Reasons Why Your Mustache Hurts

So, you went through several months of growing out a mustache and now you are living your dream of being the source of mustache envy among your peers. But then something you never thought happened, your mustache starts to hurt! If that is the case with you then do not fret as it is a common phenomenon and there are ways to overcome it!

Your mustache may hurt for a variety of reasons. This includes the fact that it is dry and inflamed, that you have ingrown hairs, beard itch, the torsional strain on the root, pointed curls pushing into the skin, and beard fungus, also known as Pseudofolliculitis Barbae.

In this article, we will be sharing with you the reasons why your mustache may be hurting and how you can stop this pain!

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Why Your Mustache Hurts

There are a lot of difficulties that your facial hair might cause you as it grows. Your beard may occasionally sting and ache for no apparent reason.

Your mustache is a particularly delicate portion of your face and beard and as a result, growing a mustache can be hurtful and difficult. Sometimes you may notice that your mustache hurts most at the corners down by the handlebars, and other times it may hurt most in the middle straight under the nose.

Some people have described the sensation as though the hairs have been pulled just enough away from the root so that they don’t easily fall out but still feel uncomfortable in the skin, creating intense, localized pain. When people touch the hair, they occasionally feel as though the movement causes the hair to be forced right back into the follicle at a very particular angle, which causes short-lived pain.

There are several reasons why your mustache can be hurting and these are listed below for your ease:

Effect of Hair Thickness on Follicles

The thickness of the hair can aggravate and inflame follicles hence, your mustache’s thickness explains why it hurts when it is pulled back into an irritated follicle.

There are many reasons why your mustache could hurt, including dry and inflamed skin, in addition to the thickness of the hairs in sensitive follicles that can cause problems when handled.

Dry Skin

Beard soaps and leave-in conditioners among other items might contribute to dry skin under the mustache. Even if the majority of beard care products have been expressly created to moisturize, some of them may cause you to react negatively.

One of the typical causes is that too much of the natural oil produced by your face, sebum, is being removed by your shampoo, leaving it dry and itchy. There are a few things you can do to prevent your beard from getting dry and itchy, the first of which is to ensure good beard and mustache cleanliness.

Ingrown Hairs

Ingrown hairs are particularly common when your mustache is first starting to grow. Hair that has been trimmed or shaven has an easy time growing back inwards toward the follicle and this is referred to as ingrown hair.

The follicle may become inflamed as a result of irritation, which also increases itching at the ingrown hair’s location. They frequently take the form of red pimples and can be extremely uncomfortable.

Itching can range from being very minor to quite intense and because of it, some people need medical attention. No matter how small or severe your symptoms are, they are inconvenient for everyone.

Torsional Strain

Torsional tension on the mustache is caused when the hairs are coerced into a posture that is not natural for them. Since the hair tends to sit more perpendicular to the skin’s surface, this is especially true of those with severely curly hair.

It is more difficult and irritating to induce the hair to lay oppositely the more parallel the growth is. This is something that can happen if you try to hold a style into your beard with wax after you have to lie on your bed for the entire night and the hairs have been pressed up against your face for several hours.

Additionally, touching your face frequently during the day may unintentionally put the hair under a lot of stress. The hair and how it rests in the follicle can be readily disrupted by this twisting and pulling, and the pathway can easily become more irritated.

Overdoing Grooming

You may be overgrooming or forcefully grooming regularly, which could be another factor contributing to the pain in your mustache hair.

If your mustache is not lying or acting in the way you would like it to, it can be annoying. The mustache grower may become aggressive in their grooming and mustache treatment as a result of this.

Hence, your mustache may be hurting because of the frequent, excessive grooming or because of the following steps:

• Forceful brushing and comb.
• Using a hairdryer in a setting that is too high.
• Use of a mustache straightener excessively.
• Access hair grabbing and pulling during product application

We might unknowingly be our mustache’s worst enemy so keep that in mind the next time you are grooming your mustache and beard.

