Oiling the mustache

Today's mustache is brought to you with only mineral oil added.  No other styling products were used.


Lightly oiled mustache - otherwise au natural

It is amazing what a little oil can do to change my mustache from a wiry uncontrollable mess to a nice soft and manageable mustache.

 





Close up - oiled mustache

My routine now has me oiling the mustache while it is still damp after shaving.  I only add one drop which I work in. I then finger style it - like you see here.  Later on I may add American Crew Fiber (a lanolin product), waxes or other styling products.  Or, I may just go with the natural style that you see here.

Benefits of oil are is follow:

• Darkens
• Softens
• Moisturizes
• Makes more manageable
• Repels liquids (such as beverages) that would otherwise soak into and possibly stain the mustache. 
• Makes the hairs healthier, less prone to breakage or split ends.
• Keeps the skin under the mustache soft and a good hair-producing area.

As a petroleum product, some people may have concerns about mineral oil and putting it on their faces.  But, it is a common and regular ingredient in scores of makeup and hair products.  Here are some facts:

• it is odorless, colorless, and tasteless
• it leaves no residue (unlike petroleum jelly)
• it is cheap.  It is a byproduct of producing gasoline.  No one is processing petroleum to produce mineral oil.  Think of it as a leftover from the refining process.  I suspect that using the single drop that I use each day, it is costing me just pennies a year. 
• It is non-toxic and suitable - though it does have a certain undesirable effect if consumed in large quantities.  I purchased my oil at a pharmacy where it was sold as a laxative.
• It really softens and moisturizes hair.  As this article states, it is used hair products to control frizzy wiry hair in ethnic black hair products (ethnic black hair has many similar properties to wiry mustache hair).
• Chemically it is composed of chemically pure hydrocarbons which are stable and no reactive.

Others recommend using beard oils or jojoba oil, but I really can't see the point.  Many of them are scented (I prefer unscented products).  I also question their purity and lack of harmful substances more than I do for a product that has been approved for human consumption and is documented to be very pure.