit a professional for waxing. For a DIY shaving job, the most important thing to remember is that there should be skin between your lip and your moustache, otherwise you’ll look like you’re wearing lip liner. This style requires considerable upkeep, so it’s best suited to men with slow facial hair growth or thinner hair.

Moustache With Goatee

If you’ve already grown a thick moustache and you’d like to build on your facial hair style, then consider adding a goatee. This look has recently been sported by James Franco, Johnny Depp and Manny Pacquiao, and represents a viable option for guys who can grow upper lip and chin hair but have difficulty sprouting hair on their cheeks. Begin by thinning out your moustache using barber’s scissors or an electric trimmer specifically designed to tackle facial hair. Over the next four weeks, as the hair on your chin becomes thicker, you can progressively reduce the amount of trimming you do on your upper lip. Do continue, however, to use a sharp wet razor to keep your cheeks and neck fuzz free.

Forgot-to-shave

If you reached the end of Movember with only a sparse moustache, don’t try to continue growing it unless you want to put your dating life on pause. Instead, embrace your whiskers and opt for a timeless and ruggedly masculine facial hair style that women love. The I-forgot-to-shave look, as seen of late on Daniel Craig, Jack Black and Brad Pitt, doesn’t require much upkeep and projects a laid-back attitude. For facial hair that grows slowly, it’s best to start with a clean shave to achieve this irreverent style. Then, simply sit back and let nature take its course until you achieve an all-over scruffy look, including your neck. At that point, use electric clippers to keep your facial hair very short and fine so that your skin is visible underneath.

Full beard

With winter approaching in all its cold fury, a full beard that insulates skin sounds pretty appealing. To get one just in time to ring in the New Year, you’ll need to follow much of the same procedure as you would for growing a goatee. That is, clip your moustache down to size and then begin growing the rest of your facial hair, including your sideburns, letting your moustache thicken gradually as the rest of your beard develops. To avoid looking like a mountain man, don’t forget to keep your neck clean-shaven. For inspiration to keep you going when the growing gets tough, check out the full beard recently sported by Jason Schwartzman and compare them with older pics of the actor. Because he has a small, pointed chin, you’ll notice that Schwartzman actually looks much more handsome and masculine with a significant amount of facial hair rather than none at all.

Horseshoe

Made popular by modern cowboys, the horseshoe moustache, with its long, vertical extensions down the sides of the mouth, looks like, well, a horseshoe turned upside down. This conversation-starting moustache is fairly straightforward to maintain, but it does take commitment to grow, so plan on spending a few months perfecting your facial hair style. You also need a good dose of confidence to carry it off as the horseshoe is only for the bold. To put a cool spin on this ‘stache, consider a skinnier style, like the one favored by Terry Richardson, rather than the bushy style that’s Hulk Hogan’s trademark.

Painter’s Brush

If you didn’t have any particular style in mind when you started growing your ‘stache back at the beginning of November, chances are that you inadvertently grew a painter’s brush. This style is characterized by thick hair that covers the entire width of the mouth and gently rounds down at the corners, like Kevin Connolly’s. For guys who have no problem growing a ‘stache, the painter’s brush is ideal because it looks great on most men and all it requires in the way of maintenance is a regular shave and the occasional use of a moustache trimming tool for more obsessive personalities.

As you can see, there are multiple ways you can continue to rock your Movember moustache through December. Whatever style you choose, remember that facial hair is one of those things that you can — and should — experiment with in order to express your personality to its fullest.

 

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