Toothbrush moustache
the style history took away
A toothbrush moustache is a narrow block of hair under the nose, roughly the width of the nostrils, with everything either side shaved. Two to three centimetres across, no more.
There is no getting around why this page is short. The shape is straightforward, easy to grow and easy to keep. What it carries is an association it will not shake, and that is the only thing most people actually want to know about it.
At a glance
- Also known as
- Nothing else in common use
- What it is
- A narrow square under the nose.
- Length
- Short, under an inch
- Growing time
- 2 to 4 weeks
- Trim how often
- Every 1 to 2 days
- Best face shapes
- Any
- Moustache
- Yes
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A narrow square under the nose, and every millimetre of the border cut by hand.
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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 out2 to 4 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 it is
A rectangle under the nose, cut square at the sides rather than tapered, sitting above the lip and not over it. Usually five to ten millimetres deep.
The width is what defines it. A painter's brush is a straight-edged block too, but it runs the full width of the mouth. A toothbrush stops well short, in line with the outer edge of each nostril.
The association
Charlie Chaplin wore one from 1914 and made it a comic trademark. Adolf Hitler wore one from around the same period, and after 1945 that is the only reference the shape has in most of the world.
That is simply the situation. It was a common, unremarkable moustache in the 1910s and 1920s, worn by plenty of ordinary men, and it stopped being one. Nothing about how you wear it now separates it from the association, and anyone growing one should expect the comparison rather than be surprised by it.
We include it because this directory documents styles rather than recommending them all, and because people search for it and deserve an accurate answer. It is not a style we would suggest.
If you want the shape without the association
Two options do something similar and read completely differently.
The painter's brush keeps the straight bottom edge and squared sides but runs the full width of the mouth. It is the same discipline in a shape nobody misreads.
The lampshade is narrow at the top and wider toward the mouth, with the same tidy, deliberate character. It is what most men actually want when they like the look of a compact moustache.
Growing and cutting it
Two to four weeks is plenty. There is very little hair involved.
Set the length with a guard, three to five millimetres. Cut the sides square, in line with the outer edge of your nostrils, using the philtrum as your centre so both halves match. Take the bottom edge along the lip line so nothing hangs over.
It needs tidying every one or two days, because at this size any stray hair outside the block is obvious against bare skin.
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.