So you’ve decided to cultivate a moustache. It is a look most befitting of an elegant gentleman, and is without a doubt incredibly attractive to the fairer sex. But how does one begin?

Today we are starting with the basics – how to select and apply moustache wax to keep your facial hair healthy and trained to a desirable shape.

Natural vs. petroleum-based

It’s worth noting that while both natural and petroleum-based moustache waxes work well, petroleum-based waxes do not penetrate the hair shaft – rather, these waxes coat your hair. Natural waxes, on the other hand, do penetrate your hair shaft, offering extra conditioning. Typically natural waxes have a beeswax base, like Dr. Dittmar Original Hungarian Moustache Wax.

For basic hold and taming stray hairs, a wax with light to medium hold will do. For a twizzler worthy of the World Beard and Moustache Championships, you’ll want strong or extra strong hold.

There are several ways to get the wax warm:

If you’re using a wax in a tin, warming up the wax will help with application. You can run the tin under hot water for a minute, or hit the tin with a blow dryer on a low setting for a couple of seconds. Be careful not to make the wax hot, which will render it runny and useless. You want to aim for a smooth consistency or else it won’t go on evenly.

If you carry your moustache wax around with you, simply leaving it in your pocket should warm it up enough for application.

Stern Moustache Comb

The application

1. Before application, make sure your hair and fingers are dry.

2. Slide your fingernail over the wax, scraping a small amount onto the top of your nail.

3. Work the wax back and forth between your thumb and forefinger, forming a ball.

4. Starting from the center, work the wax through one side of your moustache with your thumb and forefinger, finishing with the tip. To ensure the moustache wax distributes evenly through your beard and that no hair clumps occur, comb through with a moustache comb like the Stern Moustache Comb.

5. Repeat the process on the other side of your moustache. To keep the look natural, don’t twist the ends.

To create a fancy twizzler:

Add more moustache wax to your facial hair, styling it to the look of your choosing (the Dali, Tom Selleck, or pencil moustache are all wonderful). Twist the ends towards your face for a handlebar look. To seal the style, blast your moustache with cold air from your blowdryer.

Tip: Always start with less and only add more as necessary. Even the fanciest, largest ‘staches don’t require a lot of wax and are waxed in sections.

To train your moustache:

After adding more moustache wax to your facial hair, create a center part and comb hair in the direction you want it to grow. Done daily, this will train your whiskers to keep away from your mouth.

Regarding touch-ups:

Use as little wax as possible if you plan to do touch-ups throughout the day.