How to Shave a Mustache with a Straight Razor

Photo by Alexander Zvir on Pexels

By definition, a mustache differs from a beard in that it refers to the facial hair growing between your nose and lips. Because it’s such a small patch of whiskers, it often looks middling compared to beard styles.

Symbolically though, nothing beats the mustache in terms of its masculinity. A beard may signal to females that the owner is a suitable mate, but a mustache will signal that it is the most ideal of all the suitable mates. It’s a statement of masculinity, or as researchers would term it, a symbol for performative masculinity¹.

And research proves it.

A survey² of 6,000 American men revealed that men with mustaches make on average 8.2 percent more money than men with beards, and 4.3 percent more than clean-shaven men. So that means, if you want to establish yourself as an alpha male, there’s no better way to do it than getting a mustache.

Here's what we'll uncover in this article:

• History of the Mustache
• How to Shape a Basic Mustache
• How to Shave a Mustache with a Straight Razor
• Get a Naked Armor Blade

History of the Mustache

Even in previous centuries, the mustache has always distinguished itself from more ordinary beard styles. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth¹, mustaches represented the pinnacle of male fashion within royal circles. Unlike beards, which experienced periods of rising and falling popularity, mustaches have never truly faced a decline in favor over the years.

Even when the world wars came about and beards were forbidden because they interfered with the gas masks, mustaches were permitted among certain elite ranks in the military. This continued, post-war, when culturally important personalities embraced the mustache as a defining aspect of their personal brands. The artist Dali wore a mustache, paving the way for celebrities to join the mustache wagon.

Today, the mustache continues to be a widely accepted and complimented form of grooming among fashionable metrosexuals. It has several variations³, including those preferred by Hollywood celebrities. It’s not uncommon for young men to adopt a mustache style these days.

Most get it from their friendly neighborhood master barber. However, if you don’t have the time or the resources to make daily appointments, (because, yes, maintaining a mustache can become a daily routine), you can always do it yourself with a straight razor.

How to Shape a Basic Mustache

A great mustache isn’t just grown—it’s carefully crafted.
Photo by casarda on Depositphotos

When shaping your mustache, it’s best to use a sharp and clean straight razor because of its single blade and narrow profile. In this case, a 5/8 straight razor will work best for clean-ups because it’s smaller and you can handle it easily while shaving the small area where the mustache will be formed.

There are two elements to consider here: how wide you want your mustache to be and how neat you want it to be.

The best guide to ensuring that your mustache is not too wide is to not go beyond your pupil line. However you want your mustache to be, only shave within this area.

If you want to maintain a thick mustache, shave with the grain, but if you want to lessen the bulk, go against the grain.

Now, in terms of maintaining your lip line so the mustache looks neat, the smile technique is the best option. Just smile in front of the mirror and slowly shave along the lip line so the mustache’s edges are trimmed straight.

Sometimes though, one needs to shave off the mustache for whatever reason. If you don’t have the time to go to a master barber, here’s how to do it yourself.

How to Shave a Mustache with a Straight Razor

1. Trim your mustache before shaving
   
   Depending on how thick it is, you must trim it before shaving it off. You can use a straight razor to lessen the facial hair, but if that’s a bit difficult for you, the easiest way would be to get a small pair of scissors to snip the hair carefully. Or if you’ve got a trimmer at hand, that will be much easier if you do this on the go or while traveling.
   
   
2. Prepare your skin for shaving
   
   You can wash your face in warm water and clean your facial hair. Alternately, you can wring out a towel after running warm water on it and place it over your mustache for a minute.
   
   
3. Put on some pre-shave oil
   
   A pre-shave oil helps the blade glide. It also contains natural essential oils, which provide the skin with an extra layer of lubrication to protect against cuts and irritation.
   
   
4. Apply shaving lather from a shave soap
   
   Use a synthetic brush to create a rich lather over your mustache. The brush action also makes your whiskers stand up so it’s easy to shave them off with a straight razor. It’ll also exfoliate your skin.
   
   
5. Strop your straight razor
   
   Use a straight razor that’s freshly stropped. This means stropping it before using it. A freshly stropped razor blade makes for easy shaving because it’s sharp.
   
   
6. Shave in slow, small strokes along the grain
   
   You want to hold the straight razor at a 30-degree angle with your little finger on the tang—the little curved bit—and your other three fingers on the back of the shank with your thumb on the front beneath the blade. This will give you the most control and precision with the straight razor. However, you can adjust this slightly to follow the contours of your face.
   
   Do not apply pressure. Instead, rely on the weight of the razor blade and guide it with your hand.
   
   To form a taut surface, flatten your lip downward. You can also use your free hand to tilt your nose up slightly, which will additionally tighten the skin on your upper lip.
   
   Never under any circumstances use the blade in a sawing motion, or else you’ll have another lip on top of your actual lip.
   
   
7. Rinse with cold water to close the pores
   
   After shaving, rinse with cold water to close the pores. Splash some aftershave to disinfect the area and finish with a dab of moisturizer to protect the newly bare skin.

Get a Naked Armor Blade

The Naked Armor Meliant Straight Razor offers the precision and control needed for a clean, effortless mustache shave.

Here at Naked Armor, our straight razor blades are made from world-class Japanese stainless steel. This gives it a sharp and hard edge. Overall, this makes your shaving experience more manageable, comfortable, and luxurious.

Our blades are also designed to be versatile and easy to use. Whether you’re trimming a mustache or shaving off a full beard, a Naked Armor straight razor will give you an excellent result. Check out our stuff now.

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References

1. Hawksley, L. (2014, October 21). The moustache: A hairy history. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20140703-the-moustache-a-hairy-history
2. Want to earn more money? Try growing a mustache. (2009, October 9). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/want-to-earn-more-money-try-growing-a-mustache-idUSTRE5980IP/
3. Quirk, J. (2024, December 4). 10 Best Mustache Styles Ranked In 2025. FashionBeans. https://www.fashionbeans.com/article/moustache-styles-ranked/