Mustache Styles: The 5 Best Mustache Styles

Over the years, mustaches, goatees, soul patches, and other types of facial hair have been in and out of style pretty consistently. As we know — and as many hipsters will remind you — not all mustaches are created equal. There are so many different styles to create and replicate, from the beardstache to the English mustache to a thin mustache to a Salvador Dali mustache — seriously, there’s a lot to choose from. 

Based on your ability to grow facial hair as well as your facial structure and jawline, we’re here to help you determine the perfect mustache for your style. Read on to learn the right products, tools, and advice to help you bulk up your mustache game so you can look like the next Hulk Hogan.

Mustache Styles for Every Whisker Wearer

When it comes to facial hair, some of us can squeeze our faces, and a full, knee-length beard just sprouts out of thin air. For the rest of us, growing a fancy handlebar ‘stache takes a little coaxing before shyly emerging from our upper lips. If you’re wondering how to trim mustache hair, matching your whisker-grooming regimen to your overall style and preference is the move. 

Some may like to get every hair *just right* while others prefer the windswept look. But you can trust us here: There is no wrong kind of style for a mustache. 

We get it; not all of us can snap our fingers and have a Wild West mustache (à la Sam Elliot looking rugged on horseback) without any help. Sometimes, our genetics don’t work that way, and that's perfectly fine. Finding the mustache for you comes down to working with what you have (and tools that helpboost beard growth). So, without further adieu, here are five mustache styles that have been seen through the years and what you can try for yourself.

1. The Pencil 

The pencil is a classic mustache that really hit its stride in the 1920s to 1940s (think Clark Gable). This style is a thinner mustache that does not overwhelm your entire face. The trick with this look is to keep the length cut right above your upper lip and the width no wider than the ends of your mouth. The pencil is all about maintenance and keeping it as neat as possible. 

Need a visual? Remember Brad Pitt in the movie Inglorious Bastards? Yep, now you got it!

How To Grow and Maintain the Pencil Mustache

The best way to get a pencil mustache is by growing out your current mustache. Once you get to a good length, use Beard Trimming Scissors to cut your mustache hairs right above your upper lip, following the shape with precision and accuracy. 

Again, the pencil width shouldn’t be longer than the width of your bottom lip and top lip, so use the scissors to maintain the growth as well. This look does require multiple days of upkeep a week to ensure the mustache hair does not cover your lip line. Additionally, not all upper lips are identical. In some cases, a thin pencil ‘stache can highlight a thin spot in your mustache growth, known as a mustache gap. 

For those who cannot grow a full pencil mustache or who want a twist on this shape, there is a brother style called the parted pencil. This look has the same length and width as a normal pencil mustache. However, the hairs between the philtrum (midline groove from the top of your upper lip up to your nose) are shaved off. You can use our PT45 Trimmer to remove the hairs on the philtrum or neatly maintain the look. 

2. The Lampshade

You know Eddie Murphy in Coming To America (or just about any movie he has acted in)? He can rock a lampshade mustache better than most.

This particular style is larger than the pencil but still follows the same rule as the width for your face shape in that it is trimmed and rounded by the corners of your lips. The lampshade looks fantastic with thick mustaches or facial hair in general.

How To Groom and Maintain the Lampshade Mustache

Let your mustache hair grow out naturally first. Once your hair is grown to the length you desire, go ahead and trim the ends right above your upper lip, following the lip line (just like with the pencil mustache). 

If you want to grow your mustache a bit thicker (so you can try other types of mustaches), check out our Growth Oil. This aids in growing healthier and thicker facial hair while adding moisture for smoothness. Using the PT45 Trimmer, round out the edges of the mustache by your upper lip, ensuring the hair does not extend further than the sides of the mouth. 

This is another look that could require daily maintenance to avoid hairs covering the top lip and any stragglers away from the rounded edges.

3. The Chevron

The chevron mustache is the shape of an upside-down V that covers your whole upper lip past the corners of your mouth and is longer in length. Why this name? Well, it resembles the look of an actual chevron. 

Ok, now what the heck is a chevron? Good question — a chevron is a figure, pattern, or object that resembles the shape of a V or an upside-down V. Makes sense, right? 

