How to grow a thicker mustache—fast, safe, and naturally.

Whether you’re rocking classic handlebars, a walrus, or a Tom Selleck-inspired Magnum, your ‘stache defines your look. And the last thing you or Tom Selleck wants is for that look to be dry and wispy.

While facial hair fullness varies for many reasons, learning how to grow a thicker mustache can help you achieve the complete coverage you crave. So, put the razor back on the rack. It’s time to learn why mustache thickness varies, habits to support hair growth, and how to harvest a fuller flock on your upper lip.

Why mustache thickness varies.

Mustache thickness can vary from pencil-thin to big and bushy based on a variety of factors:

• Genetics – Studies into facial hair development found genetics to be the primary factor in men’s ability to grow fuzz. Despite the importance of genetics, you can still fill out your stache even without a family history of full facial hair. 

• Grooming – Trimming your ends too often, or other habits like waxing, can cause your mustache to appear thinner and patchier, as you’ll have less (and shorter) hair overall. 

• Hydration – Dehydration can cause hair to dry out and shed, leaving your stache scraggly and sparse.

• Growth cycles – There are four phases of hair growth: anagen, catagen, telogen, and exogen. Hair only grows during the anagen phase, after which it stops expanding, regresses, and, eventually, falls off. Where your hairs are in this cycle helps determine their thickness and appearance.

What makes mustaches look thin or patchy.

If your mustache grows in patches or feels thin overall, it may be due to dry or brittle hairs breaking off and falling away. These loose strands disrupt your stache’s continuity, leaving it spotty and incomplete.

Over-grooming is another way to thin out your stache. Trimming too early leaves your stache short and thin, potentially revealing gaps where hair doesn't grow. On the other hand, under-grooming can lead to patchiness. Greasy, dirty stache hair is more prone to drying out and falling off over time than clean, kempt strands.

Your physical health also plays a role. As noted, hydration is essential to growing strong, resilient hair that holds up on your upper lip. Similarly, proper circulation and consistent blood flow are factors in stimulating hair growth.

Despite these potential obstacles to a magnificent mustache, the right habits and grooming techniques can help yours grow fuller and thicker.

How to grow a thicker mustache, step-by-step.

Wondering how to get a thicker mustache?

• Step 1: Start by skipping trimming and shaving for three to four weeks. This gives your hair time to come in fully and provides an idea of your full growth potential.

• Step 2: While your hair is growing in, hydrate it with daily applications of beard oil. Spread a couple of drops into your stache and, if you have a beard, through the rest of your facial hair and onto the skin underneath.  

• Step 3: Make brushing another component of your daily stache care routine. Gently brush the strands downward to promote directional growth using a fine-tooth or stache-specific comb. When your hair is full and fluffy, lock it in place with a little beard balm to help emphasize its body and thickness.

Alongside beard balm fluffing, several other grooming techniques can create the appearance of a fuller, thicker stache.

Grooming tricks that make mustaches look thicker.

Part of learning how to grow a thicker mustache is just knowing how to make your mustache look thicker:

• Trim the top, not the bulk – Your stache’s body makes it look more complete, but the wispy whiskers at the end aren’t essential for a full, thick look.

• Train it to curl inward – By brushing your stache down, you train the hairs to curl inward, which makes it look fuller and more uniform than when they poof out in various directions.

• Use balm to fill sparse areas – Work nearby hairs over patchy spots and use beard balm to lock them into place, effectively covering gaps to produce a more complete look.

But it’s not just how you groom that decides your stache’s thickness. It’s also how you live.

Lifestyle habits that support thickness.

To promote healthy hair growth, supplement regular grooming with:

• A protein-rich diet – Hair shafts are made of keratin, a kind of protein found in everything from eggs to chickpeas to salmon. Eating a protein-rich diet supports keratin intake and, in turn, healthy hair growth.

• Proper hydration and sleep – At this point, you know that hydration is key to growing strong hair, as dehydrated strands can dry out, wither, and fall off. So make sure you’re drinking enough water. Melatonin, the hormone we release when we sleep, is also essential to stimulating hair growth, making proper ZZZs crucial for a thicker stache.

• Circulation-boosting practices – Brushing your stache daily stimulates circulation to your upper lip, helping spur hair growth in the area.

Another lifestyle tip: Don’t limit yourself to cheap, untrustworthy men’s care products that can dry out and damage your hair. Trust MANSCAPED® for all your razors, oils, balms, and more.

Grow thick, full, and confident with MANSCAPED®.

Now you know how to grow a thicker mustache, but do you know where to get the right supplies to support healthy hair growth?

MANSCAPED® offers high-quality mustache and beard products for all hair and skin types. Alongside beard oil and beard balm to hydrate and shape your stache, pick up The Beard Hedger. It provides a precision shave so you can trim your whiskers without losing body or thickness.

Grow thicker, grow fuller, grow stronger; grow your stache with MANSCAPED®.

Sources: 

National Library of Medicine. Genomic analysis of male puberty timing highlights shared genetic basis with hair colour and lifespan. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7093467/. 

National Library of Medicine. Status of research on the development and regeneration of hair follicles. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10750333/. 

National Library of Medicine. Integrative and Mechanistic Approach to the Hair Growth Cycle and Hair Loss. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9917549/. 

National Library of Medicine. “Let Food be Thy Medicine”: Value of Nutritional Treatment for Hair Loss. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8647708/. 

National Library of Medicine. Melatonin promotes hair regeneration by modulating the Wnt/β‐catenin signalling pathway. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11503254/.