Parted pencil moustache
a thin line with a gap at the centre
A parted pencil is a pencil moustache divided by a small shaved gap under the nose, so it reads as two thin lines rather than one. Everything else is the same: a narrow line following the top lip, cheeks bare. That gap is the only difference, which makes it one of the finer distinctions in the directory.
At a glance
- Also known as
- Nothing else in common use
- What it is
- A pencil line split by a gap at the centre.
- Length
- Short, under an inch
- Growing time
- 2 to 4 weeks
- Trim how often
- Every 1 to 2 days
- Best face shapes
- Round, Oval
- Moustache
- Yes
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Three edges have to be sharp at once here, and that is a razor job rather than a trimmer job.
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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.
| Round | Ideal | A thin horizontal line adds structure without adding width. |
|---|---|---|
| Oval | Ideal | Nothing to correct, so a precise style reads as a choice rather than a fix. |
| Heart | Works | Draws a clean line under a broad forehead. |
| Square | Avoid | A few millimetres of hair gets lost against a wide jaw. |
| Diamond | Works | Adds a horizontal across the middle of the face. |
| Long | Avoid | Leaves too much bare skin above and below, which lengthens the face. |
How to cut one, in four steps
- Grow a pencil firstTwo to four weeks. Get the single line right before you split it, because you cannot part a moustache that is not yet even.
- Mark the centreThe gap sits under the middle of your nose. Find it with a comb before you cut, not with the trimmer already running.
- Cut the partA detail trimmer with no guard, one narrow pass. Keep the gap a few millimetres. Any wider and it stops looking deliberate.
- Edge it dailyA blade along the top edge and the skin below, every day or every other day. The whole style is the edges.
Full detail, tools and the common mistakes are in the guide below.
What defines it
The gap. Usually the width of the philtrum, five millimetres or so, shaved clean under the nose so the two halves are visibly separate.
A pencil-thin line. Two or three millimetres deep, following the curve of the top lip and stopping at or just before the corners of the mouth.
Without the gap it is a pencil moustache. Without the thinness it is a parted version of something else. Both features have to be there.
Who it suits
Round and oval faces. The horizontal line adds structure to a round face without adding width, which is a useful combination, and an oval face carries it easily.
It works on light growth. This is its real strength. A thin line reads as deliberate at a density where any fuller moustache would look sparse, and the gap removes the section under the nose that is often patchiest.
It is a precise, slightly formal look. It reads as considered rather than casual, which suits some faces and settings and not others.
Growing it
Two to four weeks. There is very little hair involved.
Grow the whole moustache in first. You are cutting this shape out rather than growing it directly, and you need material either side of the gap to judge the width.
Cutting it
This is fine work and the hardest thing on the page.
Set the length very short, two to three millimetres, before shaping anything.
Cut the gap first. Use the philtrum as your guide and take a clean vertical strip out of the centre, straight down from the nose. Both edges parallel.
Then set the bottom edge along the lip line on each side, keeping the line thin and following the lip's curve rather than cutting straight.
Then the top edge, parallel to the bottom, leaving a consistent thickness.
Then the outer ends, stopping at or just inside the corners of the mouth.
Work in good light with a precision trimmer or a razor edge. A guard is no use at this scale.
Keeping it
Every one to two days. A line this thin against bare skin loses definition within a day, and the gap fills in faster than anything else.
That frequency is the honest cost of the style. It is not difficult, but it is constant.
Moisturise the shaved area. You are taking a blade across the same skin daily.
Where it goes wrong
A gap that drifts wider. Every tidy takes a bit more and the two halves separate until they read as two unrelated marks.
Uneven halves. The gap makes any asymmetry immediately obvious, because the eye compares them directly.
Letting the line thicken. It becomes an ordinary moustache with a notch in it.
Skipping days. More visible here than on almost anything else.
Questions we get asked
What is a parted pencil moustache?
A thin pencil moustache divided by a small shaved gap under the nose, so it appears as two separate lines.
What is the difference between a pencil and a parted pencil?
The gap. A pencil moustache is continuous. A parted pencil is split at the centre.
How long does it take to grow?
Two to four weeks, and grow the whole moustache first since you are cutting the shape out of it.
How often does it need trimming?
Every one or two days. A thin line against bare skin loses its edge quickly.
Can I grow one with a thin moustache?
Yes, it is one of the better options for light growth. The line reads as deliberate where bulk would look sparse, and the gap removes the patchiest section.
Is it hard to cut at home?
It is the most precise shape here. Use a trimmer without a guard or a razor edge, work in good light, and cut the gap before anything else.
Other moustaches
Same shape, different length or moustache.
If this one is too much work
Same idea, less of your morning.
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