If you want to look cool like Ron Swanson, then you need a walrus mustache.
A walrus stache is a unique look that not a lot of people can pull off and can be a make-or-break your look.
But, if you do things right and by the book, you can end up with a stellar walrus mustache.
In order to help you achieve the style, you’ve been dreaming of for so long we created a fantastic how-to guide in creating the best walrus mustache for you.
All you have to do is read and follow the instructions.
You will also be able to view some popular types of walrus mustaches, see the positive and the negative sides of the style, as well as find some good practices to groom and maintain it.
Table Of Contents
What Is a Walrus Mustache
Plainly speaking, a walrus mustache is like having a beard on your upper lip. In this style, you let your mustache grow so long that it covers the entire upper lip. In most cases, it reaches the base of the beard as well, which resembles the muzzle of a walrus, hence the name. If you are thinking of growing yourself one of these bad boys, then this article is for you as it tackles the most important things that you need to learn about this style of facial hair.
A true walrus mustache will be exuberantly bushy, will grow down over the top lip and cover-up at least part of the mouth, though the most epic walruses will curtain over the mouth completely.
On the sides, the walrus will run down at least past the bottom lip and can go most the way down to the chin. It doesn’t require any fancy styling per se.
No curving the ends or anything like that. It’s just a simple, bushy, rugged mustache.
The walrus should not be confused with the chevron mustache style (think Tom Selleck), which is tamer.
It’s well-trimmed and groomed to never pass the upper lip and the sides never go below the upper lip either.
Nor should the walrus be confused with the handlebar mustache, the ends of which curl back up towards the cheeks.
As you can probably already tell from the above, if you sport a walrus mustache, you’re typical “a man’s man,” and there will be a number of assumptions made about your personality:
- You’re a bit on the rugged side
- You like to keep things simple and to the point
- You may be a bit rough around the edges, but you’re not a mean guy
- You don’t take people’s crap
10 Most Popular Types of Walrus Mustaches
If you truly want to sport a Walrus mustache, then the following types or variations of it are among your options.
The John Lennon
This is the style that John Lennon had when the Beatles recorded and released their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club. It just your basic brushed down mustache that curls down from half an inch to an inch below the upper lip line.
The John Lennon With a Beard
If you couple the John Lennon mustache with a full beard, it will look sophisticated and rugged at the same time. It is, therefore, the best style for you if you are aiming for a more sophisticated yet rugged look. It is the look John Lennon had during the White album era.
The Droop
This style is the walrus mustache that Sam Elliott made famous. It is the mustache that will most likely come to mind when you think of an old, wizened cowboy. To achieve this look, you have to make your mustache grow as long, wide, and thick as you can. Your mustache will naturally droop down. If you want the same mustache as Sam Elliott, do not trim the sides and allow them to grow as long as possible, too.
The Walrus With a Twist
It is the same style of mustache that Jayme Hyneman sports. This style is a regular walrus mustache that is just long enough to cover the lip line, but the edges are left to grow longer and allowed to twist inside. It is sort of like a reverse handlebar.
Long Walrus With a Beard
This is a walrus mustache that is allowed to grow to at least two inches then paired with a full beard of roughly the same length, but contoured to give it a sophisticated look. The beard is grown until it joins the ends of the mustache.
Walrus Mustache With a Walrus Beard
If you want to sport this style, then take note that the trick is to just let your mustache and beard grow as normal. However, trim the beard if it grows longer than the mustache. Also, you need to train the mustache and beard to grow downward in the same direction. The end result should look like half of your face is covered with hair. Your mouth should not be visible at all.
Walrus With a Short Beard
This beard style is roughly just an overgrown goatee. Just let your mustache and beard grow, but shave off the sideburns and retain the goatee shape.
Walrus With a Thick Stubble
Just as the name suggests, this style is just a regular John Lennon mustache, but you just trim the beard to around a quarter of an inch long using clippers.
