English moustache
long, narrow, and parted at the centre
An English moustache is a narrow moustache grown long, parted in the middle and combed outward to either side, with the ends left straight rather than curled. The upper lip is visible below it and the cheeks are bare.
It is the most understated of the trained moustaches, and the one that needs the least hair to work.
At a glance
- Also known as
- Nothing else in common use
- What it is
- Long, narrow, parted at the centre.
- Length
- Medium, one to three inches
- Growing time
- 6 to 10 weeks
- Trim how often
- Every 1 to 2 days
- Best face shapes
- Any
- Moustache
- Yes
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Long, narrow and parted, which means the skin either side of it is on show at all times.
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The variations
The one shape, and how it is usually worn.
Will it suit your face?
Where a style puts weight, and where it takes it away, is what decides whether it suits you. The table below is the short version.
| Oval | Ideal | No shape to correct, so anything from a pencil to a handlebar sits well. |
|---|---|---|
| Round | Works | Go wider than the mouth rather than heavier, so it does not add bulk. |
| Square | Ideal | A strong jaw carries a heavy moustache without looking top-loaded. |
| Long | Ideal | Horizontal weight across the lip breaks up the length. |
| Heart | Works | Draws the eye down from a broad forehead. |
| Diamond | Works | Adds width across the middle of the face. |
How to cut one, in four steps
- Grow it out6 to 10 weeks. No trimming at all in that time, including the hairs hanging over your lip.
- Set the shapeComb it down and flat, then cut to your outline. Never cut it wet, it dries shorter than you cut it.
- Clear the lipTrim along the top lip line so it does not end up in your mouth. Scissors give more control than a trimmer here.
- Wax and trainWarm the wax between your fingers first, work it in from the centre out, then shape the ends.
Full detail, tools and the common mistakes are in the guide below.
What makes it English
The centre parting. The hair is trained left and right from the middle, leaving a visible division under the nose. That parting is the defining feature and the thing that separates it from every other long moustache.
Narrow rather than bulky. It does not cover the top lip and it does not spread wide across the cheeks. The effect comes from the line, not the mass.
Straight ends. A handlebar curls the ends into loops. An English leaves them extended and straight, sometimes trained very slightly outward.
Who it suits
Anyone, honestly, which is unusual on this site. Because it is narrow rather than heavy it does not add meaningful width to the face, so it does not fight a round face or lengthen a long one.
It is the best trained moustache for thinner growth. A defined line reads as deliberate at a density where a chevron or a walrus would look sparse. If you want a moustache that is clearly a choice and your upper lip growth is moderate, this is the one.
Growing it
Six to ten weeks to have something to work with, and three or four months before the ends are long enough to sit properly.
Do not trim the ends while it grows. The width comes from length at the corners of the mouth and that is the slowest part to arrive.
Keep the bottom edge off your lip from about week four, and leave everything else.
Training it
Part it in the middle from the start. Comb outward from the philtrum on both sides every morning, while damp. Doing this from week four means the hair learns the direction rather than having to be forced later.
A light wax is enough. You are holding a direction rather than a shape, so this needs far less product than a handlebar. Too much and it looks lacquered.
Trim the bottom edge along the lip line, not the ends. The length is the style.
Keep the parting clean. A few stray hairs across the centre blur the one feature that defines it.
Keeping it
Comb daily, wax lightly, trim the lip line weekly. That is the whole routine and it is genuinely modest for a trained moustache.
Wash it a couple of times a week. Anything at this length collects what you eat.
Where it goes wrong
Losing the parting. Without it this is just a long moustache.
Trimming the ends to tidy it. The ends are the point.
Over-waxing. It should look combed rather than sculpted.
Curling the ends. That is a handlebar, which is a different style and a bigger commitment.
Other moustaches
Same shape, different length or moustache.
If this one is too much work
Same idea, less of your morning.
Browse by what matters to you
The same directory, cut a different way.