Keep your long mustache comfortable.
Clean at the lip, softer at the ends.

The lip line needs its own cleanup

Long hairs sit close to food, drinks and facial skin. Clean the skin beneath your mustache as well as the visible ends. Between washes, rinse away food before it dries rather than brushing crumbs through the hair.

Softness and hold are different jobs

Longer ends can cross and snag when you comb them. Conditioning helps them feel softer and comb more easily. Wax helps hold the shape. If the hair feels rough, adding more wax usually leaves you with stiff, rough hair.

Wash gently, right down to the skin

• During your daily face wash, work a gentle facial cleanser through the mustache with your fingertips. Rinse well with lukewarm water.
• Pat with a clean towel. If the skin underneath feels dry, part the hairs and spread a little fragrance-free facial moisturizer onto the skin.
• Keep cleanser and grooming products off your lips and out of your mouth. If something stings, rinse it off and stop using it.

Free the tips before combing the whole side

• Start with lightly damp hair and a little facial-hair conditioner. Check whether yours rinses out or stays in.
• Ease crossings apart with your fingers. Support one side near your face, then use a small, smooth comb with teeth wide enough to pass through without dragging.
• Begin at the outer tips and work inward in short sections. When the comb catches, lift it out and loosen the snag instead of pulling harder.

Make room for food without cutting everything short

• Before a meal, sweep the hairs from the middle toward each side. A little mustache wax can help keep the lip line clear.
• Try smaller bites and a spoon that fits between the ends. After eating, soften any sticky spots with water and dab with a clean damp cloth.
• A natural walrus style hangs over the lip, so it needs more cleanup. If that bothers you, choose a sideways sweep or shorten only the central hairs.

Conditioner or a little oil for softer ends

Spread a thin film of beard conditioner through damp lengths. Rinse out a rinse-off formula. For dry hair and skin, a little beard oil is another option. Start sparingly, especially if your skin breaks out easily.

Read about cetearyl alcohol in conditioning formulas.

Mustache wax for a sideways sweep

On dry hair, warm a small shaving of mustache wax between your fingers. Smooth outward from the middle, then shape the tips without tugging. Add a little more only where the hold falls short. Keep wax on the hairs, clear of your lips.

Read about beeswax in styling formulas.

Wash, soften, comb, then shape

After washing, condition and gently comb. Let the hair dry before wax. At night, soften firm wax using the removal method on the tin, then wash it away. Blot dry. If oil makes your wax slip, save oil for after evening washing.

Trim for the shape you want to keep

Check clean, dry hair in its usual shape. With small grooming scissors, snip only hairs you want shorter, a little at a time. Preserve the outer lengths for handlebars. Ask a barber to demonstrate if you cannot clearly see the lip line.