The Best Mustache Scissors to Keep Your Mustache Trimmed
A mustache can be a hard thing to tame, but having the right tools and materials makes it much easier..
Scissors have been used for as long as we’ve had hair, with the oldest scissors found 4000 years ago, in ancient Mesopotamia.
Modern technology has made the simple pair of scissors a thing of beauty, and forged from quality steel and looked after, a good pair of scissors can last decades. Plus, even a decent pair forged from high-quality Japanese steel is relatively inexpensive.
Then factor in that scissors give you much more control over your trim, especially compared to an electric beard trimmer, and it’s obvious that for the man looking for a bespoke mustache and beard control method, there really is no better option than a pair of mustache scissors.
Best Mustache Scissors
Ontaki German Steel Scissors and Pouch
The single best pair of mustache scissors we could find, these scissors by Ontaki combine everything a man could look for; great quality, ease of use, at a very reasonable price.
Small and light, the blades are snub nosed for safety. Hand forged from German steel, they’re designed to be travel and commuting safe, with a total length of 4.5 inches and a blade length of 1.98 inches from the pivot point; which is TSA friendly in stowed luggage.
In the hand, they’re smooth, with a quality stainless steel bevel edge that’s perfect for layer cuts, and an adjustable tension screw that lets you fine tune the resistance and feedback you get.
Finally, despite coming in at a very reasonable price, this pair of scissors comes with all the extras, including a tiny mustache comb, a carrying case for both scissors and comb, and a PDF trimming guide to help you achieve your best look.
Equinox Professional 6.5 Inch Barber’s Scissors
Equinox makes exceptional quality hair maintenance tools, and these scissors are the precise model you’d find in the hands of your local barber as he puts the finishing touches on hundreds of men’s beards and mustaches.
At 6.5 inches in total length, they’re on the longer side, but the finely crafted Japanese steel runs light at just 4.8oz, so they always feel controlled in the hand, never ungainly. The fine adjustment screw allows you to get perfect tension in the blades, and the patented design is simple to use, even for beginners.
The blades themselves are impressive. Made from hand sharpened Japanese steel, the edge is beautiful, sharp and responsive, cutting with almost no force.
Out of the box, they come vacuum packed and pre lubricated with protective blade oil, so the blades will need washing with gentle soap and mild water before use for the first time, and need more maintenance than most of the others on this list.
Perfect both for salon users, and at home in the bathroom, if you’re looking for a professional grade pair of right handed scissors, Equinox make the best.
Viking Revolution Complete Beard Care Kit
We love Viking Revolution beard products, with their gear popping up in every beard product review we do. Their beard balms scored particularly highly in our reviews, and this 6 piece set is no exception when it comes to quality.
Containing a set of high quality (and very sharp) stainless steel scissors that, unlike some cheaper scissors, are clearly designed with your face in mind. The blades themselves have a slight curve that really helps to follow the contours of your jaw, and the handles are large and rounded enough to fit even the biggest fingers.
Also included is a pot of citrus scented beard balm (very similar to the balm we rated so highly in our reviews on balms and butters) and unscented beard oil, as well as a double sided wooden pocket comb and a boars hair brush, to keep your bush in line.
Finally, it all comes in a stunning aluminum tin that opens up to reveal the kit; everything has its own cubby, and fits snugly into place. It’s great for yourself, but also an absolutely perfect gift if the man in your life loves his beard and is looking for the best way to take total care of it.
Curved and Rounded Facial Hair Scissors Pair
Incredibly simple, and available at a ridiculously low price, if you’re looking for a pair of scissors to use occasionally, that can keep your mustache trimmed without breaking the bank, this Is it.
Cheap and cheerful, despite being one of the cheapest sets on our list, you’re actually buying two sets of scissors here. The first pair is snub nosed, the second needle nosed and pointed with a gentle curve, both made from surgical grade stainless steel.
Despite coming in at such a low price, they’re surprisingly comfortable to hold and feel good in the hand. Ambidextrous, they might not offer the same level of control as a set of professional blades, but they’re also one quarter the price.
Ideal for your mustache, as well as eyebrows, beard, sideburns, even inside your nose, If you want something more specific and controlled, look up at our top choices, but for light use and general trimming, these are great.
Rough Stache Professional Barber’s Shears
The scissors by Rough Stache are the second professional grade pair in our list. Handmade from 100% stainless steel, these 6.5 inch barber’s cutting scissors offer a mixture of balance and ease of use.
The comfortable handles are a gentle oval, designed to fit almost any thumb and finger. The cut can be adjusted with the built-in tension screw, and with the curved finger rest, requires almost zero effort to cut.
Compared to other options here, the blades are long and reasonably heavy, so might require a little getting used to, but it does mean that once you have the hang of these, they’re going to easily handle thicker mustaches and longer beards.
Finally, they come with a storage case, helping to keep everything in line and protected.
