The Moustache

[Biltmore Bob]

Moustache Wax

I go through fazes when it comes to facial hair. Sometimes I will sport a Goatee, sometimes a Pencil Thin Moustache. Sometimes a Handlebar Moustache. My facial hair grows rather quickly. I have been searching for a good moustache wax for several years. I've tried them all (I think). I have even made my own out of beeswax, petroleum jelly, and parafin wax. I have even tried experimenting with hair jells and sprays. I searched the web again about three month ago and found a site selling Brother's Love Moustache Wax. Man this stuff is good. It stiffens almost immedately and holds most of the day. I almost put out my wife's eye the other day. I know Michealson sports a 'stache, any others? What wax do You use?

 

[BellyTank]

I had the Salvador Dali style a while back but, as you say, certain styles can take an eye out. It's funny when you wake up and both sides are pointing in the same direction. Or one day you look in the window of a shop and see your reflection and think, man! who's that damn weirdo? Scary! I've toyed with the pencil moustache too but it takes a lot of extra, careful trimming for me because my facial hair has no gaps in it- just a solid wall of hair-
Also, due to my colouring and where I live, people take me for Middle Eastern with the pencil moustache- and I'm not, so I choose to not be guilty by associaton of facial hair...
Wax? I think it needs beeswax in it, as a natural product, for the heavy control factor that stiff facial hair needs.

Salam!

B
T

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Know what you mean concerning the pencil thin. One slip and you may as well start over. Now the handlebar is an altogether different story. If you let it grow for about three months you can make a mistake or two and not have to lose the whole thing. I wore mine western style for awhile, with alot of droop and just a twist at the ends. My stache is only about a month old as we speak. I have about an inch of end that will take a twist and the wax will hold. Yeah I look like a weirdo, but as my wife will say, "You're my weirdo."

 

[BellyTank]

It must suit you, OR, you just have a very kind Wife-
Compliments to you both!

B
T

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I'll post a pic when it comes in good. You're correct about my wife. But she'll let me know when she does not like a hat.

 

[Mycroft]

I had the Salvador Dali style a while back but, as you say, certain styles can take an eye out. It's funny when you wake up and both sides are pointing in the same direction. Or one day you look in the window of a shop and see your reflection and think, man! who's that damn weirdo? Scary! I've toyed with the pencil moustache too but it takes a lot of extra, careful trimming for me because my facial hair has no gaps in it- just a solid wall of hair-
Also, due to my colouring and where I live, people take me for Middle Eastern with the pencil moustache- and I'm not, so I choose to not be guilty by associaton of facial hair...
Wax? I think it needs beeswax in it, as a natural product, for the heavy control factor that stiff facial hair needs.

Salam!

B
T

I heard Dali's mustache could reach the top of his head a times. Oh, I think American Crew makes some Mustashe wax, that is pretty good, I hear.

 

[BellyTank]

Da-leee daaalings, Da-leee,
you're just not pronouncing it correctly...

Lucky he was a Surrealist then, with that moustache and head thing going on...
I heard his pocketwatch melted and had to use a crutch-

B
T

 

[Mycroft]

I know, I love Daleee, but I am spelling it the Spanish way.

 

[BellyTank]

Daleee/Dali

Pronunciation, not spelling-
it was a joke... for me at least... it still is now actually...
ho-ho-ho

Bilge Pump.

 

[Mycroft]

Pronunciation, not spelling-
it was a joke... for me at least... it still is now actually...
ho-ho-ho

Bilge Pump.

I know.

 

[zeus36]

For the wax, I used Col. Ichabod Conk's Mustache Wax back in the '90s during my Old West costume days. I liked the smell of the stuff... still have a jar of it.
I had a mustache like the one Kurt Russell sported in Tombstone.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I don't like Conk's, no holding power whatsoever. It's more like perfumed Vasoline. I have a couple jars of Conk's that I use to experiment with. I'll add melted beeswax, and adjust the consistency till I get a wax that is stiff. If you use to much beeswax though, the wax will not be pliable and will be flaky. I have heard of a wax named "Cowboy 'Stache Wax" that is suposed to be pretty good. I have only found one place online that sells it. Buckaroo Honda. I can get a pretty good Wyatt Earp, but it takes about a year of growth. My kids cry every time I shave off my moustache.

 

[zeus36]

My girlfriend at the time, clapped and gave me a huge kiss (several in fact) when I finally shaved my moustache off ! She said it had been like kissing an old man, although I was in my mid-thirtys then.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

My oldest was about 7 when I shaved my 'stache for the first time (she's 16 now). I had a Wyatt with a Col. Sanders flava sava (spit). She screamed and runnoft crying.

 

[zeus36]

Try this link for some waxes:


http://www.handlebarclub.org.uk/wax/morewax.htm

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Been there Zeus...

Thats where I read the reviews of Brother's Love. Actually ordered BL from a site called The Wisker Club. Thanks anyway.

 

[BellyTank]

Apothecary-

I used to work in a Herbal Apothecary in London, a real old world place, est. 1844. I sort of remember an old moustache wax recipe-
it used Carnauba wax, beeswax and a vegetable oil, can't remember which one but all the ingredients were animal (beeswax) or vegtable, no mineral oils/petrolium jelly.
Carnauba wax has been used over the centuries in many applications and it has a certain dry gloss to it- you probably associate it with auto wax/polish but it's still used in the food industry and furniture, wood polish, etc. It also has some fixative/preservative qualities too.
I think if you toyed with proportions of yellow Beeswax, Carnauba wax and a medium weight vegetable oil, like Sweet Almond, you could get a good, useable consistency, with a little shine- adding the oil to the melted waxes to reduce the cold (cooled) viscosity/consistency. Maybe include some emulsifying wax in place of white candle wax(parrafin). Emulsifying wax IS parrafin based but it's modified and comes in flake form- used in soap making and as a smooth thickener in cosmetics- 'emulsifying' because you can blend it with water based concoctions.
The addition of essential oils can improve the shelf life(natural oils will slowly oxidise but inclusion of waxes helps) and also your hair- Rosemary is good for hair and Benzoin resinoid(classed in with essential oils/extractions/concretes and balsams for the sake of finding a source)has further preservative qualities and has a smokey vanilla-ish scent. It's good for rounding-off an essential oil perfume blend- mixing the base and top fragrant notes. It would be nice to have an 'all natural' moustache wax.
Apart from Rosemary oil, Thyme, Lemon or Bergamot, Turkish Rose and Benzoin, in appropriate quantities can make a mild appealing smell. Pure, Essential oils will always give a more subtle scent than synthetic aroma/fragrance oils. Mixtures of 'flower' oils and 'herb' oils gives a balanced, less feminine blend.

I once made some boot polish with Beeswax, veg oil and pure Pharmacy grade Turpentine... it worked.

This is the place I used to work in London-
http://www.baldwins.co.uk/
...use the search function.
-they do a lot overseas mail order, so if you need to purchase from them, it's relatively economical but you should surely be able to source what you need locally-

B
T

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Wow!

Thanks BT. You, my good man, are a pletora of knowledge. Cheerio!

 

[BellyTank]

Thanks Mister.
More like a font- :kick:

B
T

 

[Michaelson]

This was posted at COW a month or so ago, and thought folks here would enjoy this site:

http://mustachesofthenineteenthcentury.blogspot.com/

The commentary amuses me, and while scrolling through the site, I catch myself twisting the handlbars on my own 'stache.lol

Anyway, not sure if this is the right place to post this, but a nice moustache would be considered an 'accouterment', kind of...sort of....[huh]

Regards! Michaelson