Moustache Maintenance

About a month into the initial Covid lockdown I had shaved my head for the first time. On subsequent inspection of my bald pate in the mirror, I wondered about trying something else new: growing a moustache. I had not hitherto seriously attempted sprouting facial hair, and had never gone more than a couple of weeks between shaves. I knew from experience I would not readily tolerate whiskers on my chin or neck for any length of time, but felt that something on my top lip mightn’t be a bad idea.

I have a big head, and recognising that a small moustache wasn’t likely to work well, I opted to try for a full ‘chevron’ style one, which would have the additional advantage of being low-maintenance. After only a few days' growth, the signs seemed promising that I could manage something passably full and thick, and at that point I decided to augment the moustache itself with a ‘soul patch’ on my lower lip. A nascent ‘stache, without the camouflage of surrounding stubble, is a ridiculous-looking thing, and mine was particularly laughable around the 2-3 week mark.

Having passed that pain barrier, by 5-6 weeks it looked OK, and by 3 months it was fully-established. The maintenance needed is indeed minimal. To help with that I obtained a vintage grooming kit ‘Made in West Germany’ from ebay, which included the plastic comb and the wood & bristle brush shown above. The kit also included scissors, but those weren’t very good, so the Tweezerman pair seen here has since taken their place. I seldom use it, but there have been a few occasions when I have applied some Capt. Fawcett’s Ylang Ylang Moustache Wax.