The Handlebar

Growing a Handlebar

1. Commit to the awkward phase. You need roughly 3 months of untouched growth before the corners are long enough to curl. Weeks 4 through 8 are the danger zone: the whiskers poke your lip, you look faintly unemployed, and you will want to trim. Do not trim.
2. Let the corners lead. The whole style lives in the hair at the outer corners of your mouth. Never cut those. You may lightly tidy the center so you can eat, but leave the ends alone.
3. Train early. From week 3 on, comb the mustache outward from the center every morning, and begin pushing the ends sideways with a small amount of wax. Hair has memory; teach it where to go before it is long enough to matter.
4. Graduate to a curl. Around month 3 or 4, the ends will be long enough to twist between thumb and forefinger and coax upward. Start with a loose curl. The tight, ring-style loop comes later, at month 6 and beyond.
5. Feed it. Handlebars are long hair, and long hair shows damage. Use a beard oil or balm daily so the tips do not dry out and snap.

Expect 6 to 12 months for a true competition-grade curl. Patience is the only real requirement.

Trimming a Handlebar

The Handlebar is trimmed less than almost any other style, so every cut counts.

• Center only. The main maintenance trim is along the lip line in the center third of the mustache. Comb down, then use small grooming scissors to snip any hairs that fall below the top of your upper lip. Go hair by hair; never grab a chunk.
• Never touch the ends. The outer corners are off-limits. If an end is wildly longer than its twin, fix it with wax and shaping, not scissors.
• Clean the top line. Shave or trim the stray hairs above the natural top edge of the mustache, right beneath the nostrils, to keep the shape crisp. Do not carve the top line down; let the full width grow.
• Check for splits. Once a month, inspect the tips under good light. Snip only the split end itself (a millimeter or two), then re-wax.
• Symmetry check. Do your trimming with the mustache dry and combed into its natural shape, not waxed. Wax hides unevenness you will discover later at the worst possible moment.

If you make a mistake, stop. A Handlebar forgives a lot with wax, and hair grows back faster than your pride heals.

Daily Handlebar Routine

Morning

• Wash face; towel the mustache until just damp.
• Work 2 to 3 drops of beard oil through it with fingertips.
• Comb outward from the center with a fine-tooth mustache comb.
• Warm a pea-sized amount of firm wax between fingers, apply from the center outward, then twist the ends and curl upward. Hold each curl for 10 seconds.

Midday

• Carry a small comb. After meals, re-comb and pinch the tips back into shape. Mustache wax plus soup is a hazard; lean in when eating.

Evening

• Remove wax with a warm washcloth or a conditioner-based beard wash. Sleeping in wax dries and weakens the ends.
• Apply a light balm, comb, and let it dry naturally.

Weekly

• Deep-condition with a beard conditioner for 5 minutes.
• Inspect tips for splits, check symmetry, and do your center-line trim.

A Handlebar is a relationship, not a haircut. Show up for it daily and it will make you look like a folk hero.