Indie Walrus With a Full Beard
The indie walrus is a regular walrus mustache, but with the ends growing much longer than the rest, often extending up to two inches below the lower lip. You can see full beard growth, but the length is just as long as the top of the walrus mustache. The ends of the mustache should still be noticeably longer than the rest.
The Pointy Walrus
This style is more or less like an indie walrus mustache, but the ends are styled using a styling gel or a stiff pomade. The mustache should be left to grow to at least five inches to get this look just right.
Famous Walrus Mustaches
To help get a better image in your head, there are plenty of famous walrus mustaches to view and imitate.
Here are just a few:
- Teddy Roosevelt
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Sam Elliott
- Nick Offerman
- Yosemite Sam
A very popular style for men of all sorts, though especially for the very learned and very powerful men, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this style has not quite regained popularity since its heyday.
It saw a brief resurgence in the 60s amongst the hippie movement, and since then, it seems to have become a never popular but ever-present mustache of choice for some men.
Benefits of Growing One
Photo from: Walrus Mustache | Photo Courtesy of Facial Hair Wiki
Several benefits come with having a walrus mustache. If you are still on the fence about committing yourself to grow a walrus mustache, then the following might convince you to just go for it:
Serves as Your Own Identity Piece
Do you struggle with standing out from the crowd? You will no longer have that problem when you have a walrus mustache. Having this style of facial hair will definitely make it easier for other people to recognize you.
Eye-Catching
A well-groomed walrus mustache commands a certain kind of respect. When you see someone sporting this style of facial hair, you just know that he is a serious gentleman that demands a certain kind of respect. It is eye-catching, which makes one wearing this style appealing to both sexes.
You’ll Be in Good Company
There are quite a lot of distinguished gentlemen who proudly rocked their walrus mustaches, like Teddy Roosevelt, who arguably is the manliest of all the US presidents, and Friedrich Nietzche, whose mustache definitely helped win philosophical debates.
You can also find a lot of famous TV and movie personalities who rock this style. Among them are Gordon from Sesame Street, Jayme Hyneman from Mythbusters, Tom Selleck, Burt Reynolds, and Sam Elliott. With that, you are sure that you will not feel left out when you wear this style.
Short History
Apparently, the ancient Celts and Gauls were able to grow walrus mustaches without any problems because the ability to do so were in their genes. In addition, growing a mustache and a full beard allowed the men to keep relatively warm in the cold climate of their homelands.
In the modern era, the walrus mustache style enjoyed quite an immense following in men during the latter part of the 19th century. Back in those days, the walrus mustache was popular among politicians, scientists, philosophers, and generally many intellectuals. They liked the rugged look that this style of facial hair brought to the table.
The walrus mustache gained a bit of a resurgence during the 1960s and 1970s when the likes of the Beatles, Frank Zappa, and other artists and musicians who were a part of the counter-culture revolution started sporting them.
These days, only a few sport the walrus mustache, or any kind of mustache in general, as many seem to prefer the low-maintenance requirements of just being clean-shaven. However, this does work to your advantage because it will make you quite distinct. For some people, this style makes them look quite distinguished as well.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Very easy to grow. You just let your mustache grow as long as you can. You are not even allowed to trim until the mustache is the length that you like.
- Looks distinguished. The walrus mustache is the choice of intellectuals during the beginning of the 20th century because it looks dignified yet rugged. It is a real manly mustache.
- Keeps your lips nice and warm. If you live somewhere where the temperature often goes well beyond zero, having a thick mustache will help keep your face warm.
- You will have something to twiddle with when thinking. Probably the best use of a walrus mustache is you can stroke it while you are thinking of a solution to a, particularly hard problem.
Cons
- Takes a long time to grow. Depending on the rate of growth of your facial hair, it can take up to five months or longer before you can get a good walrus mustache going.
