Fixing a Mustache Gap: How to Close the Space For Good

Steve Harvey, Tom Selleck. Charlie Chaplin. These are just a few of the many mustache icons that have graced our screens and movie screens over the years with their iconic facial hairstyles, but they all have one thing in common: they don’t have gaps between their upper lip and their nose like some other mustaches do! Let’s take a look at why this is so, and what you can do about it if your mustache has that infamous gap!

As a matter of fact, there are a great many reasons why some mustaches have gaps while others don’t, and sometimes it’s just plain luck that causes one person’s to grow together while another’s doesn’t! Your genetics, your age, and even your hormones can all influence how close or far apart your upper lip and nose area are.

In this post, we will talk about what causes this gap to happen, why you might want to consider fixing it if your mustache has an unsightly gap, and what treatments are available for closing it up or reducing its appearance.

What Exactly Is A Mustache Gap?

A mustache gap is when there are two separate ‘lips’ on your upper lip, instead of having one continuous mouthpiece. Sometimes the bottom lip will have hair in it while sometimes not, but still you will notice that there is a space between the top and bottom lips. This type of facial hair typically occurs in young people who are just starting to grow facial hair and is mostly just a case of ‘unfortunate genetics’.

Some people who have this “condition” actually shave their lips in order to get rid of the gap. Others simply style their mustache to cover up the gaps, or use other tricks below that can be done at home.

You can see this gap at the cupid’s bow or just below the nose where both sides of your mustache meet. This gap usually is not that big of a deal when you are just growing a stubble. But, it does become a hassle when you start growing a proper beard.

Fortunately, there are ways to fix your gap, as we discuss later in this post.

Reasons Behind A Mustache Gap

There are a few reasons why this happens, and we’ll cover those down below:

Testosterone Levels

Most of the time, the culprit behind all your beard and mustache problems is your testosterone levels because they are responsible for controlling your beard and mustache growth.

If everything is fine with your routine and you are perfectly healthy, then it has to be a problem with testosterone level, and you need to consult your doctor.

Testosterone levels are a very common cause of patches in your beard as well, so they might as well be the reason why your mustache has a gap.

When the levels of this male hormone are reduced in your body, you begin to see very visible changes, and one of them is patches and gaps in your beard and mustache.

Philtrum Under Your Nose

The Area Where the Mustache Gap Usually Happens Is Called Philtrum, and This Area Can Also Be a Very Prominent Reason for Your Mustache Gap.

If you have a wide or large Philtrum, you can get a mustache gap because your hair follicles won’t be able to cover up the whole surface of the Philtrum.

It would look like it is a gap between your mustache when in reality, it is just a bigger Philtrum, and your mustache is just pretty normal.

Many people don’t understand this concept and go for different treatments for their mustache gap that clearly do not work because they are neglecting the mere reason for their gap.

So, accept the reason, look into it, consult your doctor and see what you can do to improve this situation and whether there is a procedure to make things better or not.

Genetics Does Matter

The truth is that there are some people who are just naturally blessed with full, thick, and straight mustaches even if they don’t take care of their facial hair.

There will always be people who have the luxury of having wide lips or prominent Philtrum, no matter how much they try.

If this is the reason behind your gap, there isn’t anything you can do about it except to make peace with it and accept the fact that some people are just not meant to have their mustaches look perfect.

So if you really want to understand how this genetic thing works, then let me tell you that we have a gene in our body called MC1R, and this gene controls the density of your facial hair.

Sometimes, if the genes of this particular gene are not doing their job then it can lead to sparse facial hair growth, and when your mustache needs to grow above your lip line where it meets with the bottom lip, there is bound to be a gap when your facial hair gets sparse.

No matter what you do, if there is something wrong with the gene, then it will always cause this problem.

There are options such as getting an underlining medical condition treated or taking some medication for it so that you can get rid of the gap in your mustache and beard, but you should never neglect or ignore this problem because it can cause other problems too.

Food Intake

Another reason behind a mustache gap can be your food intake because when you are on a calorie deficient diet, it shows in your facial hair growth.

In some cases, people with patchy beards and mustaches simply need to add protein to their diet which will make them look more manly and give them fuller beards.

Some people also have a nutrient deficiency, and this is something you can get checked out by your doctor. Another thing you can do as well is to start using a male multi-vitamin, to help boost beard growth.

There are many factors that contribute to the growth of facial hair, so if one thing goes wrong then it throws everything off balance.

Stress Is Always Bad!

You must have heard this many times before, but stress is bad for you in any way it can be. Stress causes hormonal imbalance which makes it difficult for the body to do anything right.

