1. Comb or brush: for setting hairs into place

2. High-grade clippers: for trimming

3. Scissors: for detailing

1. Comb it to the sides: Set the hairs in place, readying them for an even trim. 

2. Clip on desired setting: Trim all hairs to the same length. If you're doing this for the first time, start with a higher setting and work your way down.  

3. Comb hairs straight down: This prepares you to trim any hairs that will hang over the lip.

4. Clip hairs along lip: Remove the clipper guard and snip anything that covers the lip.

Optional tip, for longer mustaches: Comb hairs to both sides down the middle of the philtrum (which is just below the septum of the nose). Snip a small, upside-down 'V' into here (watch video for demo), thus giving your mustache more symmetry and direction.

Watch this video for more beard and mustache grooming tricks:

Not sure what kind of 'stache to grow? Consider one of these six different types of mustaches.

Subscribe to the Birchbox Man YouTube channel for more grooming tips and tricks.

Follow these steps to trim your mustache properly, whether you're keeping it short or sculpting it as it grows. 

Mustache maintenance may be simple, but simple doesn't always mean easy.. Follow these steps to trim your mustache properly, whether you're keeping it short or sculpting it as it grows. 

The Movember Foundation is the global charity raising funds and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer, poor mental health, and physical inactivity. Go to Movember.com to "Grow, Give, or MOVE."

Visit our Movember hub to pick up your own Survival Kit and to join the Birchbox Man Movember Team. You'll help us raise funds and awareness for these men's health issues.

Movember's own JJ Owen introduces our latest featured box, packed with all-star shaving essentials to keep your face in perfect form.

This November, we're partnering with the Movember Foundation to bring you a very special featured box, packed with all-star essentials to help you shave, sculpt, and condition your way to whiskered perfection. Here, Movember's own JJ Owen runs through the products in the box, from a heritage Italian shave cream to a truly remarkable razor. Use them in good health. 

Birchbox Man Unboxing: The Movember Survival Kit with JJ Owen

Men who are sick of ingrown hairs and razor burn are increasingly looking to lose their whiskers for good. Rachel Qin at Satori Laser Center in New York City estimates that one in every five customers is male, and that many of them are coming for facial hair removal treatments, primarily to combat ingrown hairs on the neck.

2. Think in terms of reduction, not removal.

Laser hair removal, the most popular and practical method for faces, will thin your beard by about 70-85 percent. If you're looking to get rid of your razor entirely, electrolysis is a better bet for eliminating every hair you've gotbut it's more painful, more expensive, and much more time-consuming.

3. It's ideal for shaping your facial hair

Because laser removal thins hair so effectively, it's perfect for those spots you constantly trim. You can clean up your neck (again, a common site of ingrown hairs), the tops of your cheeks, and the stragglers around your beard or mustache.

Laser removal finds your hair by targeting high-contrast spots of pigment. This means pale, dark-haired guys will get the best results. "If customers have light blonde, grey or red hair, we recommend that they try electrolysis," says Qin.

5. A complete laser treatment course runs around $4,000.

Sure, that's a lot compared to the cost of shaving, but what's it worth to sleep a little later every morning?

Laser is aimed at destroying your hair follicles, not soothing your skin. Treatment itself feels like a bunch of rubber bands snapping on your face: uncomfortable, but brief.

Each laser session only lasts 15-30 minutes, and the worst it'll leave you with is the redness of a slight sunburn afterwards.

For full-face treatment, laser can take up to six hours over the course of a year, while electrolysis can take up to 400 hours over four years. Makes sense that most people lean toward laser removal, right?

9. Even "permanent" treatments might not last forever.

After your initial sessions, laser removal may require once-a-year treatment to maintain the look. "As long as the body has metabolism, there is a chance that hair will grow," says Qin.

One laser customer writes, "I'm very happy with the resultswhen it's done, I walk out of the room with a smile on my face." And an electrolysis patient sums it up: "Expensive? Yes! Painful? Yes! Worth it? Every penny!"

Subscribe to Birchbox Grooming to discover personalized products for you, here!

After years of shaving the same spots every single day, some hirsute men are opting for permanent facial hair removal.

After years of shaving the same spots every single day, some hirsute men are opting for permanent facial hair removal. There are two main options: laser and electrolysis, with the former being the vastly more popular option. If you're considering laser hair removal or electrolysis, then here are ten things to know in advance.

10 Things to Know About Permanent Facial Hair Removal

Characteristics: A thick, full mustache that partially covers the top lip.

Difficulty: Easy. The Chevron is on the bushier side, and only requires light trimming.

Characteristics: Has longer hairs, and is parted at the middle of the philtrum (thats the divot that forms at the center of your upper lip).

Difficulty: Intermediate. Requires more growth time, and extra precision while trimming, especially inside the philtrum.

Characteristics: Curls upward at both ends with the aid of styling wax.

Difficulty: Advanced. This is for the mustache master who has plenty of time for styling.

Characteristics: Appropriately named for its horseshoe shape. Looks like a goatee with the bottom center shaved out.

Difficulty:  Easy to grow, difficult to pull off.

Characteristics: Lines the upper lip, and is trimmed very thin (like a pencil).

