Five-and-one-half-inch spread

Today's experiment with the English style provided me the opportunity to get a measurement of my mustache span.  When I took my measurements on May 29, 2013, my mustache width with was 4.25 inches.  Now two months later is is 5.5 inches - or an increase of an 1.25 inches.  If these figures are accurate, my hair growth rate is sightly faster than most at .625 inches a month while the average for most human hair is .5.

Update - the growth information is actually incorrect - based upon my July 5 blog entry, since the hair at the tips is growing in opposite directions, the growth is rate of individual hairs is half of the growth of the mustache.  This means that the hair growth rate would be .3125 inches a month, not the .625 I posted above.

In reality, I don't think that these growth numbers are accurate.  I think that one English style measurement can only be compared to another of the same style.  Although the hairs are styled in an erect fashion, they still are not perfectly straight.

Since many sources say that it takes most men a minimum of 3 months to grow a true handlebar mustache I can use that as a benchmark, (and I am still over a week away from the milestone).  With this photograph showing the graspable extremities approaching the width of my face, it shows at least an average - if not an above average - rate of growth.

From the looks  of this picture, I have a face spanner when styled this way, though just barely - and if the camera was a bit farther away, perhaps it would show that I am not quite there yet.  It certainly is not large enough to allow both sides to be viewed from behind my head. 

English Style

While I did receive complements today on my mustache, including one from an older man who said, "I tried to grow a mustache like yours a long time ago, but could never get it to work",   I think that the English Style is much better suited towards longer mustache where it can be truly awesome.  I also see it as kind of a special occasion style rather than something for every day.  But I will certainly style it this way occasionally.  It's fun and different and a great way to flash the stache.

English Style Handlebar

My first time in with the English style - Using Firehouse Wacky Tacky and glue stick

This morning I styled my handlebar mustache for the first time in the English Style.  This dramatic style sends the ends straight out to a narrow sharp point.

It takes length to pull of an English style and up to this point I did not have it.  Last night after taking a shower, I deliberately messed up the mustache and went to bed to see how it would look in the morning.  It did not look as scarey as I thought it would, but since it really didn't have much curl, I thought that I would give it a try.

My wife laughed as I worked at it.  She is convinced that this is a phase and evidence of a midlife crisis.  "At least it's cheaper than a red convertible" she said.

Not the type of mustache that I was expecting

When I started my mustache journey,  I was expecting a mustache that looks like this:

Image copied from http://www.firehousemoustachewax.com/Photos2.html

As I have narrow space between my nose and lips, and relatively thin facial hair this is the mustache that I thought that I could expect.

But instead after two and a half months into my journey, I believe that my destiny will probably be more like one of these guys:

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.

Waxed into submission the Firehouse way

This morning's waxed mustache

I am now trying some oil-based mustache waxes.  Up until now, all of the products that I have been using on my mustache are water based with the exception of the occasional oil which I really use more for a conditioner.  This means that any moisture (rain, splashes from drinks, face washing, touching with wet fingers, etc...) removes the hold.  Oil-based waxes have the advantage of repelling water and keeping the hold much longer.  So I decided to order some oil-based product from Firehouse Moustache Wax.

Moustache in the sunlight

Sunlight shot

No,  I don't have a face-spanning mustache - I just had the camera in real close to show the individual hairs. 

The hairs in the center now have enough length that they grow to the side and form the nice mustache shape without any waxes or glues. Here it is just brushed to the sides and pinched and pulled up a little at the tips. 

As it grows up, it seems to be better behaved.  Had I given into the temptation to trim the center, I am sure that I would have regretted it and would now either be battling those hairs as the lengthened again, or having to trim again.  For any of you considering growing a handlebar, resist the urge to trim until you see it grown out.  You can always trim latter, but you can never untrim.

Barber Visit

Barbershop visit before and after 7/24/2013

Compare this with...

Barbershop visit before and after 6/20/2013

Today's barbershop visit only involved top-of-head hair.  As I have been maintaining the facial hair myself, the barber did not need to attend to it.  The pictures certainly show significant mustache growth in 34 days.  Also evident in today's picture is my well-disciplined right side with its sweet smooth curl to the tip, and my unruly left side that looks like someone exploded a fire cracker under it.  I guess we know which of my shoulders has the devil sitting on it.

Clubman Wax failed after two hours. Had to use glue stick.

After gluing goatee trim and glued tips



Today prior to church I waxed the stache with clubman and it looked good.  I received four different compliments about how it looked good, made me look like I was always smiling.  Some one else said that I was one of the few people who could pull a mustache like this off  (I disagree.  I have average growth and most men could grow an equally impressive mustache).

