Mustache Combs: Why You Need One and How to Choose It

Ask any serious mustache wearer what their most important tool is and they will not say wax. They will pull a small comb out of a shirt pocket. The comb does more for a mustache than any product, because it changes how the hair grows. Here is why and how.

What Daily Combing Does

Trains the hair. Mustache hairs grow in every direction they please. Combing the same way every day, downward and outward from the center, gradually teaches them to lay that way. Over weeks, a wild mustache becomes a tidy one without cutting anything.

Distributes oils. Natural oils (and any oil you apply) start at the root. Combing carries them down the hair shaft.

Removes debris. Crumbs, lint, dead skin. The comb clears it.

Reveals the real shape. You cannot trim well without combing first. Uncombed hair hides length and gaps.

Stimulates the skin. Gentle combing against the skin feels good and helps lift flakes.

Choosing a Comb

Tooth spacing. For a mustache, fine to medium teeth. A wide-tooth beard comb skips right over short mustache hair. Many mustache combs are double-sided: fine on one end, medium on the other.

Material.

• Wood (sandalwood, pearwood, etc.) is the traditional favorite. Smooth, no static, gentle on hair, holds a little oil. The teeth should be polished and rounded.
• Metal (stainless or brass) is durable, slim, and great for styling wax, since it does not grab. Check that the teeth are smooth, not stamped with sharp edges.
• Horn or acetate are smooth and anti-static; usually pricier.
• Cheap plastic is the one to avoid. Molded plastic combs have seams on the teeth that snag and split hair.

Size. Small enough to live in a pocket or wallet. Two to four inches is typical. The whole point is having it with you after lunch.

Teeth finish. Run your thumb along the teeth. Any roughness or ridge will catch hair. Smooth is the only acceptable answer.

How to Comb

1. Comb when the mustache is dry or slightly damp. Soaking wet hair stretches and can snap.
2. Start at the center under the nose and comb down and out toward the corners of the mouth. Left side toward the left, right side toward the right.
3. Use light pressure. You are guiding the hair, not raking the skin.
4. Go over each side a few times until the hair lays flat.
5. For handlebars and longer styles, finish by combing straight out to the sides, then shape the ends with fingers or wax.

Once a day is the minimum. After meals, after washing, and before wax are all good times. Many wearers comb a half-dozen times a day without thinking about it.

Combing for a Trim

Before trimming, comb everything straight down. Then comb it again. Any hair you miss will pop up after the trim. During a trim, the comb doubles as a guard: comb the hair up or out, and cut only what extends past the teeth. See the full trimming guide.

Combing With Wax

A metal or smooth wood comb is ideal for spreading wax. Apply warmed wax with your fingers, then comb through to distribute it evenly before shaping. Clean wax out of the comb regularly with warm water and a drop of soap, or it will start depositing old wax back into your mustache.

Brushes

Small boar-bristle brushes exist for mustaches too. They are excellent for distributing oil and smoothing, less good for detangling or guiding a trim. Comb first, brush second, if you use both.

Caring for the Comb

Rinse it occasionally, dry it, and give a wood comb a drop of oil now and then to keep it from drying out. Replace any comb with a broken or rough tooth. A good comb lasts years.

It is a two-dollar tool (or a twenty-dollar one, if you like nice things) that makes every other part of mustache care work better. Carry it.

Mr. Stach grooming content is educational and not medical advice.