Does Trimming Your Mustache Make It Grow Faster?

ByW. Anthony Updated on

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, the growth rate of human hair is 6 inches per year or half an inch per month. This rate is not determined by how often you trim your mustache.

Things like your age, hair type, genetic factors, and other health factors determine the rate at which your mustache grows.

Another commonly held belief is that trimming a mustache accelerates growth, and the question is, is this true? Does trimming your mustache make it grow faster?

Read on to learn why people believe trimming your mustache makes it grow faster and the real factors behind mustache growth.

Does Trimming Make Your Mustache Grow Faster?

No, It’s a long-held myth with no scientific backing.

Trimming mustache comes with many benefits, which are essential for proper mustcahe growth. It helps to get rid of damaged hair, make it look thicker and healthier. 

Trimming helps to get rid of swollen ends and split ends which make the hair look weak. After trimming, tangles and knots are removed, making it easier to style the mustache.

However, that doesn’t mean that trimming makes the mustache grow faster. It’s a myth with no scientific backing.

So why do many believe that? It’s the benefits derived from trimming that makes many think mustache trimming accelerates growth.

Hair Growth Cycle

Hair Growth Cycle
source

All human hair, mustache included, undergoes three growth phases from the time it begins to grow from the follicle to the time it’s shed out.

While the hair growth cycle is not fundamentally a stage of beard growth, it’s essential to a mustache’s growth process.

These include:

1. Anagen Phase

In this first phase of hair growth, the cells that produce hair, found in the hair follicles’ roots, divide rapidly, causing hair growth of half an inch or more each month. It’s why this stage is referred to as the growing stage.

This phase typically lasts two to seven years (for mustaches) depending on factors such as age, genes, and health.

2. Catagen Phase

This is the second phase of hair growth and the shortest, lasting only two to three weeks.

During this phase, the blood supply to the hair ceases altogether, and the hair stops growing. In addition, hair strands attach to the skin after separating from the hair follicles.

The catagen phase represents the “transitional” part of the hair growth cycle, during which the hair is no longer in the active stage. This hair is known as cub hair.

3. Telogen Phase

During this third and final stage, the cub hair waiting to be replaced by new hair is pushed out of the follicle by new hair, eventually falling off as you wash or comb your hair. This phase lasts about three months.

As shedding occurs, the hair strands, which had been cut off from the follicle during the catagen phase, return to the anagen phase, and the beard growth starts over.

The growth cycle happens at different times for each hair. About 80% to 90% of hair is usually in the anagen phase. And because hair is a dead cell, you can never notice any of the three stages taking place.

What Determines Mustache Growth?

Mustache growth highly depends on genes and hormones. That’s why some men’s beard start to grow early in life while others never seem to grow beards at all.

For example, if your father and grandfather are long-bearded, you’re likely to have a thick mustache. However, your mother’s genes from your grandfather will also contribute to the amount of facial hair you will have.

Additionally, the hormone testosterone is responsible for hair growth in the body. Men with a high testosterone level are likely to have more facial hair than people with lower levels.

Tips For Encouraging Mustache Growth

Grooming Mustache to Grow

While the leading causes for mustache growth may be out of your control, there are a few things you can do to encourage faster growth:

  • Try out beard oils. These oils hydrate the beard and skin underneath.
  • Leave your mustache alone to grow. Avoid interrupting the growth process by shaping it out too early. There’ll be lots of time for that later.
  • Comb your mustache towards where you’d like it to grow.
  • Testosterone levels improve with regular physical exercise, a healthy lifestyle, vitamin D, and clinical testosterone boosters.
  • Washing and moisturizing your mustache can help to improve its appearance and get rid of dead cells.
  • Sleeping well, avoiding stress, and using biotin (vitamin B7) can also improve the growth of the mustache.
  • Drinking plenty of water helps distribute nutrients to the beard follicles, which can help them grow faster.

Now you have the answer to the age-old debate on whether trimming accelerates growth. While trimming a mustache doesn’t make it grow faster, it does help to keep it clean and uniform and get rid of dead hair and split ends, creating more room for healthy growth.

Whether you prefer a long mustache or a short one, occasional trimming does more good than harm.

Similar Posts