Sharp Curly Hair

If you find that your mustache aches after trimming it or after shaving a piece of it, it may be because the hairs are pointy and are inflicting a lot of pain when they emerge from the skin. Hair naturally tapers to a tip as it grows hence, if frequently trimmed, could become an issue if your hair is dense and curly.

More of the mustache’s ends will rest against your skin if it is dense and curling. Therefore, if the discomfort seems to start right away after you trim your hair, you may only need to soften the hair’s ends.

Pseudofolliculitis Barbae

A mustache-related inflammatory disorder known as pseudofolliculitis barbae can affect both men and women, but it seems to be more common in men of African heritage. A study on the condition and the contribution of facial grooming to its aggravation was published in 2016.

Before this study, there was insufficient clinical evidence to support advice about the use of single-blade or multi-blade razors for shaving. According to the study, everyday shaving with appropriate pre-shave and post-shave hydration may help prevent the growth of ingrown hairs.

By using a multi-blade razor every day, you may lessen the strain you exert on your skin and the annoyance that comes with repeatedly shaving the same area of your face.

Mustache Fungus

Finally, a beard fungus that is present at the root of your hair may be the source of the pain in your mustache. Many bacteria may harbor in your skin and facial hair so take care of your hygiene to avoid this issue.

How to Get Rid of Mustache Pain

Avoid Dry and Itchy Skin

Follow the steps below to avoid dry and irritated skin:

• Use a shampoo and conditioner created specifically for facial hair to give your hair follicles a deep clean.
• Cleanse your beard and mustache at least two to three times a week.
• Use beard care products like beard oil, beard balm, beard butter, or leave-in conditioner that you like after shampooing.
• Avoid using extremely hot water on your beard for extended periods.
• Take a vacation from all of the products you are currently using and gradually reintroduce them one at a time if you discover that a specific product is creating irritation to isolate and identify the offending product.

Treat Ingrown Hair

Ingrown hairs are often treated in the following ways:

• Keep your face clean. By keeping your face clean, you may prevent your skin from becoming overly greasy and benefit from the little exfoliation that shampoo provides when you wash your face and rub it in. This may assist ingrown hairs in emerging from the skin.
• Allowing the hair to grow will prevent certain hairs from being cut or shaved as they emerge from the hair follicle naturally in parts of the beard like the neckline and beard.
• Softer hairs do not penetrate the skin as well, hence beard conditioning is necessary. The hair will become softer and less prone to developing ingrown hairs if you use a beard or hair conditioner on it.
• Avoid forcefully picking at ingrown hairs. It could cause the skin to become infected and become even more irritated.

Use a Comb to Tame Hair

You should avoid rigid plastic combs and go for a mustache comb or brush with less rigid bristles. This will tame any wild, sharp hair instead of using wax to hold them in one direction.

Soften Sharp Hair

Hot towel Treatment

When you visit the barber, you frequently receive a hot towel treatment before getting your hair cut. This entails wrapping the face with a towel that has been soaked in hot water and as a result, the hair becomes softer making cutting easier.

After trimming your beard, you can still employ this strategy. Take a heated towel and submerge it in the hottest water you can stand and after that, wear it over your mustache for at least 10 minutes.

This will make the hair softer. Avoid brushing your hair harshly since warm, wet hair is more easily broken.

Beard Conditioner Treatment

Use a specific beard conditioner, such as the one mentioned above, to soften the hairs and encourage them to bend rather than prod your skin. You can use a specific beard conditioner, beard oil, beard balm, beard butter, or any combination of these.

Deep Hydration Treatment

Use a deep hydration treatment. A deep hydration treatment entails hydrating the beard for around 30 minutes using beard oil and a beard cap. Apply your beard oil or conditioner liberally to the hair in your beard. After that, cover the beard for at least 30 minutes with a shower or beard cap. After that, rinse the oil, shampoo, and conditioner as normal.

Conclusion

Having your mustache hurt can be painful and annoying but it can easily be avoided, just follow our steps and you will soon be free from your mustache pain. We hope that this guide helped you understand why your mustache may be hurting and the ways you can stop this pain!