Handlebar Moustache:
How to Grow and Style It
The curled, characterful moustache that takes patience and wax. Here's the honest guide to growing, training, and styling one.
By Jessica Hamilton — Master Stylist & Creative Director
The handlebar is the moustache with genuine character — grown long enough that the ends can be waxed and curled upward into the signature loops. It's a commitment: it takes months of growth and daily training, and it lives or dies on moustache wax and patience. Here's how to actually get there.
What Makes It a Handlebar
A handlebar is defined by length and curl: the moustache is grown well past the upper lip, and the outer ends are long enough to be waxed and trained to curl upward and outward — the "handlebars." Unlike most moustaches, it needs the hair at the corners of the mouth to keep growing rather than being trimmed to the lip line.
Growing It Out
- 1
Commit to 3-4 months minimum
You need real length at the ends to curl. Resist trimming the width.
- 2
Push through the awkward phase
Weeks 4-10 look scruffy and want to droop into the mouth — comb it aside and wait.
- 3
Keep it out of your mouth
Comb the centre down and the ends outward daily so it trains away from the lip.
- 4
Only trim the very centre
Keep the philtrum (centre, under the nose) tidy so it doesn't overhang; leave the ends alone.
- 5
Start waxing once the ends reach the jaw corners
That's when you have enough to curl.
Styling with Wax
- Use a firm-hold moustache wax — beard balm won't hold a curl.
- Warm a small amount between fingertips until it's workable.
- Comb the moustache from centre outward first to distribute and detangle.
- Work wax through the ends, then twist each side between finger and thumb into a point or curl.
- Curl upward and outward — a small round brush or your fingers set the loop.
- Re-set as needed — heat (a hairdryer on low) helps the wax hold the shape.
Maintenance
- Wash and condition it — a moustache traps food and grime; keep it clean.
- Comb daily to keep the training consistent.
- Trim only the centre/philtrum, never the ends you're growing.
- Carry a small wax tin for touch-ups; humidity and eating undo the curl.
- Pair it thoughtfully — a handlebar is a statement, so keep the haircut relatively clean so the moustache leads.