The mistakes men make when growing a moustache (and how to avoid them)

The recent Golden Globes gathered together the great, good and achingly glamorous of Hollywood for the first big film and TV awards ceremony of the new year. Host Nikki Glaser – an American stand-up famous for her comedy “roasts” – delivered a whip-smart opening monologue skewering A-list celebrities, the film industry and, as with all truly great stand-ups, herself. But there is one moment in particular that has gone especially viral.

Zeroing in on Timothée Chalamet, the 29-year-old actor nominated for his title role in the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, she clocks him in his subtly sparkling Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford suit, slim silk scarf draped nonchalantly across his neck and an artsy moustache and goatee above his razor-sharp jawline. “Can I just say, you have the most gorgeous eyelashes… on your upper lip.” Chalamet’s reedy, thin moustache has garnered attention of late way more than his fashion; and it’s a trend that’s sprouting amongst the facially follically challenged men of Gen Z.

Recently we’ve seen “it” boys like Paul Mescal, Jacob Elordi and Harry Styles all bringing this nose-skimming accessory back to the red carpet. Much like Chalamet, their moustache du jour is somewhat sleazy, nonchalant and not quite reaching the full potential of 70s icons like Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds.

It’s a trend that Jase Alridge – lead barber at cool, east London men’s hair salon Well Groomed, and himself the sporter of a rugged moustache, stubble and mullet combination – has noticed being adopted by men coming to him for trims. He says that, recently, the number of moustaches he’s being asked to style at his salon has “increased massively”.

“For guys, there’s definitely a move towards the shaggier, softer hairstyles of the Seventies and Eighties right now, and that often includes a moustache too,” Aldridge says. “A lot of this seems to be inspired by vintage sports stars of that era – in fact, I see a lot of runners in particular adopting moustaches right now.”

As opposed to the harder, sharper cuts of the Thirties and Forties that were de rigeur when the twiddly, handlebar moustache had its moment during the #menswear blogging boom of the early 2010s, the current trend is more relaxed, more nonchalant, less styled – and that makes it all the more easy to try out.

Over Christmas, the usually be-stubbled Radio One DJ Greg James charted his progress cultivating his moustache – inspired, incidentally, by Timothée Chalamet. Sadly, after trying mascara to bulk it out, he shaved the “little guy” off after three weeks of growth. However, for anyone looking to give the ‘tache trend’ a try, it should be noted that this is a rookie mistake many men fall into.

“At three weeks, your moustache will be at a very awkward length that you can’t really do much with,” says Refat Meshed, a stylist and supervisor at historic barber Geo F Trumper. “Generally, a man needs to wait at least five weeks until it’s thick enough to do anything with.”

And Meshad should know. Not only did Trumper historically keep our last moustachioed monarch, King George V’s, facial hair in tip-top condition (he had one of their barbers visit him regularly at Buckingham Palace), but during his career Meshad himself has trimmed the whiskers of Queen Elizabeth II’s guards and Prince Michael of Kent. Today, Trumper offers a specific moutache trim, curl and wax service for a very reasonable £15 at both of their Mayfair outposts – available whatever your relationship to the royal household.

As a brand with such history, do they have any tips for this new wave of men favouring a more relaxed moustache – and mere mortals like us, of course – could learn from their more formally hirsute forebears when it comes to cultivation and upkeep?

“Sometimes it’s best to grow a full beard first, then work backwards, shaving the beard away in stages until you are left with the moustache alone” says Meshad. “That way the change in your face is not so aggressive and you have a chance to get used to how it looks in stages.”

The good thing is that once you’ve grown it out, explains Meshad, it’s incredibly easy to maintain at home. “For shaving, you just have to trim down to the side at the corners of your mouth and along your upper lip with scissors. Maybe a touch of our moustache wax to keep the hairs under control.” It’s a fine line between easy does it and sleazy does it, so grow with care.