Do mustaches affect kissing? [My experience!]

I was lucky enough to have a long-term partner before growing a beard. Luckily for me she was incredibly understanding about me wanting to grow a mustache and therefore we were able to slowly adapt to the new style and type of kissing that we can do as my mustache grew. o, do mustaches affect kissing?

Having a mustache definitely affects kissing. It affects the sort of kiss that you are able to achieve because it restricts access to the top lip. It also changes the sensation for your partner. They may feel extra spikiness and be able to smell your mustache products.

Overall, having a mustache has changed the frequency of kissing between my partner and I. It took a little bit of getting used to as the mustache got longer. I find that trimming up the bottom line of the mustache so that my top lip is visible makes for the best kissing.

Here are all of the ways that having a mustache affects kissing.

How mustaches affect kissing

From restricting the access to your mouth and changing the styles of kiss that you can comfortably achieve without getting a face and mouth full of hair, mustaches affect kissing in a variety of ways.

My experience, however, is that even though the kissing experience has changed it is still enjoyable for both of us. Sure, it took a little bit of getting used to and, until I shave off my mustache completely, it will never go back to the way it was.

Here are all of the ways that I have noticed having a mustache affected kissing my partner of 15 years.

Change the type of kiss

In the early stages of growing and mustache nothing really changed for either of us. I’d always had a little bit of stubble and, therefore, it was actually much nicer since the longer stubble was slightly softer and less scratchy.

There was certainly a moment where the hairs of my top lip and mustache started growing into the corners of my mouth – that is where I first noticed the mustache growth. From then on I had to make sure that I regularly trimmed up the bottom line of the mustache to stop it from going into my own mouth let alone the mouth of my partner when we kissed.

As the mustache grew more and more I found my partner kissing my bottom lip more and more. This is quite literally because she could not reach the top lip without getting a mouthful of mustache hair.

Because not all kisses are created equally, it took a while to get used to having a good old fashioned passionate kiss. We managed to perfect the mustache peck relatively quickly but it took another few months before we were comfortable French kissing with a mustache.

As long as you and your partner are willing to experiment with different angles of kissing you will certainly be able to find the right balance of contacting lips and reducing the amount of hair trapped between your lips.

Restrict access to the lips

Initially, I used to get around the issue of my mustache restricting access to my lips by pushing my lips out further. This actually cause more problems since it was like hundreds of tiny spears pointing at the lips of my partner. It was certainly much spiky.

Because you have restricted access to the lips I have noticed that my partner is more likely to give me a peck on the cheek if it is a quick non-passionate display of affection rather than pressing her lips against mine – there is quite literally just not enough space to avoid a mouthful of hair.

Spiky around mouth

The only way to really open up access to the lips is to trim up the hairs on the bottom line of your mustache so that you remove any barriers.

This, unfortunately, opens up a whole new world of other problems associated with kissing with a mustache.

If you regularly trim your mustache with a pair of scissors or trimmers the hair can very quickly become spiky due to the angle at which the scissors or the trimmer cuts.

If the hair is cut at an angle it can end up creating needle like points on all of the growth. This, in combination with pushing out your lips so that it forces the hairs to point forward can result in some relatively uncomfortable kissing.

There is really no again around this issue because longhair gets in the way and short hair gets spiky once it is trimmed. If you want to know more about why your mustache is spiky and what you can do to fix it check out my other article – click here to find out the insider secrets.

Different smells

Another thing that having a mustache changes is the smell for your partner.

No matter what your mustache smells like you will get used to the smell throughout the day. It isn’t until someone new gets close to your mustache that they will be able to smell something that your brain has simply decided to ignore.

As long as you have good personal hygiene you will be able to conquer nearly all of the disgusting mustache smells. However, there are a variety of reasons which can cause a mustache to smell gross:

  • bacteria – one of the most common reasons your mustache can smell bad is that it has bacteria lurking inside. Bacteria feast on the dead skin cells and sweat which has built up at the base of the hair. Simply shampooing deeply into the mustache can fix all of these problems.
  • Environmental smells – there are so many things in your daily life that can smell and get absorbed into your mustache. Smoky campfire, smoke, pollution, and other persistent smells can end up in your mustache and change the smell during a kiss.
  • Food – even though men with mustache don’t like to admit it we can end up with a fair bit of food in our whiskers. Even the most diligent of mustache wielding eaters will end up with food in their mustache – cutting food into bite-size portions and using a straw can help.
  • Sebum – this is the natural oil that is produced by your skin and it is the natural way of your body keeping the hair conditioned and soft. However, sebum can build up at the base of the mustache hair and if you don’t wash your mustache deeply it can start to harbor bacteria.

Besides all of the gross reasons a mustache smell can change your choice of product such as a wax or balm can easily cause your mustache to smell different.

More product

Depending on the length of your mustache you may simply use oil – if it is short – or, you may be using mustache wax to tame the whiskers growing from your top lip.

The products which have a significant amount of wax in them. I’ll hold are persistent and will stay in your mustache until you clean it off with shampoo. Oils also contain essential oils which can leave a pungent and strong scent in your mustache.

Kissing with a mustache that has a significant amount of product in it changes the consistency and feel of the mustache and, if there is a lot of product, it can actually transfer some of the product to the lips of your partner.

