Growing a moustache is one of the quickest and easiest ways to change your style and add that little bit of unique flair to a new look. The great thing about growing a moustache is that it starts looking good far faster than a full beard and you can easily accompany it with stubble for a more rugged look.
Depending on the type of moustache that you want to grow it can take anywhere from one day for a stubble moustache all the way up to 100 days for a fancy mustache that you can style with moustache wax. To achieve a full mustache, you need to wait at least 67 days.
There are so many different types of moustache, and moustache styles, that I think you should first of all decide which length you want to hold your moustache at first.
It may be that you want to grow a super long fancy moustache – this is where you are going to have to be the most patient. However, growing an intermediate length moustache requires about 15 days worth of growth.
In the section, below, I have calculated exactly how long it takes to grow a moustache of each type: a stubble moustache, and intermediate moustache, a full moustache, and a fancy moustache.
An explanation of each of the styles with some picture examples will also be given.
Article Contents
How long it takes to grow a mustache?
Depending on the type of moustache that you want to grow you can wait anywhere between two days and 100 days plus. One thing I like to do while I was growing out my beard was to halted at different stages so that I had an opportunity to enjoy that stage before heading to the next longest beard on my journey. There is no reason why you can’t do the same with your moustache.
Facial hair grows at 0.38 mm per day (0.015 inches per day) and based on that figure here is a table where I have calculated how many days or months you need to wait to grow a stubble through to a full fancy moustache.
| Days | Months | mm | inches | Mustache type |
| 1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.015 | Stubble |
| 15 | 0.5 | 5.7 | 0.225 | Intermediate |
| 67 | 2.2 | 25.5 | 1.005 | Full |
| 100 | 3.3 | 38.0 | 1.500 | Fancy + |
You can see from the above table that between one day and 14 days you are able to achieve a stubble moustache. This type of moustache is perfect if you shave up your cheeks for maximum contrast between your facial hair and your top lip.
Beyond 15 days you start entering the intermediate territory. This is where the moustache is starting to look denser because the hairs are long enough to fill in the gaps between the hair follicles but the hairs are not long enough to reach the full length of the moustache.
After approximately two months worth of growth you have achieved about 1 inch of length in your moustache which means that the hairs on the top line of the moustache are long enough to cover the full length and width. This is where a moustache really looks full and awesome.
Beyond the full-length moustache you have the opportunity to grow a fancy type of moustache. This is where the ends of the moustache can be grown out to form a fancy moustache that needs to be styled with a stronghold moustache wax.
The overall style and look of your moustache is completely open to your own tastes and interpretation.
As with all of the types of beard hair that you can grow – you should always work with your beard hair so that you can show off your growth to its full potential.
This may mean not growing the moustache that you thought you would have grown but rather a moustache that you can grow confidently and completely.
Making your moustache look intentional will make it look far better than struggling with the style that your natural growth pattern is unable to support.
Here is a guide for each type of moustache with photos to support and inspire your own moustache growing journey.
Stubble mustache
A stubble moustache is perfect for people who want to change their look quickly or cannot grow much facial hair on their cheeks or chin.
The best way to enhance the look of a stubble moustache is to maximize the contrast between the upper lip and the rest of the face. You only have to wait a couple of days for the stubble moustache to grow out for shaving back the cheeks, chin, and neck areas of your beard so that it is shaved back to the skin.
You can keep your stubble moustache the same length by using a set of trimmers without a guard or with a very thin guard to produce a length of between one and 5 mm.
Despite only being in stubble, this type of moustache requires a fair bit more attention than others in the list. Because you are relying on the contrast between your skin (on your cheeks) and the small amount of length you have on your upper lip you need to shave almost every day to keep that contrast as high as possible.
This style is like the 5 o’clock shadow style that became popular in the early 2000’s. And it has stood the test of time with people regularly growing out their moustache to the stubble length before deciding to grow longer.
Intermediate mustache
An intermediate length moustache is one in which the hairs are long enough to start covering up the gaps in between the follicles. After approximately 14 days of growth your beard hairs will start to become long enough to join to form a single mass on your upper lip.
This length of moustache is perfect for people who don’t like the full thickness of a moustache where the top line of hairs are able to reach the lip line. And can easily be kept neat with a good pair of trimmers.
Like the stubble moustache, you can increase the perception of density by shaving your cheeks to the skin and the hair is also long enough to use temporary moustache darkening techniques such as a beard pen, or beard hair fibers.
To be able to pull off this length of moustache you must have a continuous density across your top lip has the hairs will not be long enough to fully cover any gaps which you may have.
If after one month of growth your moustache still doesn’t look as thick and full as you would hope you can continue on to a full moustache to cover up any gaps or issues with your growth.
