--- title: How to Grow a Mustache for Movember description: 12 tips for maintaining the perfect stache for No Shave November canonical: https://time.com/3554549/movember-how-to-grow-mustache-for-no-shave-november/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-03T16:00:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:26.314Z og:title: The 12 Do's and Don'ts of Growing a Mustache for Movember og:description: We asked the experts in honor of No Shave November og:url: https://time.com/3554549/movember-how-to-grow-mustache-for-no-shave-november/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt86ed5de7689dfb60/698763de3c16391f7944f668/offerman.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: offerman og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The 12 Do's and Don'ts of Growing a Mustache for Movember twitter:description: We asked the experts in honor of No Shave November twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt86ed5de7689dfb60/698763de3c16391f7944f668/offerman.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ask a 'Stache: The 12 Do's and Don'ts of Growing a Mustache for Movember > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=aea01435-b516-472c-895a-139baf726b51&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME's Favorite Moustache Styles for Movember [Watch (HLS stream): TIME's Favorite Moustache Styles for Movember](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/A3sZZZtP.m3u8) (0:54)  _Published 2013-11-05. Movember is a month-long fundraising event for prostate cancer and millions of men across the globe participate every year. If you're looking for inspiration, here are TIME's favorite moustache styles._  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Nov 3, 2014 4:00 PM UTC  Actor Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation, a respected "mustached American" Actor Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation, a respected "mustached American"Phillip Chin—Getty Images  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Nov 3, 2014 4:00 PM UTC November marks “Movember,” the month-long charity event in which men will attempt to grow mustaches to look like President [William Howard Taft](http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williamhowardtaft), Burt Reynolds or Nick Offerman (also a [“Movember” spokesman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z6VFJw5WTY)), while raising money for [men’s health causes](http://us.movember.com) like testicular and prostate cancers. To help out rookies who are trying to grow good ‘staches for these good causes, NewsFeed talked to a few experts: * **Adam Paul Causgrove,** 29, a grants administrator in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and the President and Chairman of the [American Mustache Institute](http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/), an interest group for “mustached Americans.” He sports a classic handlebar mustache with ends that curl upwards. * **Patrick Fette,** 27, the Louisville, Ky., resident, who has only had a mustache for two years, but was crowned the 2013 world champion in the [“English Moustache” category](http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/english-moustache-2011/) (the ends stick straight out to the side) at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany, on Nov. 2, 2013.  Patrick Fette at the National Beard and Moustache Championships in New Orleans on September 2013. Greg Anderson * **Alex Chavez,** 27, a barber at [The Blind Barber](http://www.blindbarber.com) in Los Angeles, one of the Movember campaign’s many [“Mo-rated Barbers”](http://us.movember.com/mo-community/mo-rated-barbers) that participants can consult throughout the month. * **Dana J. Quigley,** 24, a [Boston-area photographer](http://www.danajquigleyphoto.com) who doesn’t participate in mustache competitions or belong to clubs, but has worn a ‘stache for almost a decade. Now he boasts what he calls a “bicycle mustache,” a spin on the handlebar style, in which the approximately four-inch ends are curled into two full loops to resemble bike tires. Here are their tips for super ‘staches:  Causgrove, a proud handlebar mustache-wearer. Duerring Photography / Adam P. Causgrove **Do: Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow** Most people are not going to grow the kind of mustache that some of these experts have in only a month. For instance, it took Fette a year to grow his world champion 12-inch-long “English Moustache.” So be patient. Those who manage to grow one will probably end up [with a Chevron,](http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/mustache-information/styles/) which covers the entire outline of the upper lip. In other words, you’re going to look like Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) from _Parks and Recreation_ or private investigator [Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck)](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000633/) from _Magnum P.I._ **Do: Get a mustache comb** A couple weeks in, start using one because it “trains the mustache hair” to go off to the side, Causgrove says, so that your ‘stache looks more natural, and it will be easier to control it if and when you do begin the styling process. **Don’t: Use an electric razor** That’s an amateur mistake. To ensure a neat ‘stache, Chavez recommends keeping the bottom line of the upper lip neat, but some men lose control of the razor and end up going “a little overboard” with their clean-up: “A lot of times, if it’s early on in the month, they end up needing to start fresh.” Stick to scissors or a single-edge safety razor if you want to trim it.  