Grooming moustaches

SUPPOSEDLY dating back as far as the time when men lived in caves, keeping moustaches have never really fallen out of the men’s league of fashionable keeps. BBC puts it more aptly thus: “The moustache had become the symbol of the modern man.”

Makeover spoke with Blessing Akinyemi of New Man Barbing Salon, who shared tips on how to grow and maintain moustaches.

Growth

The first sign of a moustache sprout is that you experience some sort of itching. According to him, “Growing a moustache is not a given, even if such a person is very hairy. There are some people (especially between ages 20-25) who are quite hairy, but still spot no signs of moustache hairs, but it is certain that as time goes on, they will grow it. There are persons too, who are as young as 16 or 17, who already have full grown moustaches. It really depends on the person’s hair growth rate.”

He says there are many local ways people also encourage growth of a moustache. People sometimes use some kind of special creams, spirit or some go as far as using Indian hemp.

Maintenance

Contrary to some assumptions, moustache hairs also require some sort of grooming. Ask your barber for recommended shampoos. You also need an expert for proper shaving, if you’re just starting out and are yet to get the hang of it. There are different shapes of moustaches for different face shapes, and it may require more than a do-it-yourself grooming session to get the perfect moustache look. Always patronise experts.

Can everyone grow moustaches?

Interestingly, Akinyemi says there are people, who cannot grow moustache hairs, however hard they wish to, or whatever products they use. He cites the example of a 37-year-old friend, who hasn’t grown a moustache, stating that “there is the likelihood that he may not actually grow one. And for those who don’t have between ages 17 to 35, there is the probability that they would not be able to grow. There are no hard-and-fast rules though.”