My recommendation is to not kiss your partner for 30 minutes after applying mustache products to your mustache and, ask them what their favourite smells are so that you can incorporate the essential oils into your products.

There would be nothing worse than choosing a product with a smell that your partner absolutely despised. There are also a number of unscented products on the market and you can either leave them unscented or you can add your own essential oils.

Reduce frequency of kissing

One thing that I have found is that the frequency of kissing has reduced since growing a mustache.

Anything that causes your partner to double gas going in for a little smooch very quickly reduces the incidence of a casual peck on the lips.

If this is something that worries you, it is possible to get around this by keeping your mustache relatively short and not allowing it to grow over the lines of your lips.

Even though your partner may not actively go in for as many kisses you can compensate for that by being the one which initiates the kissing!

People love it or hate it!

Upon speaking with friends about the intimate consequences of growing a mustache I have found that it is a very polarising issue.

Some people are not put off by the idea of kissing a man with a mustache at all. And some have even confessed to finding it particularly attractive.

On the other end of the scale I have found that people absolutely detest the idea of kissing someone with a full mustache or mustache.

No matter what end of the spectrum they fall on the only thing that really matters is that your intimate partner is also down with the idea.

If you are single and you are looking for love your mustache may be putting off a huge portion of potential mates. If your mustache is something that you cannot live without and you want to keep it this is a sacrifice that you will have to come to terms with. On the other hand, you may find your perfect partner by finding someone who absolutely loves beards and cannot get enough of your bristly face!

Kissing with a mustache

Here are all of the steps and advice that I can give you about kissing with a mustache. A little bit of hygiene goes a long way and being aware of the smell of your beard will also make it a much more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Shampoo

Washing your mustache every other day and having it groomed is beneficial for your health and your partner’s as well. Keeping it clean will remove any dead cells on the skin, wash away food remains and remove most of the bacteria that can lay on it. Besides facial hair, there is also the skin underneath to take care of and provide good conditioning. Skincare and cleansing products should be part of your regular routine. Men, especially those with a beard, should have a skincare regimen to maintain the skin underneath healthy. Additionally, you can buy mustache oil formulated with jojoba, argan, or whichever works for your mustache to keep it shiny and moisturized.

Try not to wash your mustache too much as it can easily dry out your mustache by removing too many of the natural oils that build up the base of the hair!

Soften

There are a number of reasons why beards are wiry and prickly. The most common reasons are that you have had a recent trim, and that your mustache is dry and wiry.

If you have recently trimmed the ends of the long mustache you may also experience prickly hairs on the extremities of your mustache hairs and along the defined lines that you have trimmed into your beard.

As hairs grow they naturally taper to a point. If you trim them the tapered point gets replaced with a harsh end. This harsh end can feel prickly to the touch. The harsh cut and of the hair doesn’t last too long as weathering and exposure to other environmental conditions will slowly soften the ends of the hair.

So, if you’ve recently had a trim – fear not – it will probably clear up with a little bit of patience and a little bit of leave in conditioner or diligent shampooing.

One of the most important things your hair should retain is moisture. Beards can dry out for a variety of reasons and this turns them into incredibly wiry and untamed messes.

You should aim to replenish the moisture in your mustache regularly with all sorts of techniques and products. One of the primary reasons people’s mustache hair dries out is that they aggressively use heat treatments to straighten or blowdry their hair into a particular style or shape. Also, environmental conditions like harsh UV rays, cold or excessively hot winds can easily strip the moisture from your beard.

To combat this, you should look at all of the different options available to you in terms of the products which will return the moisture and nutrients to your beard. This includes mustache oil, mustache balm, mustache butters, and leave in conditioners.

Each of these products has their positives and negatives and if you want a full rundown on the best dry mustache solutions to soften hair you should check out my other article – dry mustache solutions – 16 options, my favourite is number five!

dry beard solutions

Pucker up

Providing un-obstructed access to your lips is going to be one of the easiest ways to make kissing a more enjoyable experience.

Pucker up and push your lips as far forward as possible so that you are able to show as much skin as possible. Keeping your mustache hairs as far back from your lips as you feel comfortable with style wise will make your kissing experience much less hairy.

Make it smell nice

You should aim to make your beard smell nice by choosing a product that your partner loves the smell of.

Personally, I tend to go for sandalwood and vanilla type of scents in my mustache and beard products. That is a perfect combination of what I like to smell during the day and what my partner finds enjoyable as well.

I also take a mental note of all of the times my partner says that she likes the smell of a certain product which I used to guide my future purchases.

If in doubt, I make sure that I choose a lightly scented mustache and beard product or I choose the unscented version of a beard oil or beard balm.

Summary

In this article, we have gone through everything you need to know about how mustaches affect kissing. From short stubble mustaches all the way to long mustaches there is certainly a different experience when getting intimate with another person.

Personally, I have noticed that the hair can get in the way which is why I keep it short and trim the top line of my mustache so that it does not fall over my top lip.

It has certainly changed the style of kissing that I am able to do comfortably but it is still no less enjoyable.

The Author


Andy Stapleton

Andy is a writer and YouTuber with a PhD in science. He has written and/or produced videos for Science Alert, COSMOS magazine, and Australia's Science Channel among others. He is an avid beard grower and after many years of growing and trialling different beard styles, he started this blog to share the tips, tricks, and science that he has learned along the way!