Photographer Dana J. Quigley and his “bicycle mustache.” Dana J. Quigley Photography **Don’t: Use caustic face cleansers** Quigley says certain face washes, particularly the ones designed to treat acne, have bleached his mustache hairs. The products generally make it harder to wax and curl the ends of the ‘stache if you do start to style it. **Don’t: Touch your mustache** Actually, just keep your fingers off your face as much as possible (your mother was right). We know the upper-lip area is going to get itchy, but you don’t want to get bacteria in your pores, which can cause ingrown hairs and make mustaches look gross, Quigley points out. **Don’t: Touch someone else’s mustache** That’s “the worst,” so awkward. At least ask first! “You wouldn’t really go caress someone’s nose or tug on someone’s lip,” Quigley points out. **Do: Drink bourbon, eat rare steaks** Causgrove jokes that they help stimulate mustache hair growth, but that’s all part of achieving the lifestyle of “rugged masculinity” — or “moustachery,” as [Urban Dictionary calls it](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Moustachery) — that the American Mustache Institute associates with mustaches. Take a page out of Fette’s book: watch Burt Reynolds in _Smokey and the Bandit_ (1977), vow to [drive a Pontiac Trans Am](http://www.hotrod.com/eventcoverage/hrdp%5F0709%5Fbandit%5Fpontiac%5Ftrans%5Fam%5Frun/photo%5F03.html) one day, and immerse yourself in American Civil War history, specifically pictures of [the generals’ wild facial hair](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Who-Had-the-Best-Civil-War-Facial-Hair.html). “Anyone who is wearing a mustache is basically putting across the middle of their face, ‘Here I am, I am a man,'” Causgrove says. Which leads to his next point . . .  Causgrove with his dog Oliver. Adam P. Causgrove **Don’t: Watch** **_Sex in the City_** **or wear flared pants** Again, the “rugged manliness” thing. **Do: Hang out with other mustache-wearers** Growing a mustache for the first time can feel “weird”, Fette admits, and people may think you look creepy, so he recommends finding a local organization of mustache-wearers for camaraderie and grooming tips. **Do: Wear a fake mustache** At American Mustache Institute events, reps hand out stick-on mustaches to people who have what Causgrove calls “BULD: Bare Upper Lip Disorder.” Sometimes the fake ‘stache can be “the push they always needed to go out and grow their own mustache.” **Don’t: Let haters get to you** If bullies give mustache-wearers a hard time on the street [or at work](http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/mustachestudy/) this month, Causgrove says, “Look ‘em square in the eye and say ‘You’re welcome,’ no matter what. It doesn’t have to make sense.” Or Chavez says just tell them you’re doing it for a charitable cause, and they’ll usually back off. After all, the mustache is an icebreaker; it’s supposed to start a conversation about men’s health.  Alex Chavez, barber at Blind Barber Shop in Los Angeles. Alex Maier **Do: Reap the benefits of being a mustachioed man** “One time I was at a yard sale, and somebody said, ‘That’s the best mustache I’ve ever seen! Would you like some free pants?’ So I got a pair of second-hand blue jeans,” Fette says. He also jokes that women are constantly begging to take photos with him, “It’s exhausting.” Quigley has been relieved of parking tickets, jumped the line at restaurants, caught buses in the middle of stops, gotten a free $40 iPhone case, and landed photography assignments — all because people strike up conversations about his ‘stache. Causgrove says when he sees mustache-wearers on the street, he gives them a high-five. “We’d like these new growers of mustaches to know that they’re growing their way into a community, that there’s a very ruggedly handsome lifestyle awaiting them long after Nov. 30.” _This article was originally published on November 5, 2013._ **PHOTOS**: [A Book of Beards for a Cause](http://lightbox.time.com/2012/06/29/the-mane-subject-a-book-of-beards/) ## Transcript Movember is a month long fundraising effort for Prostate Cancer. It was invented 10 years ago by Australian friends, who wanted to bring attention to men's health issues. Since then, men across the globe have been growing their moustaches every November as part of the fundraising campaign. If you're looking for inspiration, here are Time's favorite moustache styles. The Pencil. The Handlebar. The Soul Patch. The Imperial. The Trucker. The Abracadabra. The Undercover Brother. The Toothbrush. The Walrus. The Box Car. The Connoisseur. 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