- Eating and drinking will be a bit messy. Since your mustache will cover most, if not all, of your mouth, food and drinks will constantly find their way into your facial hair. It is the reason why you need to keep a napkin or handkerchief handy.
How to Grow It
As mentioned before, the walrus mustache is fairly simple, and as long as you know how to trim a mustache, you should have no problem.
Hopefully, by this point in your game, you should know how to use beard and mustache scissors.
Step 1 – Allow your mustache to grow
Resist the urge to trim it until it has reached the length you desire.
Step 2 – Use quality beard oil and balm
While the mustache is in the process of growing, use a good quality beard oil or balm to prevent your whiskers from getting dry and itchy. Also, make it a point to comb the hairs downward to train the hairs and prevent them from flying away
Step 3 – Trim it
Only think of trimming the mustache once it has fully covered your upper lip. You just need to use a mustache comb to comb it daily as much as you can to train the hairs to go downward and not curl up.
In general, there is nothing fancy that you need to do to grow yourself a distinguished walrus mustache. You just let your facial hair run its course and use a comb on it every once in a while.
How to Trim and Style a Walrus Mustache
Although you can just let your walrus mustache grow as is, as in completely covering your mouth, there might be some occasions when you would want the whiskers out of the way. Here is how you can achieve a cleaner look.
Step 1 – Use a good quality mustache and beard wax
This means that you do not have to worry as you do not really need to trim your mustache after all the effort of letting it grow. You just need to use some mustache wax and beard wax and work them into the mustache.
Step 2 – Comb and shape
Comb the mustache down and into the shape that you want.
Step 3 – Keep the edges away from your upper lip
Push the edges up a bit to create a flare and keep the hair from your upper lip. It will complete the style.
How to Maintain a Walrus Mustache
Step 1 – Use a specialized shampoo
Use a good quality mustache/beard shampoo to keep the hairs soft and manageable.
Step 2 – Always apply mustache/beard oil at least twice a day
Also, make sure to use a good quality beard comb or brush to work it in.
Step 3 – Trim if necessary
If you want a true walrus mustache, you should not trim it and just let it grow long. However, if you think that trimming is necessary, no one will ever stop you from doing so. You can trim it based on your preferred length.
Do’s and Don’ts
- Let the hair grow out. The most distinct feature of a walrus mustache is its length, so do not trim the mustache.
- Use a beard oil or balm. Ideally, use hair products designed for facial hair at least two times a day to keep the hairs soft and prevent the mustache from itching.
- Comb as much as you can. This will train the hairs to grow neatly and in the same direction. Bring a small mustache/beard comb around with you so you can style your mustache whenever you can.
- Do not trim the mustache. Until you have reached your desired length, you should never let scissors even get near your mustache.
- Do not let the mustache grow wild. A walrus mustache should have hair strands that grow in the same direction. To achieve that, you need to train it by combing and styling it every day, even on your days off.
FAQ
How long does it take to grow a walrus mustache?
You can get a start of a good walrus mustache if you just let your mustache grow for at least two months. However, depending on the rate of growth of your facial hair, it can be as long as five months of no shaving before you can start to style it.
Should your mustache cover your lips?
The answer to this will depend on the kind of look you are aiming for. If you want something that is like that of Teddy Roosevelt, the mustache should just cover the top lip. However, if you prefer a Sam Elliott look, then let the mustache grow until it covers your entire mouth.
Conclusion
The walrus mustache is one of the most iconic styles of facial hair to have ever graced this world. You will also feel glad to know that it is one of the easiest to grow. You just need to have lots of patience and the right facial hair products. In less than a year, you will have a glorious mustache on your mug.
Vinnie is one of the members of the Beardoholic writers team. He’s also a barber and hairstylist for 15 years now and he has a kick-ass beard of his own, so he surely knows what makes a magnificent beard and hair and how to achieve them. He’s our go-to guy for all the latest beard and hairstyle trends and he always has a tip or two on how to grow and style a thick beard fast.