The Best Mustache Waxes for Maximum Hold

Facial hair provides a stellar means of bestowing your appearance with a bit of added character and style, though without proper maintenance, beards and mustaches can quickly become straggly and unruly messes. Despite beard-care products exploding in popularity over the last few years, the clearcut benefits of mustache wax have yet to permeate the men’s grooming space in the same capacity. So, to help shine a light on the subject, we’ve brewed up this guide to the best mustache waxes. We’ll be exploring the numerous benefits of keeping your mustache waxed and why you should consider using it, as well as a little on the history of the stuff. Furthermore, this article will also be exploring how to prepare and use mustache wax, and how to clean or remove it at the end of the day. Lastly, we’ll be diving into our selection of the best mustache wax options currently on the market.

The history of mustache wax

Mankind has been attempting to tame facial hair for millennia, though it wasn’t until the 18th or early 19th century that mustache wax began appearing on the historical record. Originally, it was primarily comprised of bear fat or natural waxes, though the 20th century’s advancements in chemical engineering gave way to a host of new synthetic ingredient options like processed lard and petroleum jelly.

Time then marched on for close to a century without too much change in the world of mustache wax. The increasingly refined pomade, hair-care/styling, and cosmetics markets also resulted in numerous advancements that eventually trickled down to mustache wax. Today, mustache waxes not only hold facial hair neatly in place, but are also often infused with supplementary ingredients with properties that benefit the wearer’s skin or/and hair, or add a pleasant scent or aroma, using elements such as essential oils, vitamins, or shea or cocoa butter.

How to use mustache wax

Mustache wax can be made from several different base products, though, (as its name suggests), the most common of which is wax (more specifically; beeswax). As a result, most mustache waxes need to be heated or warmed up to use. To apply mustache wax, you can blast the tin with a hair dryer for a few minutes, leave it atop a heater or radiator, pop it inside an oven (on warm) for a few minutes, or submerge it in water if the tin allows for it. Heating up the wax also allows whatever ingredients it’s infused with to better come to the surface and more effectively seep into your skin or hair follicles.

Once sufficiently heated, you can open the tin and remove a small amount with your finger, usually, a pea-sized dab or smaller will be enough for the average ‘stache, though you always want to go with a less-is-more approach. It’s a lot easier to go back and add more than it is to try and remove some after adding too much (we’ll touch on how to remove/clean wax below).

Rub the wax between your fingers and then start applying it to the hair above your lip, beginning from the center and working your way outwards in either direction. This can be done with one hand or two. Rubbing (or twisting) a mustache’s extremities will allow finer, sharper points to form, though they do need to temporarily be held in place while the pomade takes hold (not unlike styling gel). While you obviously can opt for a finely-curled, product-laden mustache, mustache wax doesn’t have to afford a wet, mousse look.

When you’re ready to hang it up for the day, you can then remove the wax from your upper lip. Using hot water, wash out your mustache with (preferably) a beard wash (though regular shampoo will also do the trick, though it may require a rinse and repeat-type situation depending on how much wax you’ve used). Perform a combination of washing and rinsing while also wiping or dabbing your lip cozy with a (hot) damp cloth or paper towel.

Why should you use mustache wax?

Mustache wax allows for a much neater overall appearance, as well as affording an enormous amount of styling options that can’t be achieved without using some product. One blatant upside to the wax’s hold is that it manages to keep the end of the mustache out of the way when eating food or drinking — something we’ve found to be one, if not the most annoying aspect of sporting a decent-length lip broom.

It’s also worth noting this stuff isn’t just for hipsters seeking a dapper aesthetic. Mustache wax can be used in small amounts very discreetly to keep a normal-looking mustache in place. And, while you do remove it at the end of the day, most modern mustache waxes are infused with ingredients that, when left on facial hair, sink into the hair follicle and skin, moisturizing and conditioning.

different holding strengths

Light: The most flexible choice, but still offers support.

Medium: Still provides some flexibility, but starting to get more rigid.

Firm: A little amount of flexibility, and expect it to hold for most of the day.

Very Firm: The firmest option and it will keep your mustache in place (very firmly) all day.