The sermon was on things that may not be sins, but may be distracting us from living a life of faith that we could be living.  Was he talking about mustaches?

I styled it using Clubman wax, and it looked great with the ends coming to nice pointy tips.  But, by the time church was over the points were coming apart.  Obviously clubman lacks the staying power that I need.  Before this picture, I glue sticked the ends to get the points back that clubman could not hold.

A curly day

After styling with Got 2 B Glued.  Where did those tight curls come from?

Today I decided to use Got  2B Glued to style the stache.  Here's how it went.

1.  Starting with my left side - the rebellious one.  Put the glue in and combed to the sides.  The center looked fine, but once I got near the ends, the hairs decided to go every direction possible.  Fine,  I will go back and fix it with the glue stick.

2.  Worked on the right side - the cooperative one.  Combed the glue in, and as soon as the comb cleared, the ends bended up on their own into perfect tight curls.  A little pinch, and to consolidate it and it was done.

3.  Back to the rebellious left side.  Used some more of the Got 2B and eventually got it to submit and also form a tight curl.  No need for the glue stick today.

The center of the mustache still looks a bit messy.  I suspect that this is due to the hair being at a slightly uncontrollable length that will hopefully become more manageable as it lengthens and can be combed together.

The mustache in the rear view mirror

The mustache as seen in the rear view mirror

How time changes things. 

A while back, the first hairs started poking my lips and it really bothered me.  Immediately I went in search of products and techniques to tame these renegade hairs that insisted on attaching my mouth.  Evil whiskers must be brought into submission, I thought.  I would wax, glue, paste, or do whatever was necessary to keep my lips clear (except for trimming - that was and still is prohibited).

For the last several days, however, I have given the mustache more latitude.  I have used no waxes or glues - just a little bit of oil on a couple of the mornings.  And the undisciplined hairs, suddenly realizing that their target is once again obtainable, have set their sites on my mouth.

Today, while riding as a passenger in the back seat of a car, behind the driver's seat, I looked up and saw the reflection of my face in the rear view mirror.   Framed right in the middle of the mirror, there it was - a nice full handlebar mustache.

"Mr. Follicle" says that he can't grow a mustache like mine! Really?

Close up shot - no wax or other product used



I walked into a conversation that two of my restaurant coworkers were having about my mustache.   One of them, whom I will call Mr. Follicle,  was saying how he could never grow a mustache like mine - he just didn't have the genetics.

I could hardly keep a straight face since he is not some smooth-faced cherub, but one of these men who develops a heavy 5 o'clock shadow by noon.  Usually, however, he wears a couple of days growth and clearly he has no lack of facial hair including that on the upper lip.   I jokingly told him that he had more hair on one of his cheeks than I do on my whole body.  I told him that I had virtually no sideburns and whiskers were as common on my cheeks as trees in the Sahara.

Ramblings on thoughts, the goatee, waiter tip income, styling products, and keeping hair out of my mouth.

After the latest goatee trim this morning

Thoughts flooding through my head

I love my mustache ... I hate my mustache ... It is looking great today... It is looking awful ... I am going to shave it off ... I will keep it forever ... I look really stupid ... man, that mustache is awesome ... The left side is corkscrewing and won't hold together ... my right side has a great curl today ... the goatee is staying ... time to shave the goatee ... perhaps I need to just trim the goatee.

Welcome to my thoughts this weekend. As I had every thought and emotion possible regarding the mustache.  I start loathing the difficulty that it is giving me, but suddenly I get hit with a couple of compliments and I love it again.

Two Month Checkup

Unwaxed at two months.

I consider May 10, my mustache birthday. Based upon whisker length, that is when I believe that the tips of my hairs would have emerged, had I been starting from a clean-shaven face.  So that makes today its two-month birthday and here is how two months of growth looks on me - without any product.

Handlebar Mustaches Grow Twice as Fast as Other Hair - Let Me Explain

37 days ago vs now

Last night I arrived home freshly back from the family reunion where the my appearance received a whole lot of attention - all of it positive.  Everyone seem to love the mustache.  My one nephew who can grow facial hair, even decided to groom his scruff and start pursuing a new look for himself.

Family Reunion

Today my family got together for the family reunion.

At the family reunion - I am the one with the Mustache

 

My three oldest nephews which are in their early twenties and late teens thought that the mustache was pretty cool. I got asked many questions as far as how long I have been growing it and if I have been able to curl it up. The youngest of the three actually has some pretty decent facial hair considering that he just graduated from high school. The older two are true to their Asian roots and have limited beard and mustache ability.