Top 17 Mustache Styles: Must-have Looks

Updated:

Mustache Styles to Try in 2020 - Start with a curly mustache

It’s a fact, facial hair styles are trending in the past few years, and mustaches have made an epic re-appearance for modern men.

Celebrities, hairstylists, and models have all been seen sporting several unique mustache styles. If you want to upgrade your look quickly and try something new, then growing and shaping the hair on your upper lip is a fine place to start.

Finding the right facial hair style is the best way to start, as there are several ways to create an iconic Hollywood style mustache.

Best Mustache Styles

On this list, there are a few different mustaches that are popular, and others that can be styled for your unique face shape. Mustaches can be cut any way you like, but if you haven’t grown out the hair above your lip before, it does require some patience to go from stubble to a full handlebar mustache.

When it comes to iconic looks, these types of mustaches have made their way into Hollywood and Instagram. You’ll also see them in street fashion all over the globe. Here are our seven top picks and how to get the look.

Check out the Best Mustache Trimmers – NEW

How to Grow a Mustache

1. Hipster Mustache

The hipster is really a play on a natural mustache that isn’t particularly bushy or thick. Characterized by its full yet wispy quality, the hipster mustache is tailored to the length of the upper lip.

While thinner than a handlebar or cowboy mustache, it’s a well-defined small mustache sported by James Franco, Josh Hartnett, and even Brad Pitt.

How to Trim the Hipster mustache

  1. Comb out your natural hair above your lip
  2. Trim hair just above the line of your upper lip to keep it neat
  3. Shave edges to keep it flush with the corners of your mouth
  4. Try a soul patch underneath your bottom lip for something extra

2. Walrus Mustache

The Walrus Mustache is typically a bushy mustache style trimmed just atop the upper lip. The look sports thick facial whiskers that cover and droop over the lip like a walrus.

The iconic character Ron Swanson played actor Nick Offerman plays on Parks and Recreation has glamorized the Walrus Mustache. The Ron Swanson mustache is a neatly trimmed Walrus Mustache that fully covers the upper lip and grows slightly past the corners of the mouth.

Ron Swanson Mustache Style is a Walrus Mustached trimmed neatly.
What’s better than Ron Swanson’s Mustache?

How to Trim the Walrus mustache

  1. Brush your mustache hair down to keep it growing straight
  2. Use a pair of barber shears to trim away longer hair so that your mustache doesn’t curl over the top lip
  3. With a quality electric shaver or razor, keep it shaven and clean so that the ends hang just slightly past the corners of your mouth

3. Chevron Mustache

The Chevron is a mustache style that slopes downwards towards the corners of your mouth. The angular growth pattern is like a walrus mustache, although it’s shorter and less bushy.

Henry Cavill knows how to grow a chevron mustache
Henry Cavill at the world premiere for “Justice League” sporting a stylish chevron mustache.

How to Trim the Chevron mustache

  1. Grow out your mustache out.
  2. Trim your hair flush to your upper lip.
  3. Shave the edges to extend the upper lip.
  4. Trim the bottom of your mustache flush to your upper lip.

4. Pencil Mustache

There are several names for this mustache, but it’s rather slim and trim, which is why we think it’s simple and versatile style. However, it’s best known as the pencil mustache, or pencil-thin mustache, or business mustache.

Celebrities like Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Errol Flynn wore with style amazingly well.

This mustache style is characterized by a slight line of thick hair just above the upper lip. There’s a clear separation from the nose to the start of the mustache, and it also doesn’t hang over the top lip. Overall, this is a very neat and easy look to keep up, particularly for professionals. Facial hair has become pretty acceptable in business, after all.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Pencil Thin Mustache
Jonathan Rhys Meyers Pencil Mustache

How to Trim the Pencil mustache

  1. Use a trimmer attachment or razor to shave the hair clean from under your nose and around your bottom lip to the edges of your mouth
  2. Try a #2 guard on your trimmer to keep your mustache well-kempt and neat

5. Handlebar Mustache

The handlebar mustache is probably the most difficult to style, but its shape has always been popular for men who love the unique look. Characterized by ends that curl upwards, this style is hard to create without mustache wax and a good comb.

