What is a beardstache?
A beardstache combines a prominent mustache with a shorter but full beard. Basically, it’s a best-of-both-worlds style that lets you rock a full ‘stache without having to completely shave off the rest of your facial hair—the beard stays relatively short to let the longer mustache shine. The style has become popular in recent years, and even celebs like Henry Cavill and Jamie Dornan have been seen with the look. The beardstache is a distinctive, versatile look you can pull off in sophisticated situations while also maintaining an air of ruggedness and confidence.
Growing & Styling a Beardstache
Grow out your mustache and beard for 4 weeks without trimming. You might start to look a little too rugged during this phase, but that’s OK! The payoff is worth it. Just let your facial hair grow freely without trimming or shaping it. This lets your mustache grow longer and fuller (essential for a beardstache) while also giving you some flexibility in how long or short you want to trim your beard. The exact timing here depends on how much hair you’re starting with and how long you want it to be. If you’re starting fresh-faced, 4 weeks is just long enough to grow enough hair for shaping and trimming. If you’ve already got some facial hair, you may not have to grow it out as long. And if you’re starting with a full beard and stache already, you don’t have to wait at all (unless you want your facial hair even longer).
Grab a trimmer, a fine tooth comb, and your grooming supplies to trim. Once your mustache is the length you want it (or close to it), you’re ready to start defining the shape and lengths of your beardstache. You don’t need a lot of equipment for this—just a trusty trimmer with a variety of guard lengths and a fine tooth beard comb to tame your mustache are enough to get the look. The guards you need depend on how long you want your beard. A #2 or #3 is a great place to start, but you can go with a #1 for an even shorter or stubbly beard, or a larger size if you want to keep the beard longer and fuller-looking. You’ll also need some beard shampoo and conditioner to prep your facial hair for styling, plus some beard balm and/or oil to hydrate and style your new ‘stache (more on these later).
Wash and comb your beard and mustache to prep for trimming. Doing a quick wash softens and cleans your facial hair, making it easier to trim and style—all you need is beard shampoo and conditioner. Yanchun says, “If you have a beard shampoo that's better, but if you have regular hair shampoo, that's fine. And also, condition the mustache to soften the hairs.” Once washed, Yanchun says, “Prepare your mustache before you trim it and make sure you comb it really well. I recommend a fine-tooth comb. Once you comb the mustache out, you’re ready to hit it with the trimmers or scissors (however you prefer trimming your mustache).”
Trim your beard down to your desired length (minus the mustache). Grab your trimmers and buzz your entire beard so the hair is shorter than your mustache (if you’re still unsure how long you want your beard, start with a bigger guard size and work your way down until you find a length that works for you). The mustache is the focal point of a beardstache, so the bigger the difference in length, the more the mustache will pop. If the beard and mustache are too close in length, you’ll end up with what looks like an ordinary beard. If you want a fuller beard but your mustache isn’t quite long enough to stand out yet, you can cheat a little by lowering your cheek lines slightly to create a bit of separation between the ‘stache and the beard. Define the edges of the beard for a polished and intentional look, or leave them alone for a more natural look. When it comes to the neckline, Yanchun recommends “not going all the way to the jawline. I say to always go between your jawline and the first wrinkle in your throat for the vast majority of guys.”
Clean up your sideburns. How you trim your sideburns depends on your preferences and the lengths of your beard and hair—there’s no right or wrong choice. You might choose to have a blunt and disconnected sideburn (like you would if you had no beard) if your beard is on the very short or stubbly side, keep your sideburns the same length as your beard and connect them for short or medium beards, or even fade your sideburns into short, medium, or long beards. To fade your sideburns, grab an electric trimmer with a long guard and move upward from the edge of your beard into the sideburn (from about level with your mouth to the top of your ear). Repeat with gradually shorter guards and begin slightly higher each time so the shortest hair is at the top of the sideburn. For example, if you have a long beard, you might go from a #12 to a #9 to a #6, while someone with a shorter beard could start smaller and use guards closer together (like a #4 to a #3 to a #2). Keeping the sideburns groomed and trimmed makes your beard look tighter in the cheek area—a good look for most guys.
Shape and trim your mustache. Use a trimmer (or scissors if you prefer) and define the lower edge of your mustache. Cut at a 45-degree angle to round the edge (rather than jamming the edge of the trimmer straight into your face) and follow the shape of your lip line for a clean and symmetrical look. Comb as you go to catch any stragglers. How low your mustache line is depends on your style preference. A good place to start is right at or slightly below your lip line, but if you’re going for a big and bold walrus ‘stache, for example, you’ll want it even lower. Leave the upper mustache line alone unless you spot some straggly hairs that are sticking out. Shape the corners of your mustache however you like—you might keep them slightly rounded for a classic chevron mustache, or as long as possible if you want to style it into a handlebar, for example.
