Petite handlebar moustache
a shorter handlebar with waved rather than curled ends
A petite handlebar is a moustache trained outward and slightly upward at the ends, with a gentle wave rather than the full curl of a handlebar. It is shorter, lighter and far less work than the full version. It is the sensible version of a style the directory otherwise treats as showmanship.
It is the sensible entry point into trained moustaches, and it is what a lot of men actually want when they say they are thinking about a handlebar.
At a glance
- Also known as
- Nothing else in common use
- What it is
- A shorter handlebar with the ends waved rather than curled.
- Length
- Medium, one to two inches
- Growing time
- 2 to 3 months
- Trim how often
- Every 1 to 2 days
- Best face shapes
- Oval
- Moustache
- Yes
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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.
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. |
| Long | 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
- Grow to the cornersTwo 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.
- Keep the centre off the lipTrim only the middle, back to the lip line. Everything either side of your philtrum is left alone.
- Train it upwardComb the ends up and out every morning while damp. Two weeks of this and they start holding on their own.
- Wax lightlyA 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.
What separates it from a handlebar
Length. One to two inches rather than three or more.
The ends. A handlebar curls the ends into a loop, sometimes a complete circle. A petite handlebar sweeps them outward with a soft wave and leaves them there.
The commitment. A full handlebar is six months of growing and daily waxing indefinitely. A petite version is two or three months and a light wax when you want it to hold.
Everything else is the same: the moustache covers the top lip, the cheeks are bare, and the shape comes from training rather than cutting.
Who it suits
Oval faces, which take the horizontal emphasis easily.
Anyone testing whether they suit a trained moustache before committing to a full handlebar. The growing period is short enough that a change of mind costs weeks rather than seasons.
Moderate growth is fine. You need enough at the corners of the mouth to train, but nowhere near the density a Hungarian or a full handlebar demands.
Growing it
Two to three months. The corners of the mouth are the slow part and that is where the wave comes from.
Do not trim the ends. Keep the bottom edge off your lip from about week four and leave everything else alone.
Start combing outward from the centre at around week six, while damp. Training early means the hair learns the direction rather than being forced into it later.
Training it
Comb outward from the philtrum, both sides, while slightly damp.
A light wax, warmed first. Work it through from the middle outward and finish by drawing the ends out and slightly up between finger and thumb. You are making a wave, not a loop, so do not twist.
Trim the bottom edge along the lip, never the ends.
Reset in the morning. Less critical than a full handlebar, since a wave survives sleep better than a curl, but it will need combing.
Keeping it
Comb daily, wax when you want it to hold, trim the lip line weekly.
That is genuinely the whole routine. It is one of the few trained moustaches that does not demand daily product.
Wash it a couple of times a week.
Where it goes wrong
Trimming the ends when they look untidy. The ends are the style, and cutting them puts you back a month.
Too much wax. It stops being a wave and starts being a stiff, over-set shape.
Twisting rather than sweeping. That makes it a small handlebar, which is a different look.
Expecting it to hold without any product at all. A little wax is what separates a wave from an unruly moustache.
Questions we get asked
What is a petite handlebar moustache?
A shorter handlebar, one to two inches, with the ends swept out into a soft wave rather than curled into a loop.
What is the difference between this and a handlebar?
Length and the ends. A handlebar is longer and curls the ends into a loop with firm wax. A petite handlebar waves them and needs far less product.
How long does it take to grow?
Two to three months, against roughly six for a full handlebar.
Does it need wax every day?
No, which is its main advantage. A light wax when you want it to hold its shape, and a daily comb.
Can I grow one with a moderate moustache?
Yes. It needs less density than a full handlebar because the wave is shallower and shorter.
Is it a good first trained moustache?
Yes, the best one here. The growing period is short enough that changing your mind costs weeks rather than months.
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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