Know How: Grow a Mustache

October 26, 2011, By Jack Heffron 3 comments

Jack Heffron

It's a well-reported fact that men don't take care of their health as well as women. We're raised to shake it off, man up, rub some dirt on it. But that approach, as we get older, can have serious consequences. To remind us to take care of our health and to acknowledge such serious health issues as prostate cancer and other cancers that afflict men, the Movember Movement was started, encouraging guys young and old to grow a mustache to raise awareness of men's health.

Register with the Movember Movement by the first of next month to become a Mo Bro. Then get family and friends to sponsor your efforts to grow and care for a mustache throughout November.

You can grow any style of mustache you want. For some ideas, check out these mustache styles or just try the classic handlebar mustache. As for how to grow it, that's pretty much a no-brainer: stop shaving your upper lip. The ends will come in first, and in a week or two, depending on your natural hirsuteness, the middle will fill in.

That's when the harder part begins. You need to shave around it, shaping it to contours that best flatter your face. You'll need a mustache comb or any comb with short, tightly spaced teeth should work. Unless you're planning to keep the mustache around for a while, you won't need to plunk for an electric trimmer. A good pair of scissors will do.

You'll need to spend a little time trimming, but don't fuss with it too much. The novelty of a first mustache inspires some guys to crop compulsively, creating bare spots and odd, unbalanced shapes. Let it grow. Snip the wild hairs. That's plenty. Here's a video to simplify the process.   

You'll also need to adjust the way you eat certain foods. Soup, for example, is no longer your friend. Chili, milk-soaked cereal, pudding, pretty much anything liquid or gelatinous and eaten with a spoon presents a challenge. Keep a napkin handy and give that new lip sweater an extra swipe or two while you're eating and after you're finished. Having a glob of mushroom soup hanging from your face tends to undermine your cool.