Apply beard oil or balm to moisturize and style your beardstache. Once everything is trimmed and shaped, rub a few drops of beard oil between your palms and rub it into your beard and mustache hair. Yanchun adds, “Massage the beard oil from the root of the hair to the tip. You want to get the entire shaft of the hair from where the hair grows out of your skin to the very tip...The oil is a moisturizer for your skin, so it's creating a protective barrier underneath the beard, so don't be afraid to get the beard oil on the skin underneath it.” If you have a longer beard or ‘stache that needs some styling, apply a beard balm or mustache wax to keep your beard looking tame and to finesse your mustache into the shape you want. Focus on skin moisturizers if you’re rocking a short stubble beardstache. Yanchun says, “You want to keep the skin under the stubble healthy, so make sure you exfoliate and don't worry about beard oils or anything like that. I would focus more on a facial moisturizer. I always recommend a quality SPF all over your face to avoid wrinkles and fine lines.”
Maintaining a Beardstache
Regularly trim your beard and mustache to maintain the shapes. The most important point when it comes to maintaining a beardstache is to keep the beard shorter than the mustache. So, plan to trim or buzz your beard back at least once a week (or maybe closer to every 2 or 3 days, depending on the length and how fast it grows). You’ll also want to keep an eye on your mustache and reshape it whenever it starts to look overgrown (the exact timing depends on how fast it grows, but plan to do this once a week as well).
Wash and comb your facial hair regularly to keep it clean and train it. Just like you wash and comb your head hair regularly to keep it clean and presentable, plan on shampooing and conditioning your facial hair daily or every other day. This keeps your skin and hair healthy, which promotes more growth. Comb your ‘stache (and your beard if it’s long enough) each morning to train the hairs to grow in the right direction, too.
Apply beard oil whenever your beard feels dry. According to Yanchun, “For some reason, a lot of guys think that you can only apply beard oil once a day, but if your beard feels dry, apply beard oil so you're always moisturizing that hair and keeping it healthy.” When it comes to choosing a beard oil, he adds, “The fewer ingredients, the better. I like argan oil, or jojoba oil is great. Don’t buy beard oils that don’t have ingredients listed on them.” And if you’re worried about the cost of constantly applying oil, you probably have a cheap alternative in your pantry. Yanchan says “I've seen people even go old school and use olive oil.” He adds, “Make sure you wash that oil out every once in a while. Some guys will just never wash that oil out, and that builds up on the hair and makes the hair unhealthy. You also don't get the benefits of washing the skin underneath.”
Keep a small fine tooth comb on hand for midday touchups. Just like your head hair, your facial hair can start to look a little wild after a day of being out and about. If you find your mustache or beard are getting unruly during the day, carry your mustache comb with you for quick touchups so you look sharp around the clock. At minimum, comb out your mustache each morning.
Beardstache Styles
There’s a wide variety of beardstache styles to choose from. Between the beard and mustache, you have a lot of freedom to choose exactly how your beardstache looks—it’s totally customizable! Yanchun recommends “picking whatever you feel the most confident in. When you feel good, you look good.” He continues, “If you don't have any idea at all, go to a barber. Don't be afraid to bring a picture of something that you like. It may not work for you, but a good barber will tell you that and work it out with you” to find something that’s flattering and that you like. If you’re looking for inspiration, take a look at some of the most popular styles below.
Beardstache with stubble beard It’s exactly what it sounds like—a longer, prominent mustache with stubble everywhere else. All you have to do is grow out your mustache and buzz your beard down evenly.
Beardstache with short beard This is a big mustache with a beard that’s slightly longer and fuller than pure stubble. It will take longer to grow out than a stubble beardstache because the mustache must be proportionately bigger to stand out. Trimming to a goatee may also work with this look.
Beardstache with a chevron mustache A chevron ‘stache is thick, neatly trimmed, and angles slightly downward (think Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I.). Pair this with a stubble or short beard (around a #1 guard) for the best contrast, and consider tapering the beard around the sideburn area.
Walrus beardstache The walrus is a huge, thick mustache that covers your lower lip when brushed downward. It pairs best with a short or stubble beard, but you have liberty to go a little longer. Be warned that a lot of guys find this length of mustache irritating, and it takes a long time to grow out.
Handlebar (hipster) beardstache Let the hair at the ends of your mustache grow extra long to curl them into the iconic handlebar shape. Your beard can be longer here; since the mustache curls up, you’ll have more distinction between the two.
Horseshoe (Hulk Hogan) beardstache A horseshoe mustache grows down and around your lips and ends at your jawline (making a horseshoe-like shape). Trim everything else to stubble to make this style look its best.
Who looks good with a beardstache?
A beardstache works great with most aesthetics and face shapes. Whether you’re frequently in a suit or looking for a carefree style, the beardstache can be tailored to suit your needs. Go for a neatly trimmed mustache and a tight beard with clear, defined lines on the neck and cheek to look sophisticated and professional, or let the edges grow a bit fuzzier to look more rugged and effortless. The beardstache also looks great on most face shapes. On a triangle, diamond, square, or oval face, it accentuates your facial symmetry. Pair it with curved cheek line corners to soften angular faces, or sharper corners to slim down round faces. The beardstache may not be as great of a match for circle or heart-shaped faces, but depending on your unique features and the style of beard you choose, it can still be a good look!
Benefits of a Beardstache
Beardstaches are stylish, easy to maintain, and super versatile. A beardstache can add sophistication, maturity, and even ruggedness to your look without having to commit to a whole beard, and their versatility means they’ll go with any formal or casual look. Having less facial hair also means you’ll stay more cool and comfortable in hot weather. Plus, they’re easy to take care of (just keep that beard trimmed short) and tend to stand out in a crowd!
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