Beard oil is by and far one of the most straightforward grooming products you can make at home.
We go to great length about how to make beard oil in this guide.
A close second to making beard oil, though, is mustache wax.
Mustache wax only relies on three primary ingredients:
- Beeswax
- Carrier oil
- Essential oil
You can quickly create your very own wax on a Sunday afternoon.
In this guide, we will share with you some great recipes and what all the ingredients do to make your mustache look it’s very best.
By the end of this article, you will know the ins and outs of mustache wax.
More importantly, you will be able to confidently create a recipe yourself that will deliver the exact hold you are looking for to get the results you want – even if you are using it for the very first time.
So without wasting a minute more, let’s hop into this extensive guide to your very first mustache wax recipe:
Beeswax Is The Most Important Aspect Of Mustache Wax
Unlike beard balm or beard butter, where you can get by with only a few pellets of beeswax, mustache wax, on the other hand, is a styling agent first and a conditioning agent second.
Therefore, if you aim to have either a perfectly shaped beard or mustache, you will want to formulate a mustache wax that will keep even the unruliest whiskers in check.
To do that, you need beeswax and lots of it.
When visiting any natural store or simply an online retailer like Amazon, you are going to find two distinct types of beeswax:
White and yellow beeswax.
For this article, these two forms of beeswax can be used interchangeably.
But if you must know, beeswax can change in color depending on various factors, including the flowers that the bees were consuming and even the tree that housed their nest!
So don’t get too hung up on a particular color of beeswax turning your mustache a tinge yellow or white – it won’t.
Carrier Oils Act As A Conditioning Agent
While the beeswax selection for mustache wax is pretty straight forward when it comes to carrier oils, things it a bit more complex; here’s why:
There are several different types of carrier oils.
Typically derived from nuts or seeds, carrier oils are used in countless grooming products for both men and women.
Among one of the most popular ones (and one we suggest you use in your first mustache wax) is jojoba oil. Whether you use a natural shampoo, deodorant, or bar of soap, the chances are high that you can find jojoba oil as one of the primary ingredients.
Jojoba oil is nearly unscented and compatible with most skin types.
Additionally, it helps to both nourish and moisturize the skin.
Quick note: While we talked about jojoba specifically above, many of the other popular carrier oils, including argan, apricot kernel, grapeseed, sweet almond oil, and more, will deliver many of the same properties.
However, unlike jojoba oil, many other carrier oils will have a scent associated with them. Therefore, you will want to consider this.
Where To Buy Carrier Oils For Mustache Wax?
Carrier oils can be slightly tricky to find in stores. Therefore online retailers like Amazon will be your next best bet.
But we wouldn’t recommend just buying the cheapest carrier oil that you find, here’s why:
Do you like beer?
Good!
Me too!
But do you know why they are in brown bottles?
Don’t worry; I didn’t know this until not too long ago.
They block UV light.
When hitting a clear bottle of beer for an extended period, the UV light will decay the structure of the beer itself – making for some pretty bad results.
Well, much like beer, quality carrier oils follow this same principle.
Therefore, when browsing online for a carrier oil, you will always want to buy one in an amber bottle.
The reason is that you don’t know how long the oil has been sitting on the shelf, not only at the warehouse but also when it was originally bottled.
Carrier oils often never have a ‘Born On’ date like a bottle of beer. Since you have limited information when buying a carrier oil, it’s best to be on the side of caution.
After all, you don’t want to put together a killer mustache recipe only to find that it’s not doing squat for your skin or ‘stache.
Essential Oils Are The Killer Fragrance
While carrier oils are great at delivering some key nourishing and moisturizing properties, essential oils take on a completely different role:
Scent.
Did you ever want a vanilla, bourbon, cinnamon-induced mustache wax?
Well, the chances are that you won’t be able to find one like this from a beard care company.
However, you can easily create this yourself in your next mustache wax.
Yeah, if there is anything about essential oils, it’s that they are unequivocally the life of the ‘stache wax party.
Always derived naturally from botanical sources, essential oils play a key role in delivering a terrific scent in the final product.
Now, a word of caution:
While the name is essential oil, you must never substitute this in place of carrier oils (which we just covered above).
Essential oils are incredibly abrasive and heavily rely on carrier oils to ‘carry’ the fragrance.
If you apply essential oils directly to your skin, expect to see anywhere from mild to severe irritation.
