If you’ve ever looked at the finalists of The World Beard and Moustache Championships with envy, you’re not alone. Growing a mustache is an art that takes skill and patience. Unfortunately, most guys have neither but it doesn’t have to be this way. Growing a championship-worthy mustache means you need to train your mustache. Like a well-behaved pet, it’s time to comb and moisturize your mustache into submission. You probably have no idea where to start, so here’s a few tips.

Grow Your Mustache

When you grow a beard, the best way to see results is just let it grow. While it’s growing, there are various brushing and moisturizing techniques to help you achieve the best results possible. The same goes for your mustache. For at least six weeks, you need to grow your mustache. Within that time period, you’ll enact some strategies that will help you generate the mustache you’ve always dreamed of.

Combing Is The Key To Train Your Mustache

Once you notice your mustache hair is long enough to be styled, use a mustache comb at least once a day. If you’re interested in growing a handlebar mustache specifically, be sure to comb your mustache to the left and right of your nose to create a part. Even if a handlebar isn’t in your sights, you’ll still want to comb your ‘stache. This is how you begin to train your mustache. The way you comb it will determine how it grows.

Mustache Wax Is Your Best Friend

Mustache wax is necessary to achieve the kind of growth you have in mind. Post-shower, keep your mustache a little damp. Apply a tiny dab of wax using the edge of your fingertips. Use your mustache comb to spread it evenly through your hair. Make sure you work the wax to the edge of your hair in each direction. Feel free to apply more wax as needed. This helps with moisture, styling and overall mustache health.

Start Styling

Closer to the six-week finish line, you’ll see significant growth. At that point, it’s important to decide on styling. For all the handlebar guys, this is the stage in which you’ll start waxing the ends of your mustache and twisting them together to get that distinctive shape. If you’re less interested in a standout design, you might decide to leave it in its natural state. There are dozens of mustache options from the chevron to the Fu Manchu. Whichever one you choose, the six-week mark is when you’ll start shaping it in your preferred style.

Maintenance

So, you’ve got a handlebar mustache that’s the envy of the guys at your local barber shop, and that’s it, right? Not so fast. Like your beard, a great mustache requires consistent maintenance. It needs to be shampooed, combed and moisturized often. Just because it’s smaller than your beard doesn’t mean it needs less attention. Using beard oil on your mustache is a great way to stave off irritation and dryness. Once you start contorting your mustache hair into wild, new shapes, it becomes harder for your face’s natural oil to reach every hair. It’s your responsibility to put it there. Plus, problems like beard dandruff and itchiness aren’t exclusive to your chin. They can affect your mustache too.

To train your mustache, you must be consistent. A great beard requires TLC on a daily basis. Your mustache is no different. Whether you want to wear it natural or shape it into bicycle handlebars, it needs moisture, combing, waxing and styling. Those guys you envy at the Championships? They spend a great deal of time not only styling but caring for their ‘staches. If you want to join the big leagues (or just have a nice one sitting under your nose), start taking steps to train your mustache now.