So, you’ve spent a few weeks growing a killer mustache. You’ve been able to shape it to your liking and it really helps fill out the rest of your face. It sounds like a dream come true! Only, there’s a problem.
It hurts like crazy. Mustaches aren’t supposed to hurt, right? So what gives?
There are many reasons why your mustache might hurt. Often, the hairs of your mustache are pulled partway out of the dermal layer, but not entirely. This causes irritation and pain. Being pulled too strongly when being shaped, a build up of oils, hot water treatments, poor moisturization, and seasonal dryness are a few such reasons for mustache pain.
To find out how proper mustache care can tackle and eliminate all of these problems, then stick around. If you have a sore mustache, one of the pieces of advice in this article will be the solution
Mustache Pains, Go Away!
The hairs of your mustache are among the most sensitive hairs on your body, not counting for the hairs inside of the body or our eyelashes. They are in a position where they offer protection to those that wear them. They help to keep unwanted substances and liquids out of the mouth, similarly to how eyebrows keep water out of the eye.
But being that close to the mouth puts them in a place where they are often accidentally chewed on, pulled at, or excessively touched. The area around the lips also often suffers from seasonal issues that can leave the skin dry and sore. None of this is particularly harmful, so you don’t need to worry about your health or anything, but it sure is uncomfortable.
Mustache hairs are positioned in kind of a weird place. If you feel your upper lip and mustache, you’ll notice how the middle creates a plateau and then the sides slope downwards. Our mustache grows along the shape of our lips to offer them protection but, rather than a flat surface, they are mostly growing on angled flesh.
This means that the dermal layer that the hair pokes out through isn’t a flat plane. The downward slant actually makes the dermal layer that the beard hair has to push through to grow a bit thicker. As a result, there is more skin between the root of the hair and the hair you see on your lip.
A lot of irritation is caused due to too much friction. Being rubbed and pulled at. Sometimes it can be because you’re styling your mustache with some wax and we’re pulling at it, but oftentimes it is simply that you do it without realizing. This friction pulls the hair out; and when hair is pulled out rather than cut, it means that a whole new piece of hair has to form and grow in your skin before it pokes out of your face.
What often happens is that this friction pulls out a hair by the root, but it isn’t enough to pull the hair entirely out of the dermal layer. A dead hair gets trapped in the pore and the new hair begins to have issues growing out, which causes your mustache to hurt.
Another common reason is simply bad moisturizing. The skin under your mustache needs to be cared for. This can be solved by simply using some beard oil.
Beard oil should be combined with a decent comb. Proper grooming will help pull out dead hairs and the oil will soften the hair and moisturize the skin. If the skin was dry and causing the problems, then this will take care of it.
A side effect of using a softening oil, however, is that whole softening thing. Beard and mustache hairs are much more coarse and rough compared to the hairs on your head. Sometimes, they can be scratchy and coarse that they themselves are the problem the whole time.
A healthy and maintained mustache doesn’t hurt. It’s soft, free of dead hairs, and the skin underneath it is healthy and feeling great. So if your mustache hurts, try these tricks.
My Mustache Starts to Hurt When the Seasons Change?
When the seasons start to go from warm to cold, you might notice that your mustache begins to hurt. It doesn’t hurt the rest of the time, so what gives?
This is a result of seasonal dryness. As the days start to get colder, the air gets harsher and there’s less moisture to be had. Some people’s skin reacts poorly to this change and starts to get really flaky and dry.
During these periods, you need to moisturize even more than usual. While you might get away with one or two applications of moisturizer in a given period of time, you’ll find you need three or four during seasonal changes. But as the colder weather starts to stabilize, your skin should calm down and you can reduce how much moisturizer you are using.
Can Beard Oil Help to Reduce Mustache Irritation, too?
Not only can it help with irritation, but that’s exactly what it is used for. Despite being called beard oil, it is meant for all of the hair on your face. Mustache wax is different from beard wax, but mustache oil is just beard oil under a different name.
Since the mustache hairs are the same as your beard hairs on a cellular level, the oil will work the same. So beard oil that softens and moisturizes should reduce this irritation. If it doesn’t, try using a beard butter. It’ll be very soft and it’s packed full of ingredients that will help soothe your mustache.
Men Touch Their Mustaches, on Average, Almost 800 Times a Day. Could This Be Why Yours Hurts?
Yup. Mustaches are fun to play with. Beards, too. I often find myself stroking mine while I’m thinking, just absentmindedly playing with it while I think over a problem. You know, like, “Hmm, how can I write this next line?”
But while this is fun, it also causes a lot of friction. Since your mustache hairs can easily be pulled part way out of the dermal layer, you can see where this is going. Each time you play with your mustache, you are risking making it sore.
Try to be more gentle with your mustache and don’t pull on it too hard. If you can, try to touch it less often. Together with proper moisturizing and care, this can greatly help to reduce pain and make the experience of having a mustache much more enjoyable for you.
Can You Recommend Some Products to Help?
If you’re having trouble with your mustache, then there are two things you want to invest in: a good mustache comb and some softening oil that will moisturize the skin under the hair at the same time.
For oil, there are tons of great products available, and one of the most highly-rated is the Mountaineer. This oil is fantastic because it specifically sets out to reduce itching and flaking, both of which can cause pain, while also moisturizing and softening your mustache and beard.
A good mustache comb is important to pull those semi-loose hairs out. Grooming with a comb might just solve your pain without any other products. There are tons of styles of combs you can go with. A simple, cheap but highly-rated comb from Giorgio won’t hurt the pocketbook, but it will definitely improve your beard game.
Conclusion
You came here because your mustache hurts, and that always sucks. I wish it was simple to tell you what the issue is, but these babies like to hurt for a whole whack of reasons. So, while I can’t tell you why yours hurts, I can give you a few possible solutions.
The truth of the matter is that the particular reason why. If your mustache hurts, you aren’t taking care of it properly. Make sure you shampoo and condition your facial hair regularly. Apply beard oil to soften the hairs and soothe the skin, and use a comb to free dead hairs.
A mustache that is properly maintained is a mustache free from pain. Take a look at your current maintenance routine and see where it needs to be improved. There is no reason why you should stand for a sore mustache when the solution is within arm’s reach.
Rather than give up your glorious lip warmer, treat it properly and it’ll be there to keep you warm when you need it most.