How to Grow a Mustache (and Get Through the Awkward Phase)
The WizardMarket day in Nashville, and Captain Crimson stopped at our booth with a cup of hot cider and a new mustache about three weeks old. He took one sip, pulled the cup away and found half the cider still hanging in his whiskers. "Tell me straight," he said, dabbing at his lip with a napkin. "Does it get better, or do I shave this thing off tonight?"
It gets better. Here's how to grow a mustache without quitting halfway: stop shaving above your lip completely, don't trim the length for the first four to six weeks, and keep the cheeks and neck clean so it looks like a choice instead of a missed spot. Most guys have a recognizable mustache somewhere between week 6 and week 10. Weeks 3 and 4 are the rough stretch, when hairs poke your lip and itch. Push through that and you're past the hard part. How full it ends up is set by your genetics, so the goal is the best version of the mustache you can grow.
- Give it at least 6 weeks before you judge it. Most mustaches look their worst in weeks 3 and 4.
- Don't cut the length early. Comb hairs off your lip instead, and only snip the few that go in your mouth.
- Two or three drops of beard oil on the skin under your mustache helps with the itch and flakes.
- Start using mustache wax once the hair reaches your lip, usually around week 5 or 6.
- Genetics decide how thick it gets. No oil or wax changes that.
How to grow a mustache: pick your path first
There are two ways in, and both work.
Mustache only from day one. Shave everything except your upper lip. You see your real mustache faster, but a thin line of stubble on a clean face is hard to miss for a couple of weeks.
Beard first, then carve it out. Grow everything for three or four weeks, then shave the cheeks and chin. Stubble everywhere hides the early weeks, and the mustache already has some length when it goes solo. Got a wedding photo coming up? This is the gentler route.
Either way, the real secret of how to grow a mustache is deciding now that you're giving it two months. Most guys who quit do it in week 3, right before it starts to look intentional.
How long does it take to grow a mustache? A week-by-week timeline
Facial hair grows roughly a quarter to half an inch a month, and that varies a lot by person. Here's what the first three months usually look like.
| Weeks | What you'll see | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Dark shadow, then short stubble. Itch often starts around day 5 to 10. | Don't shave it. Wash your face daily and start a couple of drops of oil on the skin. |
| 3 to 4 | Hairs reach the top of your lip. Corners may look thin or uneven. Peak itch. | Comb it down and to the sides. Only snip single hairs that go in your mouth. |
| 5 to 8 | It fills in and starts to cover part of your upper lip. People begin to notice in a good way. | Add a small amount of wax to keep hairs off your lip. Tidy the lip line if you want. |
| 8 to 12 | A full mustache for most guys. Enough length to pick and shape a style. | Choose a style and give it its first real trim and shape. |
Weeks 1 to 2: the shadow
The only job is to resist the razor. If you're going mustache-only, shave carefully around the edge and leave a little extra at the corners, since they're the slowest part to fill. Itch shows up too, as freshly shaved tips poke back through the skin. Annoying, normal, and it fades.
Weeks 3 to 4: the awkward phase
Where the Captain was at the booth. The hair is long enough to touch your lip but too short to lie down, so it pokes, catches drinks and feels like a toothbrush when you talk. One corner often looks fuller than the other. Hang on.
Weeks 5 to 8: it starts to look like something
The hair gets heavy enough to fall over your lip instead of sticking straight out, and gaps you worried about at week 3 often close as late hairs catch up. Time for a little wax.
Weeks 8 to 12: decision time
Most guys now have a full mustache, give or take. Pick a style and do a proper first shape-up. A handlebar still needs months more.
How to get through the awkward phase
A few mustache growth tips that make weeks 3 to 6 a lot easier:
- Train the hair, don't cut it. Comb it down, then out from the middle toward each corner, morning and night. Within a few days the hairs start lying that way instead of pointing at your teeth.
- Snip only the mouth hairs. If one hair keeps ending up between your lips, cut that one with small scissors. Run a trimmer across the whole lip line and you're back to week 2.
- Don't scratch the itch. Scratching irritates the skin and can lead to red bumps. Wash your face, pat it dry and put a couple of drops of oil on the skin instead.
- Leave uneven corners alone. Don't trim the fuller side to match. Give the slow side two or three more weeks; corners usually catch up some, and you can even them out later.
- Keep everything around it clean. Crisp cheeks and a shaved neck make a young mustache look like a plan, not a lost razor.
- Keep a napkin handy. The Captain now carries one in his coat pocket.
Sparse over the lip? See the Wizard's notes on dealing with a patchy beard, which apply to mustaches too.
