---
title: "Petite handlebar moustache: How to Grow, Trim and Style It"
date: 2026-08-21
author: ""
---

# Petite handlebar moustache: How to Grow, Trim and Style It

## Petite handlebar moustache

A shorter handlebar with the ends waved rather than curled.

MoustacheHigh upkeep2 to 3 months

![Front diagram of the petite handlebar moustache style. A shorter handlebar with the ends waved rather than curled.](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/beardedcolonel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/beard-styles/petite-handlebar-moustache-style-diagram-front.jpg)Front ![Profile diagram of the petite handlebar moustache style, showing how far it runs back toward the ear.](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/beardedcolonel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/beard-styles/petite-handlebar-moustache-style-diagram-profile.jpg)Profile

Solid areas are where hair is kept. Everything else is shaved. ## At a glance

Also known asNothing else in common use

What it isA shorter handlebar with the ends waved rather than curled.

LengthMedium, one to two inches

Growing time2 to 3 months

Trim how oftenEvery 1 to 2 days

Best face shapesOval

MoustacheYes

Difficulty**3 / 5**

How easy it is to get wrong.

Upkeep**4 / 5**

How often you are back at the mirror.

Growing time**3 / 5**

How long before you can shape it.

## £5 off your first delivery

The centre gets cut back to the lip while the ends grow on, so the line under your nose has to be clean.

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## The variations

The one shape, and how it is usually worn.

**Petite handlebar** Medium Ends waved upward, staying near the corners of the mouth.

## 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 Enough shape to be interesting without needing a face that can carry a full handlebar.   Diamond Ideal Adds width at the middle of the face where it is wanted.   Square Works Reads as restrained next to a strong jaw.   Round Works The upturned ends give a lift that a round face benefits from.   Oblong Works Some horizontal weight, though a full handlebar gives more.   Heart Avoid Flared ends can make a narrow chin look smaller.

## How to cut one, in four steps

1. **Grow to the corners**Two to three months. Do not cut the sides. You need enough length past the mouth corners to lift, which is less than a full handlebar needs but not much less.
2. **Keep the centre off the lip**Trim only the middle, back to the lip line. Everything either side of your philtrum is left alone.
3. **Train it upward**Comb the ends up and out every morning while damp. Two weeks of this and they start holding on their own.
4. **Wax lightly**A trace of soft wax to hold the wave. Enough to lift the ends, not enough to make a curl. A full circle turns it into a handlebar.

Full detail, tools and the common mistakes are in the guide below.

## Other moustaches

Same shape, different length or moustache.

[Handlebar moustacheLong moustache trained upward at the ends.](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/handlebar-moustache/)[BeardstacheA heavy moustache over light stubble.](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/beardstache/)[Pencil moustacheA thin line above the lip.](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/pencil-moustache/)[Chevron moustacheThick and wide, covering the top lip.](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/chevron-moustache/)

## If this one is too much work

Same idea, less of your morning.

[Cowboy moustacheLower upkeep](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/cowboy-moustache/)[GoateeGrows in weeks, not months](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/goatee/)[Van DykeGrows in weeks, not months](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/van-dyke/)

## Browse by what matters to you

The same directory, cut a different way.

[Beard styles for oval facesThe shape most styles are drawn for. Nearly anything works.](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/beard-styles-oval-face/)[Moustache stylesEverything above the lip, from a pencil line to a handlebar.](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/moustache-styles/)

[All 52 stylesThe full directory](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/beard-styles/) [Razor subscriptionSharp blades through the door, from £5](https://beardedcolonel.co.uk/)