How to Grow a Handlebar Mustache

DON’T TRIM IT! No matter how tempting it is, don’t trim your mustache. Ever.

When your mustache is long enough to comb, comb it once a day and create a part by combing the hair out from under the nose to the left and to the right respectively. This will train your ‘stache to grow out in the traditional handlebar fashion. A simple Tweezerman comb will do the trick. If you want to get fancy, go with a wooden mustache comb handmade by actor Nick Offerman, aka Ron Swanson.

After you get out of the shower, leave your mustache damp. Starting in the middle of your lip, apply a small dab of mustache wax with your fingertip to the upper edge and use a comb to spread it down through the hair. Work your way out to each end, applying more wax as needed. If your mustache is wiry, use more wax. Many handlebar owners suggest Clubman Mustache Wax.

To add that distinctive handlebar curl, apply some wax to the ends and twist the hairs together with your fingers. Then curl the twisted hair up and in. You can also create a curl by winding the ends as tightly as possible around a writing pen.

Owning a handlebar mustache is a commitment. You have to wash it, comb it, wax it, and curl it every day. But when the day arrives you have to take part in a bare-knuckle boxing match, the investment will be well worth it.