Beard oil for the skin underneath
The skin under a new mustache gets dry and flaky once it stops getting lather and a shave every morning. A little oil helps the skin and softens the prickly new hairs against your lip.
After you wash your face, press 2 to 3 drops into the skin under the mustache, then smooth what's left through the hair. Any more ends up on your lips.
The Captain uses his own Captain Crimson beard oil ($18.99, 1 oz): creamy coconut, sea salt and fresh vanilla over castor, coconut, sweet almond, argan and jojoba oils. A mustache sits right under your nose, so pick a scent you'll enjoy all day. Prefer something else? The full beard oil collection has plenty of characters to choose from, and the rest of the Captain Crimson collection matches the scent if you want the whole set.
One honest limit: oil keeps the skin and hair in better shape, but it can't create new hair follicles or make your mustache grow faster. If the skin under your mustache stays red, bumpy or painful for more than a couple of weeks, see a dermatologist.
When to start using mustache wax
Start when the hair reaches your lip and won't stay out of your mouth, usually week 5 or 6. Before that, wax has nothing to grab and just sits on top.
Use a dab about half the size of a pea, warmed between your fingertips and pushed from the center out toward the corners. That holds the hairs to the sides while they grow. Twisted tips come later.
Our mustache wax right now is The Barkeep unscented mustache wax ($11.99, 1 oz tin), which you'll find in the mustache wax collection. It's unscented, so it won't fight with your beard oil. It contains lanolin and beeswax, so skip it if you know you react to either.
When your mustache is long enough to trim and shape for real, follow our full guide on how to trim and wax a mustache. It walks through the lip line, the corners and the wax step by step (and how the Captain met his kitchen scissors).
Mustache styles to grow toward
Having a goal tells you what to leave alone. Rough times from a clean shave; yours will vary.
| Style | Rough time to grow | Good fit if |
|---|---|---|
| Pencil | 2 to 4 weeks | Your hair is fine or sparse over the lip |
| Chevron | 6 to 8 weeks | You grow thick hair and want a low-fuss classic |
| English | 2 to 3 months | You want a neat look with points out to the sides |
| Horseshoe | 2 to 4 months | Your corners and chin sides fill in well |
| Walrus | 3 months or more | You have a lot of hair and don't mind a little in your soup |
| Handlebar | 3 to 6 months | You're patient and willing to use wax every day |
Aiming for a handlebar or English? Past week 8, only the center of the lip line gets cut; the sides stay untouched. The Captain is headed somewhere between a chevron and a handlebar, so his ends stay alone all winter.
What actually decides how full it gets
Mostly genetics. Your dad's and uncles' facial hair is a decent preview of yours, corners included. Age plays a part too; plenty of guys fill in more through their twenties.
Sleep, food and not smoking matter for your health in general, but none of it will turn a thin mustache into a walrus. If hair suddenly falls out in patches, see a doctor rather than buying another product.
FAQ
How long does it take to grow a mustache?
Most guys have a recognizable mustache in 6 to 10 weeks. Weeks 3 and 4 are usually the most awkward, when the hair reaches your lip but won't lie flat yet. Longer styles like a handlebar can take 3 to 6 months.
Should I trim my mustache while growing it?
Leave the length alone for the first four to six weeks. If a single hair keeps getting in your mouth, snip just that one. Once it covers your lip, you can start tidying the lip line every week or two.
Why does my mustache itch when growing?
New hairs have sharp, angled tips from shaving, and they poke the skin as they grow in. The skin underneath can also get dry. Washing daily and pressing a couple of drops of beard oil into the skin helps, and the itch usually fades after the first few weeks.
When should I start using mustache wax?
Once the hair reaches your lip and won't stay out of your mouth, usually around week 5 or 6. Start with half a pea-sized amount, warm it in your fingers and push it from the center out toward the corners.
Why is my mustache not connecting at the corners?
Corners are often the last part to fill in, and on some guys they never fully connect because of genetics. Give it at least 8 to 10 weeks before deciding, and pick a style like a chevron or pencil that doesn't depend on full corners if they stay thin.
Does beard oil make a mustache grow faster?
No. Oil can't create new hair follicles or speed up growth. It keeps the skin under your mustache moisturized and softens the hair, which makes the growing stage more comfortable.
One last thing
The Captain didn't shave it off that night. He came back to the booth five weeks later, cider in hand, and took a long sip without wearing any of it. The corners had evened out more than he expected. "Still not a handlebar," he said, twisting one side between two fingers. Give it till spring, Captain.
Your beard, your story.
β The Wizard