One of the most famous men who can pull off a completely bad-ass chevron mustache is the one and only Tom Selleck. He has been the poster boy for this look since the early 1980s and continues to do so to this day. If he can rock it, so can you! 

How To Groom and Maintain the Chevron Mustache

Not all of us can naturally grow a chevron as it requires a very thick and long mustache. If you can, give it a try! Be sure to grow out your mustache as long as you can. If you are looking to aid in growth and thickness to help your mustache bulk up, this is the perfect time to use our Growth Oil or Growth Vitamins. 

These vitamins are packed with the proper nutrients to get your mustache growing properly from the inside out. Not a fan of taking supplements? No problem — try our Growth Vitamin Spray Instead. This spray is also packed with essential nutrients and Biotin that goes straight onto your mustache or beard (helping turn it into a full beard), providing hydration that will boost growth and your facial hair style.

It could take some serious time to grow the chevron. We’re talking weeks to months. Don’t give up on the growth process because the great thing about this mustache is that it doesn’t require a ton of upkeep. 

Once you get to your desired length and thickness, be sure to trim your upper lip hair. The hairs should not be covering your entire upper lip (unless you like eating mustache hair.) Use the PT45 Trimmer to shape the corners of your mustache neatly since the hairs will extend past your mouth.

4. The Walrus

This is the king of mustache styles: the walrus. Named after none other than a walrus’ whiskers, this mustache is big, bold, and thick, making it a huge statement for your face. The mustache hairs are long enough to cover your upper lip and wider than your mouth. 

If you are looking for some inspiration, look no further than Sam Elliott. This guy can really grow a walrus mustache. But be aware that the walrus is one of those mustaches that cannot be grown by just anyone. It takes a lot of hair, a lot of patience, and just plain DNA to get a thick and scruffy walrus ‘stache (if you want to set a mustache goal for Movember, this would be it). 

How To Groom and Maintain the Walrus Mustache

The first step in growing a walrus mustache is to do nothing but wait and grow, grow, grow. This is the perfect ‘stache to pull out all the stops: Beard Oil, Growth Vitamins, and Growth Spray could be essential in the growth process for achieving this look. While the mustache is growing out, you should start to tame it to grow in the right direction. 

It is possible to tame your facial hair, which will come in handy if you want to try more looks later. Our Sandalwood Mustache Comb is the perfect tool to use to comb out your mustache while gently smoothing and styling it. One of the benefits of the walrus look is little to no maintenance.

Just sit back and enjoy the ‘stache. Oh, and did we mention it looks epic with the best beard styles out there?

5. The Handlebar Mustache

Now we get to one of the most iconic and daring of mustaches — the handlebar. Named after the handlebars from bicycles, the handlebar mustache style is on the thicker side, and the ends are twirled upwards away from the corners of the mouth. It’s often confused with the horseshoe mustache, which grows straight down in an upside-down “U” shape.

This particular mustache look requires a lot of maintenance, taming, and confidence to pull off. Some handlebar mustaches can be wider than your mouth, but you can also keep them on the smaller side too.

How To Grow and Maintain a Handlebar Mustache

Being one of the more difficult mustaches to grow and maintain, the handlebar requires a tremendous amount of diligence. Start by growing your mustache to a significant length where the ends are long enough to start taming upwards. 

Use a mustache comb to comb the ‘stache outwards and the ends upwards. To keep the ends twirled or flipped up, use our Mustache Wax for an all-day hold perfect for sculpting and taming while adding moisture to your facial hair.

Classics Styles Never Go Out of Style

Nervous to try something new and become part of the ‘stache gang? Don’t be. You’d be joining some of the most iconic men of all time: Martin Luther King Jr., Theodore Roosevelt, and even Albert Einstein sported classic mustaches. 

Join the ranks of these and other whiskered icons with help from The Beard Club. Thanks to our catalog of tailored mustache products, you can be on the right track to looking like Burt Reynolds or Freddie Mercury in no time. 

Sources:

The Moustache: A Hairy History | BBC Culture

Watch a Beard Model Show You How to Pull Off Henry Cavill's Epic 'Beardstache' | Men's Health

Five things you didn’t know about Tom Selleck’s moustache | Irish Examiner

Movember + PCF | Prostate Cancer Foundation

The man, the myth, the mustache: We GIF thanks for Burt Reynolds' famous facial hair | USA Today