So, if you are stressed out or under emotional pressure, your body will always prioritize other things.

One of them would be the growth of your facial hair, which is why you will have a gap between your mustaches or even start to see a patchy beard.

Using certain medications to reduce stress can also cause this problem because it messes with your hormones and the natural balance of the system.

How Can You Fix A Mustache Gap?

We all have to face it: we can’t always be perfect. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do about a gap in our mustaches.

The truth is, there are many things you could do to fix this problem and make sure your mustache looks great again. You just need to know what they are, and that’s where this blog post comes in!

Let It Grow

You need to let your mustache grow to cover up the gap between your lip and mustache.

But, how long do you need to let it take? Well, that depends on how bad it is.

If your mustaches are not connected at all then the best thing you can do would be to grow them out until they touch each other or become connected! You should also let the gap grow a bit more to make it less noticeable.

Even if you don’t grow hair on your cupid’s bow, you can still grow your mustache surrounding that area and the longer your mustache hair will be; the less visible will be your gap.

So, don’t touch your mustache for at least 4 weeks and monitor its growth over time. If you still think that the gap is visible, then you may start to consider another tip on this list.

But, in most cases, if you grow a longer and thicker mustache, it literally hides the appearance of your mustache gap!

Use Mustache Wax

Choose Your Mustache Style Wisely

Choosing the right style for your mustache can also help you fix a gap.

Lately, it seems like everyone has been following the same trend – the handlebar mustache. But this is not particularly recommended if you are struggling with filling in your mustache gap because having two mustaches that are connected to each other will only make things worse.

Instead, you should opt for styles like the toothbrush mustache or the chevron mustache that will give your gap space to breathe and won’t make it as noticeable.

If you are unsure which style is right for you, then speak to a qualified barber or stylist to guide you in the right direction!

Brush Your Mustache

If you want to make sure that this gap is completely hidden you can use a toothpick to push it in from the side which will make sure that your mustache is not visible from any angle. This however takes some practice.

This process can help you with growing hair on your gap area, but it is not going to happen overnight, so you need to be extra cautious and consistent with this method.

It’s a slow process and may take weeks, but it does not require an investment of hundreds of dollars as all you need is a beard brush.

Studies have shown that if we stimulate the hair follicles of our scalp on a regular basis through brushing or massaging, it will result in hair growth, and the same goes for our mustache. But lastly, if there are no hairs whatsoever in your gap, chances are that it’s not going to grow. Sadly, there is no miracle cure (besides beard transplants) that can grow hair where there are none, to begin with.

The Low Trim

The low trim is a cosmetic fix for the mustache gap mainly because it makes your gap potentially invisible and helps you nail your mustache look.

Even though doing a low trim is not easy, there is a high risk that you will make it look worse. It still is worth a try mainly because of how great the end result is and how it makes your mustache gap almost invisible.

The trick here is just to cut your mustache low enough that you don’t have a mustache near the cupid’s bow at all, and you grow a mustache below it. You can think of it as a sort of pencil mustache.

It will give you the satisfaction of having a mustache and concealing your mustache gap at the same time without taking a lot of your time constantly.

You don’t have to wait for weeks to get rid of your mustache gap because you can now do it with just your trimmer, scissor, and your beard comb.

But, you also need to be cautious here because too little or too much cutting is going to cost you your whole look so, the key is to start cutting slowly.

How to start?

Start from the top of your mustache and start bringing it down. Just make sure that you still have a mustache after trimming it low otherwise, it will kill the whole purpose in the first place.

It is a great fix for a mustache gap, but it is not suitable for everyone, so you might need to go to an actual barber if you don’t have experience trimming your beard.

People have been trimming their mustaches low to hide their mustache gap for a long time, and at this point, it’s worth a shot, isn’t it?

Just make sure that you understand the process before actually trying it and watch a few videos of the low-trimmed mustache to actually know what you are supposed to do.

Micro-Needling

Micro-needling is one of the new and upcoming famous ways that people use to induce hair growth on the scalp and beard region, and there is no reason why it would not work for your mustache.

The micro-needling tool has tiny needles in it that puncture your skin and stimulate the hair follicles of that particular region.

Microneedling is also known to improve blood circulation so, if you use it on your mustache gap, it is very likely to help you grow hair in that region.

Just make sure that you get the right size of needles, and you don’t overuse the tool, it is also important to know exactly how much pressure you need to put on the tool; otherwise, you can damage your skin.

Microneedling has become a holy grail for people who are unable to grow hair, and it has helped even the patients of alopecia with noticeable hair growth.