This isn’t to scare you off from using them; it’s just that we don’t want you to fall into the trap of thinking that both of these oils are the same when they are not.
So, with that being said, it begs the question:
How much essential oil should you use when making your mustache wax?
In all honesty, it depends on what type of fragrance you prefer.
If you like strong forward fragrances, then you will want to be heavy-handed.
However, if you like to show some restraint and have the fragrance disappear by the time your morning coffee is consumed, then just a few drops will suffice.
The critical part here is to make sure that you always take notes while making your mustache wax (don’t worry, we will give you some starter recipes below).
This way, you have some guidelines as to what worked and didn’t work in your batch.
Now, when it comes to selecting essential oils for your first batch, the same rules of carrier oils apply for essential oils.
Dark amber bottle to ensure the structural integrity of the solution.
If it’s your first time making mustache wax, we highly suggest you pick up this set (it has a ton of different oils for you to test to get the perfect scent for you).
Required Items To Make Your Very First Mustache Wax
Here are a few of the items you will need to have on hand before you begin:
Pipettes – These disposable droppers will prevent cross-contamination of your carrier oils and essential oils.
Using one dropper for all oils will cause them to get ‘muddied’ and smell bad.
Use only one pipette per bottle. You can usually pick up a pack of them on Amazon for only a few bucks.
Kitchen Pot – This pot will be used to mix and melt your beeswax into your carrier and essential oil.
Shallow Tin Cans – This one is optional but preferred. If you have some old mustache wax tins lying around, just simply give them a deep scrub and then reuse them.
Just like the pipettes, you can find these relatively cheap.
Key Ingredients – You can’t make mustache wax without all the essential ingredients!
For starters, we would recommend the following:
- Beeswax
- Carrier oil
- Essential oil variety pack
- Assorted Knick Knacks – Here are a few things you might want to have within an arms reach away:
- Paper towels
- Spatula or Spoon (to stir as melting or getting excess wax out of the pot)
- Note pad & pen (only if taking notes of the process)
- Measuring cups
Mustache Wax Recipes For Beginners
Here is a list of some great mustache wax recipes that other men have found to work well for them throughout the years:
The Woodsy Man
- 1oz beeswax (weight)
- .25oz jojoba oil (volume)
- 5 drops cedarwood oil
- 2 drops tea tree oil
My Ginger ‘Stache
- 1oz beeswax (weight)
- .10oz argan oil (volume)
- .10oz sweet almond oil (volume)
- 4 drops cinnamon oil
- 4 drops vanilla oil
- 2 drops nutmeg oil
Tacky & Stiff – Unscented
- 2oz beeswax (weight)
- .3oz jojoba oil (volume)
The Showman
- 5oz beeswax (weight)
- .25oz sweet almond oil (volume)
- 5 drops orange oil
- 2 drops lemon oil
- 1 drop bergamot
Note: Beeswax pellets must be weighed on a scale. Carrier oils must be measured in volume.
How To Make Mustache Wax
To get started, you will want to go ahead and follow these steps:
Note: Be sure that you have tins at the ready before you begin. Once the wax has been made, you will need to pour it immediately.
Step 1 – Make the appropriate measurements of beeswax, carrier, and essential oils.
Step 2 – Place pot on the oven and set to medium-low.
Step 3 – Place beeswax pellets in the pot and allow them to melt entirely. Stir occasionally.
Tip: Keep an eye on your wax as it’s melting. You will not want to leave it on direct heat too long as it may get burned.
Step 4 – Once the wax has been fully melted, stir in the carrier and essential oils.
Step 5 – After 10 seconds of stirring, take the pot off the direct heat and immediately begin pouring into your tins.
Tip: If you wait too long on this process (a few minutes), the wax will harden. You can attempt to melt the wax by placing the pot on the heat. However, it may cause some damage to the final solution.
Step 6 – Let the mustache wax settle overnight or about 4 hours. Once the heat is entirely dissipated, you can place the lids on top and enjoy your new mustache wax!
Applying Mustache Wax
If this is your first ever mustache wax, then we consider that you give our article on how to apply mustache wax a quick read. There we provide you with a step-by-step guide to help in applying the mustache wax properly.
Final Thoughts On Mustache Wax
While it might seem daunting at first to take on making your very own mustache wax, you will quickly realize just how easy (and affordable) it is!
Just like making your very own beard oil or beard balm, you will not only have an appreciation for what the beard care companies have been doing but also have a stellar product dialed into your exact liking.