Texas Beard Co. Mustache Wax

The Starter Pick: Sold in 0.5oz and 1.0oz sizes, the Texas Beard Co’s mustache wax is a medium-hold product that offers all-day styling. The products are all-natural and made entirely by hand in small batches at the outfit’s Texas-based headquarters. And, while this item admittedly lacks some of the essential oils and vitamins that are present in the more bougie mustache wax options on the market, TBC’s mustache wax is a fantastic choice for those seeking a simple and straight-forward wax that isn’t heavily infused with any fragrances.

Lucky Tiger Mustache Wax

The Classic Pick: In recent years, the men’s grooming space has hugely grown in size, with beard oils and mustache waxes seeing a marked influx in popularity. But, before the current wave of hipster-focused facial hair-care products, there were a handful of classic players who, for decades, dominated the segment, the best example of which is almost certainly Lucky Tiger. Having existed since 1935, Lucky Tiger produces its mustache wax in America and has changed its formula and production methods very little over its expansive 85-year existence. This is also another great choice for those not interested in scented or infused wax.

Beardbrand Mustache Wax

The Best Medium Hold Wax: Sold in a convenient slide-to-open aluminum tray that’s built to easily slide in and out of your pocket, the Beardbrand’s mustache wax is a medium-hold product that doesn’t contain any sulfates, parabens, and silicones. Made with a mixture of both beeswax and lanolin — it’s a fantastic offering on its own – but, what makes it truly special is the fact that the Beardbrand offers this same scent (or any of their other legitimately fantastic-smelling scents) across a full range of grooming products, so you can use a single scent across the board for your beard wash, conditioner, beard oil, utility balm, sea-salt spray, and mustache wax.

Proraso Moustache Wax

The Best Travel Wax: Proraso is one of those classic Italian brands that’s been trusted by barbers since the ’40s. That means you can trust them, too, especially since this wax is made with 98% natural ingredients. It starts off as a cream, with a hydrating base of beeswax and shea butter, but turns into wax as you work it into your hair. Added eucalyptus oil promotes hair growth and health, and the woodsy scent ties it all together. It’s also made without nasty stuff like parabens and mineral oils, and has been tested by dermatologists.

Can You Handlebar Moustache Wax

The Best American-Made Wax: Can You Handlebar’s Primary Hold mustache wax is another contemporary take on the product. Manufactured, packaged, and inspected for quality by hand, this wax —  much like traditional waxes from a century ago — doesn’t contain any scents or fragrances and is simply meant to help get your ‘stache looking neat and tidy. And while it isn’t scented, that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been bestowed with a grip of hair and face-enriching elements such as lanolin, olive oil, coconut oils, shea butter, and vitamin E. The base of the product is also made from castor oil-infused natural beeswax that’s locally sourced in Michigan.

Fisticuffs Strong Hold Mustache Wax

The Best Firm Hold Wax: Grave Before Shave’s Fisticuffs wax has become one of the most popular mustache waxes in the USA, and for good reason, because the founder Wayne Bailey (a professional mustache-haver) worked hard to create a formula that was right for him, and for other serious facial hair growers. But you don’t have to be a professional to appreciate the firm hold that this wax gives you. It’s made with beeswax, jojoba oil, pine sap, and essential oils, to keep your ‘stache in place without harming your hair.

Wet Shaving Mustache Wax Hercules Hold

The Best Natural Wax: Made by hand in tiny batches – less than 50 units at a time — in Arizona, this particular variety of mustache wax is meant for those with longer/larger ‘staches that require a markedly more powerful hold to keep in check. In addition to its herculean hold, the stuff also contains numerous skin and hair-enhancing ingredients — all of which are of the 100% all-natural variety as well as vegan-friendly — including apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, grape seed oil, and nursing shea butter. We happen to be particularly fond of the Chandler brand’s tobacco scent, those Wet Shaving Products also sell several other versions of its Hercules Hold formula in different fragrances.

The Best Pre-Shave Oils for Your Face

Interested in further upping your facial hair routine? Then be sure to explore our guide to the best pre-shave oils, for a look at some of the best options on the market.