This is an advanced mustache style though, so it may take time to grow out and curl your mustache until it’s perfect.

Handlebar Mustache Style
Cool Handlebar Mustache Style – Image courtesy of Men’s Journal.

How to Trim the handlebar mustache

  1. Trim your mustache hair so it connects to the bottom of your nose, then arches out (see picture above).
  2. Trim the hair thin in the middle, leaving a small mustache gap.
  3. Keep the hair long on the ends for waxing and shaping.
  4. Invest in a good mustache wax or beeswax to style and curl the ends.

6. Cowboy Mustache

This is a long mustache variation of the Walrus Mustache (above). The Wild West AKA “cowboy” mustache is a bushy, full mustache that grows slightly over the top lip and long on the ends.

While a bit messy and less groomed, you can still use a comb to keep this mustache’s silky yet long look. The key is to not make any precise cuts and let this mustache grow naturally outward.

Cowboy Mustache Style (Sam Elliot)
Sam Elliot’s famous Wild West Mustache

How to Trim the Cowboy Mustache

  1. Don’t trim with an electric shaver or razor
  2. Let your mustache hair grow long
  3. Use a comb and a pair of shears to clean up the hair
  4. When using shears, try not to make straight, horizontal cuts. Instead, you should trim single hairs and use a vertical shearing approach to avoid any “neat” or precise cuts

7. Horseshoe Mustache

While not a Fu Manchu, the horseshoe mustache made famous by Hulk Hogan and is characterized by a bushy top lip mustache that grows down the sides and past the edges of your mouth. Yeah, it’s a long mustache style worn by the ultra confident.

You may have seen this look on the actor Michael Cudlitz from The Walking Dead, who has a Twitter handle for his “Walking Dead Mustache”. For those who love to grow out their mustache hair a little bit past your lips, this is the look for you.

Michael Cudlitz Walking Dead Mustache - AKA Horseshoe Mustache
Michael Cudlitz and his best Walking Dead Mustache

Newer looks are faded on the ends and paired with either a clean-shaven chin or a full beard style. In other cases, it’s grown thick and bushy down to the jawline. This badass mustache requires a bit of upkeep and trimming to ensure that it doesn’t look overgrown.

How to Trim the horseshoe mustache

  • Grow out the hair above your bottom lip and let it grow past your lips
  • Define the shape of your horseshoe, deciding whether to keep thick or faded down to the chin
  • Shave your chin or connect to chin hair for a goatee look
  • Trim hair across upper lip and down the sides of your chin with a pair of shears

8. Dallas Mustache

This is a slightly tamed cowboy mustache look that’s thicker and masculine. If you want a no-fuss thick mustache, this is the one to go with. You’ll need to trim it about every other day and use a comb to get the right shape. It’s best for strong jawlines and square face shapes.

Dallas Mustache Style
The Dallas Mustache is legendary!

How to Trim the Dallas mustache

  1. Grow out the hair above your bottom lip and let it grow past your lips slightly
  2. Define the shape of your Dallas look with slightly long edges on left and right that drop down about a half-inch to an inch below your bottom lip
  3. Shave your chin or connect to chin hair for a goatee look
  4. Trim hair with shears to keep length but prevent it from getting too bushy

9. Pyramid Mustache

It’s all about the shape with this mustache. With its thick, triangular shape, this mustache starts at the bottom of the nose and slants down to the mouth. It can be grown bushy or very trim, depending on the style you like.

Pyramid Mustache Style
Pyramid Mustache – Image courtesy of DAMAN Hairstyles.

How to Trim the pyramid mustache

  1. Shave hair clean around the shape of the pyramid, defining a triangle shape from the bottom of your nose to the edges of your mouth
  2. Use barber shears to trim it so it’s flush with the edges of your lips or hangs slightly down
  3. Shave your chin or connect to chin hair for a goatee look

10. Zappa Mustache

This is from the man himself. Frank Zappa had a very distinctive, thick mustache that was a slightly longer Dallas mustache with a nice soul patch.

