Generally, facial hair growth in men has been ascribed to levels of masculinity. Mustaches are generally considered a marker of class or hypersexuality. However, growing a mustache can be quite demanding.
Pointy mustaches can make some activities less fun than they ought to be. Some men have experienced mustache burns while kissing and described them as similar to painful carpet burns. Getting your mustache to lay perfectly requires patience and determination. This is because mustache hair grows straight out because of the shape of your hair follicles.
While it is usually tough to tame a mustache in its early days, it gets easier to trim and shape as the hair grows thicker.
In this guide, we look at why mustaches grow straight out or curl up and how to get them to lay flat!
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
The Science Of Mustache Growth and Why Some Stick Out Straight
Men start to develop their facial hair at puberty which happens at different times in an individual’s life. However, generally, it begins with a growth of a sparse mustache and a few chin hairs, eventually becoming thicker and bushier.
Some men may be lucky to have attained a reasonable level of facial hair growth between ages 18-30, while some may never even achieve their beards/mustache goals.
Two important factors play a part in this; hormones and genetics. There is a strong connection between the two. Usually, the latter determines the level of the former.
The primary hormone responsible for mustache growth is the Testosterone hormone (T hormone). Most people may refer to this hormone as “the masculine hormone” because it is primarily responsible for many masculine features.
However, this hormone is also present in women in smaller quantities.
The Effects Of Hormones And Genetics On Mustache Growth
Testosterone production begins at puberty and takes place in a man’s testicles. The surge is mostly high at this time as the hormone triggers many changes in the male body, including the growth of facial hair until about the age of 30+ when it then begins to dip.
Although this hormone is present in all males, the levels differ in individuals. As a result, some males have lower testosterone levels than others due to their genetics.
Some people do not have the genes to produce enough testosterone. Testosterone levels can also decrease due to health conditions like diabetes and obesity, as well as being overweight.
The average testosterone levels in adult males are estimated to be between 280 and 1,100 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL). When a man has less than this between ages 19-38, he is more likely to experience low, sparse, or slow facial hair growth, such as mustaches and beards.
Now when this happens, some men manifest it by not growing mustaches. In some men, they grow only a few mustaches, while the mustaches come out short in other men. For the ones who grow short mustaches, there is a high tendency that the mustaches will grow straight out, as they are not long enough to lay down.
Read Also: Do Women Like A Man With Mustache?
Why Mustaches Grow Straight Out or Curl Up?
The shape of a man’s hair follicles can influence how the hair grows. Hair follicles on the face are different in shape, unlike those on the scalp. Round follicles produce straight hair, while oval or triangular follicles produce curly or wavy hair.
So if you have round hair follicles around your upper lips, your mustache will likely grow straight out. Another factor responsible for this straight-out mustache growth is the dispersion of hair follicles.
If the hair follicles are scattered rather than grouped, the hair shafts can grow at different angles. This can lead to an uneven distribution of hair or hairs that stick out in weird directions.
Read Also: How To Teach Your Beard To Grow In The Right Direction!
How To Get Mustache Hair To Lay Down
Mustaches are a beauty to the beards. Some people refer to them as the crown of the beards. However, they can be challenging to groom. When they are not properly groomed, they can pose a lot of stress to you. Unruly mustaches can make eating, talking, and kissing your partner difficult.
They may also get caught in your mouth while eating. We will look at how men can overcome this stress. The goal is to train your mustache to grow in a different pattern than it naturally wants. In this case, we want the ones that naturally stick out to lay down.
1. Wash your mustache regularly
It is noteworthy that intentional washing of the mustache is essential. When you are about to have a bath, wash your facial hair, preferably with lukewarm water, as hot water may dry them out. You should use mustache washes instead of regular hair shampoo. Then you can clean them with conditioners specifically designed for facial hairs.
2. Use a good mustache oil
The pores of your skin are most exposed after thorough washing. Therefore, it is best to apply the oil once you have dried your mustache. A good oil will penetrate the pores and stimulate growth. So if your mustache is short, it should grow longer.
3. Comb with a mustache comb
Several mustache combs are perfect for training your mustache. Find one with smooth, rounded teeth that do not snag or pull out your mustache hair and use it daily after you have washed and oiled your mustache.
If you have short mustaches, you should consider combing them regularly, maybe several times a day if you have the luxury. If the comb you use pulls out your hair and subsequently leads to the loss of your mustaches, you should stop and find a better one.
Read Also: How To Get A Softer Mustache Like a Pro!
4. Use mustache wax
Apply mustache wax regularly to train your mustache. You should always wax them in the direction you want them to grow or stay. In this case, you want to convince them to lay down instead of sticking out.
If you are just growing those mustaches or they are short, you can consider waxing daily. You should get a different waxing comb for this purpose. Over time, your mustache starts to grow better, and they begin to fill in and respond to the training.
5. Trimming
This point is optional, although it is a handy tool for growing the perfect mustache. As your mustache grows, some stray whiskers may grow irregularly towards your nose or mouth.
Many may choose to trim these off, but if you want a full mustache, you should not. Instead, train them with the above methods, and before you know it, you have a particularly thick mustache that is well trained to lay down rather than stick out straight. If your mustache growth is sparse, but the hair grows straight out, you may consider trimming them shortly to get rid of long pointy whiskers.
How Long Should Your Mustache Be? Should It Cover Your Lip?
It is essential to note that individuals have different preferences. Whether the mustache should cover the lip or not is largely up to each man. However, there might be several factors to consider when making these decisions.
When the mustache is covering the lip, mainly the upper lip, carrying out some everyday activities might be stressful. For instance, it may be challenging to eat.
If you want to grow a long mustache that covers your lip, you should adjust your eating habits accordingly. For instance, you don’t want to stuff too much food into your mouth. Else, they will make a mess of your mustache.
Mustaches that lay on your lips may also interfere with your speech and impair the way you talk. They will most likely get into your mouth and disturb you while you talk.
Men with mustaches that cover their lips may have challenges kissing their partners. The hair will often get in the way, and it may become rather annoying than romantic.
Read Also: How To Make Beard And Mustache Connect
Do Mustaches Make Men More Attractive?
Historically, mustaches have always been a marker of class due to the cost of the products necessary to grow a full and healthy mouth crown.
However, like all facial hair, mustaches can be shaped to make you look more appealing. Several studies have shown that women find bearded men more attractive than their non-bearded colleagues, but the focus of those studies was beards in general.
Mustaches add maturity to a man’s looks and, when properly groomed, can add a score or two to your attractiveness.
Like beards, you can tinker with different mustache styles to see which suits you and brings out the classic man in you. Depending on your preference, you can grow your mustache alone or with a full beard or a goatee.
Now, if you wanna wear a mustache without a beard, it may look weird but everyone is free to choose what he likes.
Conclusion
It is important to note that the direction and texture of your mustache growth depend mainly on your genes and general health status.
However, you win back the power to determine how they look and appear after they grow. If your mustaches grow out straight or curl up, the good news is that you can make them lay down with the right products and procedures if they pose rather uncomfortable effects on you.
It is also generally assumed that men with well-trimmed mustaches that are just above the lip are usually perceived to appear sharper, smarter, and more attractive than men with too thick and long mustaches. It is therefore advised that mustaches should be kept well-trimmed and neat.
And that’s it for today’s article! I hope you found it useful and interesting.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to write them in the comment section below and we will be more than happy to reply.
Until next time,
Stay safe,
Tasos
Tasos Moulios is the founder of Beardlong. He loves trying different beard and hair styles and blogs about them. The tips he shares come from his own experience and love for what he does.