Difficulty: Advanced. This takes careful, frequent trimming, and is hard to pull off without looking like a henchman.

Characteristics Bushy, like a walrus of course. Slightly more overgrown and rounded than the Chevron. Sometimes so thick that it covers the whole mouth.

Difficulty: Intermediate. Doesnt require much trimming, but a lot of guys facial hair is too sparse to make this work.

Photo credits, from top: Universal, Warner Bros., Miramax, Twentieth Century Fox, Getty Images, Penguin Books

There are many things to ponder if you want to grow a mustache: shape, density, and styling chief among them. 

Growing a mustache requires more than just *growing*. There are other things to consider if you want to achieve a desired look: shape, density, and styling chief among them. If youre ready to sport your ownwhether its for [Movember](/guide/tag/topic/movember) or nothere are six popular types of mustaches to ponder. After you've considered all mustache styles, it's time to master the art of [trimming your 'stache](/guide/video/how-to-trim-your-mustache) so that you can shape it just right. 

Mustache Styles: 6 Types of Mustaches You Should Consider

The best time to apply is after a hot shower, when your hairs are cleanest and softest; this is when they will most easily absorb the oils.

 Dry your beard completely before applying any oil. Water will prevent the oil from being absorbed.


Put 2-3 drops of oil in your palms. (This will go a long way, and you can apply more later if needed.)


Spread it evenly in your palms and fingers.


Once the oil is distributed, brush your palms along the sides of your beard.


Then bring both hands up through the bottom of your beard.


Use your finger tips to coat the hairs on your mustache.


Use a comb to evenly distribute the oil while setting the hairs back in place.


Repeat this process once daily to keep your beard soft and conditioned.

Frequency of application varies based on season, climate, and numerous other factors. Start with an every-other-day application and adjust as you deem necessary.

 Not all beard oils are alike. Be sure to find a beard oil that best suits your needs (and senses).

Here's a beard oil tutorial to keep your scruff looking sharp and feeling soft.

Like moisturizer for skin or conditioner for hair, beard oil will [nourish](/guide/article/dry-itchy-beard) and protect your whiskers. Here's a beard oil tutorial to keep your scruff looking sharp and feeling soft.

 The Multitasker: Ursa Major Fortifying Face Balm, $36

Made in Vermont from natural oils and extracts, this product was designed to cover all your skincare bases. Aloe and willow bark soothe skin after shaving, while firming ingredients like birch sap offer built-in antiaging. Better yet, its featherweight formula absorbs without a trace.

 The Shine Buster: Ernest Supplies Protective Matte Moisturizer, $25

This concentrated moisturizer is oil's natural enemy. On top of a long list of all-natural ingredients, its formula features dimethicone, a mineral that soaks up excess oil to instantly mattify skin. All this comes in a military-inspired pouch that's portable, spill-proof, and more than a little bad-ass.

 The Classic: Baxter of California Oil Free Moisturizer, $22

With a heritage that traces back to 1965, Baxter of California isn't one to disappoint. Tapping skin-soothing ingredients like green tea and chamomile, this is a product you'll look forward to using: It goes on cool, smells fantastic, and leaves no greasy residue.

 The SPF Hybrid: Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer, $28

If you're exposed to the sun on a daily basiseven for an hour or twoyou'll want a moisturizer with integrated SPF. This lightweight hydrator will do you one better: In addition to SPF 20 protection, it's made with nourishing algae extracts that repair damaged cells overnight.

Abandon your greasy formulas, ye who enter here. It's time to freshen up your daily routine. 

As the weather starts to change, your skincare routine should change with itespecially when it comes to your daily moisturizer. If you're ready to cast off your heavy winter formula, here are four compelling alternatives that will leave you feeling fresh (never greasy).

4 Ultralight Moisturizers That Are Perfect for Spring

(A hack, indeed. Happy April Fools' Day, gentlemen!)

Perfect for job interviews, dates, and intimidating your enemies.

We're dye-ing over this new grooming hack: Use dark mascara or brow gel on your mustache and beard for some truly standout scruff. Perfect for job interviews, dates, and intimidating your enemies.

New Grooming Hack: Get a Thicker Mustache or Beard in Minutes

After its debut in 2009, Nick Offerman's "Ron Swanson" mustache was more than a character trademark: It was a marker buoy for manliness. Stray too far in any direction, and his glorious upper lip would steer you back on course.

But as Parks and Recreation enters its seventh and final season, Offerman has decided to close the book on Swanson by shaving his iconic 'stache, and replacing it with a lesser (though equally manly) chinstrap. While we understand his reasoning, and his desire not to be typecast, we can't help but mourn the passing of a giantone that has taught us so much about independence, grit, and manly nonchalance. So for those of you with a drink in hand (coffee probably counts), let's raise a toast to a legend: May you enjoy your well-earned retirement.

When they said all good things must come to an end, we didn't think they were serious.

After 6 epic years of hirsute glory, the star of *Parks and Recreation* has abandoned his trademark mo'. As one might expect, our feelings are mixed. 

Pour One Out: Nick Offerman Has Shaved His Ron Swanson Mustache