It’s best to have a thick, full mustache if you plan to try this style. You don’t have to worry about maintenance, as stubble around the edges and under your lips is acceptable.

Frank Zappa Mustache Style
The Frank Zappa Mustache is simple and clean.

How to Trim the Frank Zappa mustache

  1. Grow out the hair above your bottom lip and let it grow past your lips
  2. Define the shape of your Zappa stache, letting the corners hang slightly under your bottom lip
  3. Define a soul patch underneath the bottom lip using an electric trimmer or shaver with barber shears

11. Steve Harvey Mustache

What mustache list would be complete with Steve Harvey. Super funny and always dressed on point. A must for stache lovers.

Steve Harvey Mustache Style
See more cool styles – bald with mustache and black men with mustaches.

12. Blonde Mustache

The blonde mustache is a unique style. Whether you can grow blonde hair naturally or looking to dye blonde, it’s a stylish look.

Ryan Gosling's blonde mustache and stubble beard.
Ryan Gosling’s blonde mustache and beard stubble.

13. Mustache and Goatee

When looking at men with mustaches, it’s easy to see the look easily paired with a goatee. This mustache with beard look is a natural pairing worn in business casual and celebs alike.

Jamie Foxx mustache and goatee.
Jamie Foxx, mustache and goatee.

14. Tom Selleck Mustache

Tom Selleck is known for his rugged masculine look, and his full, thick mustache is part of his style. Also known as the Chevron, this mustache is trimmed so it’s bushy and thick with a slight part in the center.

The corners are flush with the shape of your mouth. It only requires some light maintenance to keep up this look if you have thick hair.

Tom Selleck Chevron Mustache
Tom Selleck sporting his Classic Mustache.

How to Trim the Selleck mustache

  1. Grow out your mustache hair from the bottom of your nose to the upper lip.
  2. Use barber shears to keep your hair flush with your upper lip.
  3. Shave the edges of your mustache so they extend and elongate your upper lip slightly.
  4. Keep the bottom of your mustache flush to the same line as your upper lip.

15. Black Men Mustache

Funny man Eddie Murphy does the mustache proud.

Eddie Murphy's classic Mustache
Eddie with a mustache.

16. Patchy Mustache

The patchy mustache is typically thinner in style and has bare spots throughout. It’s a style worn by young men new to growing facial hair.

Patchy Mustache
Patchy Mustache Style.

17. Mexican Mustache

The patchy mustache is typically thinner in style and has bare spots throughout. It’s a style worn by young men new to growing facial hair.

Mexican Style Mustache
Mexican Painters Brush Mustache

How to Trim Your Mustache

When it comes to styling your mustache, you want to make sure that your hair is well taken care of beforehand. Before trimming and shaving, you should clean your face with a mild cleanser using warm water.

Learn How to Trim a Mustache like a Pro Barber

  1. Comb dry your mustache using a fine-toothed comb. Never comb hair when completely wet, as it appears longer.
  2. Try barber shears or mustache trimming scissors to define shape, cutting along the bottom edges of the mustache and then defining the outer edges according to the style you want to achieve.
  3. Work from the middle towards one side, then do the same from the other angle. Look straight ahead when trimming and don’t move your lips too much.
  4. Time to trim the length. Comb through your mustache and start with the outside of the mustache, snipping away at hair until you reach the best length. If you decide to use an electric trimmer, then use a longer #3 or #4 guide to start, then move to a shorter guard. You can always trim more if you don’t like the length.
  5. Comb through your mustache for a final look and see if there are any stray hairs. Use shears to trim.
  6. Apply a balm or oil treatment once complete to ensure that your hair stays moisturized and silky, even if you like it a little bushy.

Mustache or Moustache

So, is mustache different from moustache? Actually, no. Mustache is simply the American variation of the traditionally spelled UK work “moustache” just like flavour is to flavor.

Photo of author

AUTHOR

I'm the founder of Bald & Beards, an amateur barber and I've been obsessed with men's grooming, styles, and trends for over 20 years.