Full mustache
A full moustache is one where the top line of hairs are long enough to completely cover the hairs underneath them whilst also reaching your top lip.
This is where the moustache looks it’s most impressive.
Because the top line of hairs reaches the entire depth of the moustache it is thick, continuous, and looks impressive because you have single hairs across the entire front of the moustache with shorter hairs underneath to plump it up.
This full moustache will require the top line of moustache shares to be approximately 1 inch in length but that will be different depending on the length of your philtrum and the density of the hairs it needs to cover, underneath.
This length of moustache requires that you have a fair bit of patience and have to resist trimming the hair for about two months. You can trim with scissors any hairs which annoy your lips before you reached this full-length moustache but the longer you can go without trimming at all the better.
At this length is when you need to start considering buying dedicated beard shampoos, and you can also trial different types of beard butters and oils to find the best combination for your daily routine.
The great thing about having a full moustache is that you can also grow out the beard underneath the moustache for a moustache with stubble look. For a full rundown on the styling and growth tips of a moustache with stubble check out my other article – click here.
The moustache with stubble look will give you a little bit more of a rugged style to play about with and you can flip-flop between stubble and cleanly shaven to add a bit of variety to your style easily.
If you want a full length moustache with an extra twist to the style or the look of the moustache you can continue to grow certain aspects of your moustache – like the corners – so you can play about with styling your moustache with wax and other products.
Fancy mustache
Having a fancy moustache is a real eye-opener for most people. At this length you not only have a full moustache in the center part of the growth, but you have also started to grow at the ends of the moustache so that they can be styled with wax and held up against gravity.
There is no doubt the growing your moustache up to this length will require daily maintenance and style for it to look its best.
To achieve a full-length fancy moustache it can take up to 3.5 months of growth and styling along the way. Because you may not want the moustache to be completely the same length all over you will have to start being selective about where you trim and which parts you are allowed to grow.
You have, at this point, a few options to turn your moustache into a fancy style. You can either grow long ends of the moustache or you can grow out the moustache using the hair on your cheeks to turn it into an eye-catching style.
Long ends
You can choose to grow the ends of your moustache long so that you can style them with beard or moustache wax.
There are specific products which have been designed to enable you to style the ends of your moustache and make sure that the style lasts for an entire day. Gravity will be your enemy if you want to curl up your moustache.
It may take a little while before the corners of your moustache are long enough to be able to twist up in the way that you want. In my opinion, this is one of the trendiest styles and a handlebar moustache which is waxed on the ends can result in an incredibly unique look and style.
If you don’t want to wait for the long ends of your moustache to grow you can simply grow out a style on your cheeks from your moustache.
Growth on skin
Growing out your moustache hair so that it connects to hair on your cheeks is only possible if you have a good density on your cheeks that matches your moustache density. This ensures that the moustache looks continuous and intentional across the entire growth area.
The hair that you grow on your cheeks can be trimmed into any shape that you want. You can have the hair line point down – go with a Hulk Hogan or walrus type moustache – or you can curl up to emulate a fancy moustache without having to wait for the ends to grow out.
This option has to be trimmed up regularly otherwise there is no contrast between your stubble and the shape that you want your moustache to take.
Learning to use a single blade safety razor will help you cutting your lines of the moustache on your cheeks accurately.
Ensuring that your moustache is healthy and strong throughout its entire growth cycle rely on you looking after your general health as well as the hairs as they emerge from your face.
Let’s take a look at how to look after your moustache as it is growing.
How to look after a mustache as it is growing
No matter what style of moustache you want, speeding up the process of the growth comes down to looking at your body and increasing your metabolism so that your body works faster at growing a moustache.
Looking after your general health in terms of diet, sleep, and exercise is a very important part of growing a moustache as quickly as possible.
General health
Looking after your body means you’re giving yourself the best opportunity to grow a moustache as quickly as possible. You may even be able to take a significant amount of time of your growth wait by simply trying to be the healthiest version of yourself possible.
Diet
The easiest place to influence the quality and speed of your moustache growth is in the foods that you eat.
Making sure that you have a balanced diet will help your body source all of the essential building blocks for your hair. Check out my YouTube video that talks about the seven foods which increases moustache growth, below:
Also, try these other science-backed foods for a boost in your testosterone levels.
- Ginger – A 2012 study showed that taking a daily ginger supplement for three months increased testosterone levels by 17.7 percent.
- Pomegranates – Another study showed that drinking pomegranate juice for 14 days increased the testosterone found in their saliva by 24 percent.