But, the key to micro-needling is that you need to keep doing it for a couple of months before you can see hair growth.

So, it is a bit of hard work, but you most certainly will grow your mustache on cupid’s bow with micro-needling.

Another great evidence for microneedling is that it has helped people grow hair on their head, which was completely bald.

So, if you don’t mind putting in a little effort to make your mustache look better; I can confidently say that micro-needling will work out well for you.

This method comes with another perk of the fact that the micro-needling tool is only a one-time payment, whereas you will have to keep going to your barber or groomer for trimming your mustache low.

Tips To Get Rid Of Your Mustache Gap

Now that we have gone through all the methods by which you can fix your mustache gap let’s get into the best tips you can get to improve the growth of your mustache.

Diet

Diet plays a key role in keeping your whole life on track, so it is very important that you maintain a very balanced and healthy diet; otherwise, it can have negative results, even on your beard.

People often lose their hair or grow a patchy beard just because they have a particular nutrient deficiency, and that is mainly because their diet is not as balanced as it should be.

For example, if you don’t take enough proteins and iron in your diet on a regular basis, your body is going to suffer from nutrient deficiency; which will make you lose hair all over the place and also lead to patchy beard growth.

So, all you need to do is consult your nutritionist and add healthy foods to your diet, and do not exclude any food group because you need nutrients from all of them.

Adding the necessary vitamins and biotins also help a lot with improving the growth of hair, and people with patchy beard or gaps actually see a difference after incorporating them into their diet.

You can start taking supplements as well if you think that you are unable to meet your daily nutritional goal but make sure to consult your doctor before making one such decision.

Beard Care Routine

People mostly assume that a beard care routine cannot do much, but in reality, it can make all the difference if you do it consistently.

If you are applying oils on your mustache twice a day and keeping it hydrated, then there is no reason why your mustache gap won’t fill up. As long as you have some beard growth there.

For building a beard care routine, you need to see what products work for you and then decide whether you are going to use them in the long term or not.

It is going to be a long journey of trial and error, but at the end of the day, you will find the best products that will actually help you get rid of the gap in your mustache.

It is important that you add a good quality shampoo, conditioner, beard oil, or moisturizer and serum in your routine to get the most out of your routine.

Treatments

There are a number of treatments that you can try to grow hair on your cupid’s bow, and we have already discussed a few of them.

People even go for beard transplants because they are particularly conscious about their mustaches, and it is not a bad option either. As a matter of fact, beard transplants are getting more popular by the day, and for good reason!

There are many hair transplant centers you can get in touch with if you want, so consult your doctor and decide whether this method will work out for you or not.

If you have tried all the methods and you still cannot fix your mustache gap, then it is better to either shave it altogether or go for treatments like micro-needling or beard transplants. As we stated before, you cannot grow hairs in places where there are none, to begin with.

There is another treatment that you can do, and that actually works because it is scientifically proven, and the treatment is using minoxidil.

Minoxidil works by stimulating natural hair growth, and it can even help to thicken the existing hair as well. So, if you combine a good beard care routine with this treatment, then your chances of getting rid of that mustache gap are going up by a lot!

But as with many things, this needs to be put in a routine. Minoxidil is not a one-off thing. You need to apply it twice a day, and for the rest of your life.

These are the treatments that you can try and hope for a difference. If they do not work out, then simply shave it off because you cannot grow hair where there is none, no matter how hard you try or what treatment you use!

Massage With Oils

There are tons of oils that can help you grow hair on areas that are patchy or bald, just like gaps in your mustache or beard area.

There is research done by several institutes in which lavender oil, rosemary oil, and peppermint oil actually help with substantial hair growth.

But for that, you will have to massage these oils into your beard for a couple of weeks to see any noticeable results.

These oils will not only help with hair growth but will also stimulate the hair follicles and improve blood circulation in the region; hence, making your hair stronger than ever.

So, you can try any of these oils, preferably those which are known to be the best ones for hair growth as opposed to those that are simply marketed as such.

Conclusion

So, what’s the best way to fix a mustache gap? The most effective solution is by building up your beard with healthy foods and biotin supplements. You can also try massaging oils into your mustache daily for two weeks or consider micro-needling if you prefer treatments that are more invasive. Finally, it may be time to consult a doctor about minoxidil if dieting doesn’t work!

There are many products on the market that can help you get rid of this gap, but they are not necessarily the best ones.

On top of that, some people experience side effects from these products or just plain do not like using them because they feel it is more than what they need to pay for something as simple as filling up a gap.

This is why people opt for DIY methods, and in this article, we have discussed a lot of them so that you can choose the best one for yourself!