Whether on its own, as part of a full beard, or a goatee, your moustache is one of the essential features of your facial hair motif. So can you use a beard trimmer for your moustache? And how can you trim your moustache to look presentable and blend in with the rest of your beard?
Beard trimmers can be used for moustaches and are the best way to cultivate something that looks neat and presentable, blends in well, and doesn’t look unruly and unprofessional. And because beard trimmers are equipped with various attachments, you can shape and trim your moustache with precision.
Your moustache, being at the center point of your face and directly above your lips, is the first thing people notice when looking at your beard up close. If your moustache is covering your lips or a radically different length to the rest of your beard, it’ll just ruin the entire look, and you may as well be clean-shaven.
How To Pick The Right Beard Trimmer Length For A Moustache
While trimming your moustache should be part of your beard trimming regime, it does require some extra attention, mainly because it tends to grow faster than any other part of your beard, and people will be focusing on it while you’re speaking when it will take different shapes as your top lip moves. And moustaches don’t necessarily blend well into the beard style you opt for if you aren’t rocking one all on its own, which seems to have gone out of fashion these days.
Using the correct attachments, such as guards and nose hair trimmers, can make all the difference in the world on your mission to grow a well-grown moustache.
Guards often come in various lengths or as a sliding attachment that is adjustable and doesn’t need to be switched out when shaving your beard or moustache at different lengths.
Guards are the most common attachment, varying in length from close-to-skin level (⅛ inch, Guard 1), up through Guard 2 (⅓ inch), all the way up to guard 8 (one inch). Here’s a look at what the number on your beard trimmer means:
| Guard no. | Level length |
| #1 | ⅛ inch |
| #2 | ⅓ inch |
| #3 | ⅜ inch |
| #4 | ½ inch |
| #7 | ⅞ inch |
| #8 | 1 inch |
Trimming Your Moustache Step-by-step
To produce a neat, clean, and even moustache, you want to lighten its bulk, create a neat line above the upper lip, and remove any nose hairs. You’re going to need more than your beard trimmer. Get your hands on a beard brush or moustache comb, some beard oil, and beard wax. Then follow these steps:
Wash and exfoliate your moustache with a dedicated shampoo at least once or twice a week to get rid of any skin flakes, food, or other debris. Towel dry your moustache to remove as much moisture as possible and prevent your moustache hairs from sticking together. By preparing your moustache like this, you will be able to get an even cut.
Then decide what length you’d like to cut your moustache at, bearing in mind that you are limited to the attachments that you have available. If you’re looking for a handlebar moustache, you should not be trimming any shorter than a third of an inch, but a painter’s brush won’t require that much length and can be shaved down to ⅛ inch towards the ends.
So the first thing you want to do is remove the bulk of your moustache. For the most natural look, trim with the grain. Hold the trimmer up to your face and angle it with the bottom end pointing towards the ceiling and trim away at your moustache from top to bottom but do not remove too much bulk to the point where it’s noticeably thinner or shorter. With your top lips raised above your teeth, ensure that the moustache hair stays up without covering any part of your lip, and do not trim any further than where your beard’s cheek line meets your moustache (if you have one).
Then trim the line of your moustache with an unguarded beard trimmer to fall above your lip when looking straight ahead. Trim away every hair that creeps down to your upper lip. Smiling helps you see where your moustache should meet the corners of your mouth.
You may be satisfied with the way you’ve trimmed your moustache as is, but tilting your head downwards in front of the mirror and trimming off any stray hairs that stick out towards the upper lip is how you get the perfect look going. You can also do this with an unguarded beard trimmer, but be careful – it requires a steady hand!
Finally, glide your beard trimmer at the desired length across the layer of hair at the very top of your moustache to remove any other stray hairs.
Once you’re satisfied with your moustache, get out the nose-hair trimmers and remove all excess nose hair. Nothing looks as bad as a moustache that blends into long nose hairs. It’s simple, just get rid of everything.
And it’s as simple as that. Just a few steps, and you’ll have an even, presentable moustache at its best. However, if you want a genuinely majestic moustache, you need to go the extra mile.
Take That Well Groomed Moustache To The Next Level
Even when your mustache has been trimmed to the ideal length, isn’t too bulky, and blends perfectly into your beard, it hasn’t reached its full potential until you apply some beard wax. Beard wax will flatten out any strays that may start to grow out in between trimmings and flatten your mustache to achieve the same tidy look with a more consistent grain.
Not to mention it allows you to play with your mustache’s style, allowing you to curl up the sides, for example. Over and above this, it smells incredible! And where better to have an aromatic delight than literally right beneath your nose? Beard wax is perfect for men who are growing long moustaches, especially elaborate styles that need to be held in place.
Another great tip (that I learned from my barber) is that you can apply moisturizer to the parts of your face where you want to shave lines for your moustache and/or beard before the shave. It will make your beard appear darker against your skin and will keep your skin from getting flakey too.
Conclusion
Growing out a moustache is never a bad idea, but you need to be aware of what you’re doing. A poorly maintained moustache can look incredibly unappealing, so you need to give it a lot of attention, or else you’ll start to look like you come from the 1800s.
Keeping that mustache down to a manageable length, removing its bulk, clearing stray hairs, and removing all nose hair is key to maintaining a presentable moustache. And don’t forget, the right amount of product is the best way to cultivate a true masterpiece.
Sources
How To Use Beard Trimmer Attachments on Mustache | MyBeardGang
List of Beard Gifts For Bearded Men | MyBeardGang
List of Awesome Types of Mustaches | MyBeardGang
7 Mustache Trimmers For The Perfect Trim | All About Razor
How To Trim A Mustache With An Electric Trimmer | Ready Sleek