- Fortified plant milk – Vitamin D found in plant milk such as almonds, soy, hemp, and flax can increase testosterone levels. You can also get a great boost of vitamin D from the sun too! So remember to get out and about!
- Leafy green vegetables – Leafy greens are full of magnesium – which is an element that has been shown to increase the levels of testosterone in the human body. Eat lots of spinach, kale and swiss chard!
Some other great options include fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, anchovy’s, sardines, mackerel. Spinach and kale which contains a load of vitamin C and vitamin A. There is citrus and other throughputs, eggs, avocados, nuts and seeds, and much more.
As long as you are not adhering to a calorie restricted diet or some form of elimination diet (where you purposely remove some types of food from your diet) you are almost certainly getting the suitable amount of nutrients through your diet.
Sleep
this is something that a lot of us should spend more time doing – and that is sleeping. In today’s fast paced and social media driven world it can be very hard to get a good nights sleep – even if you mean to.
Studies have shown that the QUANTITY of sleep a person gets is correlated with the morning testosterone levels in males. At least seven hours of sleep is recommended for males and, for teenagers, up to nine hours is preferred.
To get a good nights sleep you should avoid chemical stimulants such as caffeine for at least eight hours before you go to bed. You should avoid alcohol and binge eating before bed as a full stomach will disrupt your sleep. You should definitely avoid using screens for at least 30 minutes before bed.
And, the most important thing, is that your bedroom becomes a place where there are no distractions from doing the most important thing in that room – sleeping.
A dark, quiet, and slightly cool room will help you get the best night’s sleep. Blackout curtains and a very comfy pillow will be your best weapons for achieving the perfect night’s sleep.
Exercise
High intensity exercise has been shown to increase the amount of testosterone in teenagers and older males. Prioritizing exercise in the morning – or where ever you can best fit it into your schedule – will help boost testosterone which will aid in growing a moustache quickly.
You can do a 30 minute high intensity interval training cardio workout at home by following this YouTube video:
Losing weight is also an important part of boosting testosterone in order to grow moustache as there is some evidence to suggest that being overweight can lower testosterone levels.
I think that the majority of people know when they’re eating the wrong foods. Sugary drinks, chocolate, ice cream, sugar and fat combined products are always going to be treat foods rather than everyday foods.
You should aim to eat lots of fresh produce, leafy greens, fish and whole grains. This, combined with exercise is a fantastic way to boost testosterone and help give your body the best chance possible at growing a quality moustache fast.
Stubble
In the stubble stage of your moustache growth – which is between one and 14 days – you should focus on the skin. Focusing your attention on moisturising, exfoliating, and maintaining the best skin possible will, in turn, look after the hair follicles and the moustache.
Focus on the skin
In the early days of moustache growth you will not really be able to detect or see much of the hair growth. To lay the right foundations for growing an awesome moustache you should exfoliate, moisturise, and look out for ingrown hairs while growing.
Exfoliate
in the stubble stages of moustache growth you should exfoliate your skin using either mechanical or chemical processes.
I preferred using mechanical methods such as an exfoliating brush, exfoliating glove or sponge which I rocked across my face in the shower.
Two exfoliate the skin underneath your moustache you should rub in small circular motions with the exfoliating glove or sponge for only a few seconds. You should aim to stop exfoliating your skin before it becomes red. This will be different depending on the sensitivity of your skin.
If you want to use a chemical method you should look for upper hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids in exfoliating products. These work by breaking apart the bonds holding the dull and dead skin cells on your skin. This will allow your skin to shed its old cells easier.
Beta hydroxy acids are better for people with acne prone skin and include salicylic acid.
Moisturize
Moisturising your skin under the stubble will stop it becoming dry and sensitive and also work to beat flaky skin.
Use a moisturiser which contains vitamins and nutrients and is readily absorbed into your skin. You may need to find a few different types of moisturiser to try before you find the one that is perfect for your stubble moustache.
Beat ingrowns
You’ve probably just shaved, and the hairs can easily get trapped under the skin.
Exfoliating the skin mechanically will help you release the trapped ingrown hairs before they become red and irritated. Try not to pick at your skin with tweezers or squeeze the skin harshly as this can create a significant amount of irritation to your skin and we don’t want the skin under the stubble to become red.
Now, let’s take a look at the intermediate length of moustache growth.
Intermediate
After approximately two weeks of growth your beard hairs are becoming long enough to fill in the gaps on your face between the hair follicles.
This is where you need to turn your attention away from the skin – to some extent – and start nurturing and nourishing the beard hairs that are emerging from your top lip.
The first thing to use at this stage is beard oil.
Beard oil
Beard oil is a fantastic product that has a range of different benefits. For a complete rundown on the benefits of beard oil check out my other article – what does beard oil do? [A comprehensive guide to beard oil].
