A good mustache day - a wax test - a passerby's compliment, and the brotherhood of the mustache

At the end of the day still holding

The wax test

I have completed the experiment and the Firehouse Moustache Wax (Dark) has passed the test.  The challenge was to see if it would hold the curls after a complete day of abuse without the need to reapply wax.  The abuse included a picnic lunch complete with bottled water, a Subway sandwich, a lush plum, followed by a wafflecone of peach ice cream, and a day of walking about in summer weather of a nearby tourist town before returning home. The picture above shows the mustache still kept it curls.  Keep in mind that curls are natural and the wax pretty much just keeps them bunched together.


Eating was a challenge.  For the plum, I deliberately kept my top lip away from the juicy portions.  With each bite, I positioned it so that my top teeth were cutting into the plum's skin rather than previously bitten into areas.  This worked quite well and will have to be a tip that I remember.

The ice cream cone was another story.  I have read that ice cream cones are the most difficult thing to eat with a handlebar mustache and I must say that it was not easy.  When I approached the counter, I almost asked to get a bowl instead of a spoon.  But no, I was going to face my challenge head on.  I ordered the cone and promptly grabbed a wad of napkins from the counter.  I brushed the hairs aside with my fingers and proceeded.  After pushing my lips forward like a fish, approached the cone.  I tried to use my teeth to crave into the ice cream but still got it all over the mustache.  I went to the routine of bite icream, wipe it off the mustache and repeat until I decided to just go for it.  At the end, it was a sticky mess, and then set myself to the task of cleaning it up.  My tongue helped - yes, a mustache really is a flavor saver!  I was grateful that I grabbed all of those napkins.

I then walked about looking for the next mirror to make sure that I was not walking around with gobs of stuff hanging in the hairs.  When I finally stepped into a store and took a look, it was apparent that I had done a pretty good job of cleaning it up.  The mustache was clean(ish) and still intact.  The wax had passed the test.

A Compliment

The main street of the tourist town functions as a promenade where everyone can do some good people watching while casually strolling.  What a great place to look for other handlebar mustaches, and show off my own!  

Then it happened, a family of four walked by, and a boy of about twelve quietly said, "I like your mustache!"

"Thank you" I quickly replied, wondering if my wife heard it while at the same time feeling very proud.  They were quickly past and out of ear shot.  

While my wife has gotten used to people we know making comments about the mustache when we are together, this was the first time that a complete stranger had ever said anything in her presence.  I was wondering how she would react.

"Oh my lands! There will be no living with you now" she said.  

I just smiled and held my head high.  

The brotherhood of the mustache

Of the hundreds of people that we passed, I did not see another handlebar.  There were hundreds of mustaches and goatees among the shaved faces, but the closed thing would be some Hulk Hogan style horseshoe mustaches.  Perhaps the reason that my mustache got the compliment was that a true handlebar is so rare.

Before heading home, we stopped into place to get something cold to drink, and there I saw my first handlebar of the day other than my own.  He had nicely waxed bars of about two inches on each side that extended above his full beard.

After receiving our drinks, I said, "I like your handlebars.  What is your wax?"  

"Firehouse" he said.

"That's what I am wearing.  Dark or Wacky Tacky?"

"Wacky" he said

"I am using Dark today"

I turned to my wife who was observing the conversation and said, "It's the brotherhood of the mustache"

"Brotherhood of the mustache?"  she asked.

It's a guy thing.  We each gave each other a nod and went on our ways - each respecting each other's courage and accomplishment in acquiring and maintaining compliment generating mustaches.

It was a good mustache day.