You Can Handlebar - Tips for Styling Your Handlebar Moustache

BY Cody Wiley

Tips for Styling Your Handlebar Moustache

When I first began entering beard and moustache competitions, I was immediately impressed with my fellow competitors who sported a styled moustache. Whether they wore a traditional handlebar or styled their moustache in a not-so traditional way, I truly appreciated the full beard and styled moustache look. The first thing I wanted to do was to figure out a way to style my moustache so I could look dapper as well. It wasn’t a quick process, or an easy one. I spoke to champions of the craft, I spoke to judges, I spoke to legends in the beard community and I took all of their tips for styling a handlebar moustache and advice and hit the ground running. Here’s a summation of my approach:

Heat Up the Wax

Most waxes will be stiff at room temperature, making applying evenly and shaping a difficult or impossible while in a “cold” state. Apply heat to the wax first to make it more malleable. I personally heat mine up using a hairdryer before removing from the tin.

Lifting the Wax

Using one of our Wax Lifting Picks or the back of your thumb nail, remove the desired amount of wax and rub the wax between your pointer finger and thumb. The wax will liquefy even more under the friction and become pliable.

Applying the Wax

Now, taking the two fingers with wax, gently apply to one side of your moustache. I use my thumb underneath the hairs, my pointer finger over top of them, and gently work it through from the middle of my lip to the edge of the side I am working on. Repeat with the other side of your moustache. It’s important to be gentle, if the wax is still too stiff and causes you to pull too much on your hair, back off and work it again until it’s easier to apply. Begin with a small amount until you have a feel for how much it takes. Remember, if you use too little at first you can always add more.

Styling Time

Now that you have a nice coat of malleable wax on your stache, it’s time to work the hairs into the style you have chosen. Dali? English? Handlebar? Or a far-out freestyle creation? This step is the hardest, it takes time, patience, and practice to get your moustache style down. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the results you want immediately, practice will make perfect.

Removing the Wax

Waxes are NOT water soluble, but they do break down in oil. When you’re ready to remove the wax from your ‘stache, simply grab your favorite beard oil and apply, working through the hair gently to remove the wax.

(Update June 2018) Our new video “How to Use Moustache Wax” shows you how to warm and apply moustache wax. You can view the video below or enjoy the same 'how to' guide in a blog post format with easily-followed GIFs and some additional information. Feel free to read along here.