Tutorial How to grow, maintain, and wax your handlebar 'stache

Discussion in 'Tutorials' started by swarden43, Dec 31, 2014.

  1. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    The Krew Comb had some fumes so I've switched (for now) to a tube of Burt's. It holds just about as well and so far so good, but it too has an odd herbal-ish fragrance that takes getting used to having it jammed right up under the schnozz.
     
  2. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    Black tar and willpower.
     
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  3. youngunn

    youngunn Where's my TSD aftershave balm???

    I imagine beeswax with an oil mixed in. In a tin, heat it over a stove. Then apply CAREFULLY. Probably could hold face over wood stove momentarily to melt wax.
     
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  4. Drygulch

    Drygulch Snowballs

    I have been using my wax on the middle of the stache, and yours on the tips. As long as I don't over apply the wax, I can do this without a blow dryer and the mockery from my wife that comes with it. I add a little more wax at work if it starts to sag. Need about another month for the hair in the middle of my lip to reach the ends of my mouth, and that should make it easier.
     
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  5. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Thanks to John @Screwtape for a tub of lavender wax. I've trimmed and begun taming my no style Walrus (left) towards a Gunslinger type (right).
    Walrus vs Gunslinger.gif
     
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  6. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    Bees wax can thinned with turpentine.

    How about using bacon grease. :D
     
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  7. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    Everything is better with bacon (grease).
     
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  8. Screwtape

    Screwtape A Shaving Butterfly

    IIRC the old 1970s movie version of The Murder on the Orient Express showed Poirot readying himself for bed and using 1930s period equipment to maintain his waxed moustache. ISTR he had a little candle burner set to melt beeswax in and to heat a little set of tongs to curl the moustache (sort of like those old-time hair curlers). When he slept, he put the 'stache tips in a mini face mask to keep them from getting crumpled by the pillow, and probably to keep the wax off the bedclothes.
     
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  9. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Anybody else growin' bars?
    1645989771576.jpg
     
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  10. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    Oh no! Zombie handlebar thread resurrection!:scared011: :scared007::sick013:
     
  11. ewk

    ewk Well-Known Member

    Glad to see this "new to me" post resurrected. @swarden43 that is one epic stache. Last year, under cover of masking, I tried my best to grow an epic stache. I envisioned one like yours, but it was sadly disappointing.

    My problem is that not matter how much wax I put in, one side would never hold and always droop down. I hated that it was asymmetrical. I used a home made mixture of 3 parts beeswax to 1 part coconut oil. This was my moustache 4 months in:
    IMG_20210402_223933223.jpg
    The trouble was, two seconds after the picture, one side would be drooping down like Dracula's fang. The lack of hold drove me crazy, and I trimmed things down.

    I had been trimming the top, especially at the sides to give a trimmed look. Do you shave the top of your stache at all? I would love to try again, but the drooping drove me crazy. I don't mind putting the effort in, but there was no way to keep one side up. I may start growing the bars out again.
     
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  12. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    @ewk The only trimming I do is at the very ends. Pulled straight down, the ends come just past the chin. Longer than that and I trim. Also one side grows a bit faster than the other, so I'll trim for symmetry.
    What's your address? Send me a PM and I'll send a tin of what I use - Dirigo Blue, my own blend.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2022
  13. Kilgore Trout

    Kilgore Trout The Smart Bunny

    Good stuff!
     
  14. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    I went back to the first post.
    I've gotten a little grayer over the past 8 years!
     
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  15. ewk

    ewk Well-Known Member

    I had been shaving at a 45 degree angle on the sides to have a neat English style with no bars, nothing beyond the side of the mouth. It looks tidy, but lacks the grand effect. I will let the entire moustache area grow freely now for a few weeks and see how things develop. Thank you very much for the offer. Does your wax blend require a hair dryer? Mine gets pliable enough in hot water without needing a hair dryer.

    I kind of miss having the beeswax scent. It reminds me of a saddle in a barnyard.
     
  16. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    Who hasn't? ;)
     
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  17. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    If you haven't already, go back to the very first post. All the how-to info, including making my wax, is there :)

    Been thinking about your wax. If you're able to soften it with hot water, it's probably too soft to hold sufficiently. Coconut oil melts at 75 degrees, providing no hold at all. You gotta figure, you're breathing warm air directly on your 'stache. Add the mask, or if it's hot outside, you need a stiff wax. Yes, I need the hair dryer to soften my wax to a usable consistency, but once I get it into the 'stache, then styled to my liking, it only takes a few seconds to cool off, harden up, and hold all day, regardless of how hot it gets.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2022
    ewk likes this.
  18. Kilgore Trout

    Kilgore Trout The Smart Bunny

    Great resurrection.
     
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  19. ewk

    ewk Well-Known Member

    I agree, as I was not around here to see it the first time. And it has inspired me to go for the "glorious facial hair feature."
     
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  20. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    @ewk If you're interested, PM me your address and I'll send you a tin of my wax.
     

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