Zappa moustache
a thick moustache with a soul patch beneath
A Zappa is a heavy, wide moustache worn with a soul patch directly below the lower lip, and nothing else. Cheeks, jaw and chin are shaved. It is one of the few beard styles defined by two separate pieces of hair that never meet.
It is named after Frank Zappa, who wore it for most of his career, and the pairing is specific enough that it is one of very few facial hair styles named after a single person's actual face rather than a general period look.
At a glance
- Also known as
- Nothing else in common use
- What it is
- Thick moustache with a soul patch beneath.
- Length
- Medium, one to three inches
- Growing time
- 6 to 10 weeks
- Trim how often
- Every 3 to 4 days
- Best face shapes
- Any
- Moustache
- Yes
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A moustache and a soul patch with a shaved gap between them. That gap is the style.
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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 it is
Two separate elements with clean skin between them.
The moustache is thick and wide, covering the top lip and extending to or just past the corners of the mouth. Similar bulk to a chevron, sometimes heavier.
The soul patch sits directly under the lower lip, usually a centimetre or two wide, squared or slightly rounded.
The gap matters. The lower lip separates the two, and both need to read as deliberate shapes rather than as the remains of a beard.
Who it suits
Any face shape, since neither element is large enough to change proportions much.
It needs a strong moustache. The soul patch is easy for almost anyone; the moustache carries the style and thin growth on the upper lip will not support it. If your moustache is the weak part, a plain soul patch or a circle beard is a better fit.
It is a distinctive, slightly counter-cultural look. It reads as a choice rather than as grooming, which is either what you want or exactly what you do not.
Growing it
Six to ten weeks for the moustache to have real bulk. The soul patch is ready in about a week and will be waiting for the moustache.
Grow both together and shave the cheeks and chin from the start, since neither is involved and leaving them makes it harder to judge the two shapes.
Cutting it
Set the moustache length with a guard, six to ten millimetres, and keep it even across.
Trim the bottom of the moustache along the lip line so nothing hangs into your mouth.
Shape the soul patch with a trimmer without a guard. Square it off, keep it centred under the lower lip, and keep it narrower than your mouth.
Shave everything else properly. Chin, jaw, cheeks, neck, with a razor. The two shapes only read against genuinely clean skin.
Trim dry and combed.
Keeping it
Every two or three days for the shaved areas, which is most of your face.
The moustache wants a weekly trim along the lip line. The soul patch wants its edges tidied whenever they blur.
Comb the moustache down daily.
No wax. If it will not lie flat, a little balm.
Where it goes wrong
Letting the chin grow in. The soul patch merges into stubble and the whole thing looks like an unfinished goatee.
A soul patch that spreads. Keep it narrower than your mouth or it stops reading as a separate element.
A thin moustache. The style leans on it.
Waxing the moustache. Wrong character entirely.
Questions we get asked
What is a Zappa moustache?
A thick, wide moustache worn with a soul patch under the lower lip and everything else shaved. Named after Frank Zappa.
What is the difference between a Zappa and a circle beard?
Connection and coverage. A circle beard joins the moustache to a chin beard in a ring. A Zappa keeps the moustache and a small soul patch entirely separate, with a bare chin.
How long does it take to grow?
Six to ten weeks, limited by the moustache. The soul patch takes about a week.
Can I grow one with a thin moustache?
Not well. The moustache carries the style. A soul patch on its own, or a circle beard, will look better.
How often does it need trimming?
The shaved areas every two or three days, the moustache weekly.
Does it suit any face shape?
Broadly yes. Neither element is big enough to alter proportions significantly.
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.