My recommendation is to buy an unscented beard oil so that you can still wear your favourite aftershave.
Use only one drop of beard oil on your moustache after about two weeks worth of growth and wait for 30 minutes before wiping off any excess.
Choose a beard oil that contained jojoba oil – as this is most beneficial for the skin – and as the Beard hair gets longer you can start trialing beard oils with sweet almond oil and Argan oil. These two types of oils will help you nourish the hair as it grows longer.
Cut with scissors
After about two weeks worth of growth you run the risk of the bottom line of the moustache touching your lips. Some people find that this is very irritating and you can easily remove the hairs that are touching your lips with a good pair of scissors.
Make sure that you purchase a good quality set of sharp scissors as this will cut the hair cleanly and stop it from damaging the rest of the hair.
If you are growing a fancy full moustache you should leave the edges of your beard alone for much longer but the middle of the beard is up for trimming. Remember to only trim the bottom line of the moustache because you need to wait for the hairs to grow from the top line all the way over the top of the moustache for it to look full and thick.
Let’s take a look at looking after a full moustache, below.
Full
After approximately two months of growth, you will start to see your moustache getting thicker and fuller as the top line of hairs fully encase the lower hairs all the way to the lip line.
The hairs are approximately 1 inch long and so you need to start looking after the hairs with dedicated products.
Dedicated shampoo
Buying a dedicated beard shampoo will help you keep your moustache clean but also stop you from using harsh surfactants on your moustache which can cause it to dry out and become brittle.
Up until now you have gotten away with using a head shampoo but this is much harsher on the oils because the head is a much earlier place and the face. So that you don’t completely dry out your moustache and make it brittle you should buy a dedicated moustache shampoo.
Two of the most common brands of beard wash is honest Amish and beard brand. I gave these a side-by-side rundown on my YouTube channel, checking out below:
There are plenty more options on the market and you can find out the best ones on my other article – the ultimate guide to the best Beard soaps – click here to be taken to article.
The good thing is that these dedicated shampoos are very efficient and you only have to use a very small amount on your moustache to make it squeaky clean.
Beard butter / balm
You can start using beard butter on your moustache if you feel like it is dry or brittle. Beard butter contains Shea butter and cocoa butter which absorbs readily into the hair imparting hydration and nutrients deep into the core of the hair.
You may need to do this if your moustache has been out in the elements for a while under UV light or exposed to sea salt spray.
You can choose to use a beard balm – which contains a wax component – if you feel like you want to style your full moustache and add a little bit of showing with beeswax.
Cut with trimmers
At this point you may wish to trim your beard with a dedicated set of trimmers. I use my trimmers by pointing the blade directly at my top lip and slowly pushing backwards to cut the hair flat in line with my top lip.
As my beard gets longer, I allow my moustache to get progressively longer to support the growth. In your case, if you only grow moustache, you do not need to worry about balance.
Cutting the bottom line flat and symmetrically will allow your full moustache to look intentional and incredibly professional.
Fancy
A fancy moustache is one of the hardest to look after. You need to trim up your moustache so that it has the length at the appropriate parts. I live. And, you can choose to shave your cheeks and chin area for maximum contrast between your face and your moustache.
If you want your moustache to stick up against the forces of gravity you will need to purchase a moustache wax.
Mustache wax
A moustache wax is an incredible product which contains a high portion of beeswax which can provide hold throughout the day. If you live in hot climates, be warned that it is not as effective.
Warm the moustache wax up between your fingers so that it is pliable and roll it through the ends of your moustache. You can cool the moustache wax down with cold air from your hairdryer if you need to lock it into place quickly.
Play about with the application and methods of cooling down to find your perfect style.
Scissors and trimmers
Because your fancy moustache has a variety of different lengths you will need to purchase trimmers and scissors to get the full styling ability.
Using the trimmers on the middle part your moustache to create flatline and then trimming, with scissors, the longer parts of the moustache will be the best way to create the unique style.
Daily routine
You should consider coming up with a daily routine which you are able to do under 10 minutes. My daily routine enables me to make my beard look awesome the majority of the time with little effort.
The secret to keeping a fancy moustache looking awesome is to do little bits to it every day rather than relying on fortnightly or weekly grooming sessions. You can use fortnightly or weekly grooming sessions for styling the beard and larger trim ups.
The final word
Growing your moustache will take patients and time. However, by looking at your body and being as healthy as possible you give your moustache the best opportunity for growth thick and full.
Learning how to look after the moustache and the various stages; stubble, intermediate, full, and fancy moustache lengths will allow you to show off what you have to its best.