GoldWorld Full Beard Care Set, with Scissors
A full beard care set, this kit contains the beard scissors we’re looking for, as well as high-quality beard oil, beard balm, beard foam, brush, comb and bag.
The scissors themselves are relatively basic, but have sharp and good quality stainless steel blades. Rounded blades and large handles lend themselves to comfortable cutting.
The rest of the kit is equally decent, with a beard oil and balm that are 100% natural, helping to keep everything moisturised and fresh. You also get a beard shampoo, important as you should never use normal shampoo on your beard, a boar bristle brush, a sandalwood comb and an attractive comb to keep it all in.
This is the perfect gift for the new beardsman in your life, as it has literally everything a man could want to keep their beard under control. Even a PDF e-book on how to use the contents. If you’re looking for a full set of beard care products, scissors included, at a really reasonable price, GoldWorld has you covered.
BlueZOO Beard and Mustache Scissors and Comb Set
A very cheap men’s mustache care set, we love this pick by BlueZOO because it has literally everything a man needs, and has clearly been put together with care and thought, despite the budget price.
It contains two sets of scissors, one pointed and one rounded. The pointed blades are a mid-length 4.8 inches, with ambidextrous handles that are easy to use, making them ideal as a main trimming pair.
The second set of blades are much shorter and snub nosed, perfect for difficult to reach areas and cutting around softer skin.
Also included in the kit is a tiny, long toothed mustache comb and a carrying case to keep everything safe.
But there are a couple of small issues that push them to the bottom of our list. Firstly, these are carbon steel blades, rather than stainless steel. Finally, blade alignment can be an irritant, and they need sharpening a little more often than more expensive blades.
Despite that, for the price this is an impressive set. It shouldn’t be a main set of scissors, but if you’re wanting a pair to keep yourself trimmed up on top of using your standard method, these are great.
What to look for when buying your mustache scissors
Scissor length
The length of your scissors will primarily change two things. How easily they cut, and how maneuverable they are.
The longer a pair of blades, the more cutting force they exert, as there’s more blade length away from the fulcrum point. Longer blades can also cut more hair in a single pass, saving a lot of time if you’re trimming your whole face.
However, longer blades are much harder to handle, and a pair of shorter blades are much simpler to nip around the edges of a ‘tache for gentle touch ups.
Standard mustache scissors tend to sit somewhere between 4.5 inches and 6.5 inches in length, with scissors designed for salon or barbershop use at the longer end.
For home use, if you only intend to use your scissors for light trimming and touch ups, a smaller set is perfect.
If, however, you have an entire beard and mustache like a privet hedge to keep in check, buy a longer pair.
Single handed or ambidextrous
A lot of scissors designed for home use come as ambidextrous models, meaning you can comfortably use them in either hand with no issues.
Professional level scissors, on the other hand, will have been designed with a certain hand in mind. This will affect how you hold the scissors, and tends to give you a lot more control, but obviously limits you to using them in a single hand.
Japanese vs German Stainless Steel
Any good pair of scissors should be stainless steel, as it holds an edge better and is basically proof to most rusting and corrosion faced in general use.
The two best types of stainless steel come from Japan, and Germany.
Japanese steel is refined, and lends itself to a delicate cutting action and a precise blade. However, this comes at the cost of more maintenance, and you might find Japanese steel blunting faster than German made blades. Choose Japanese made scissors if you have thinner, finer hair and want more control and precision.
German steel, on the other hand, is robust and tough, generally forged with a thicker, wedge shaped bevel cutting edge. This means that the blades hold an edge better, and are ideal for men with particularly thick beard or mustache hair. Choose German if you expect to put your scissors through a lot of use, or if you naturally have thick, unruly facial hair.
FAQs
Why do you need mustache or beard scissors?
We’ll start by addressing the elephant in the room. If you have a particularly short mustache or beard (just over stubble length, around 1-2mm) then you don’t need scissors, and might consider investing in a good electric beard trimmer instead.
Once your beard gets to a certain length (generally after a month or two) it will start to develop split ends and get unruly and harder to control.
Split ends do two things you don’t want. One, they look terrible, causing your beard to look coarser and wild, in a bad way. Second, split ends are bad for your beard and mustache health, and will affect healthy facial hair growth.
Compared to beard trimmers, scissors offer a whole lot more control, letting you get into the delicate areas and touch up your mustache without affecting the rest of your growth.
Scissors are also surprisingly simple to use, especially once you get the technique down.
How to use your beard scissors
Using your beard scissors for the first time can take a little bit of practice, but once you have the method down and follow the steps below, it can actually be surprisingly simple.
- Start with a clean beard and mustache. Straight out of the shower is ideal
- Dry and comb your beard through, to make sure that you have access to all of the hair ends
- Using a comb as a guide for length, start by cutting down one side of your face, working from your sideburns down
- Don’t over cut, and don’t go over the same area repeatedly, as this can hurt your beard hair
- Comb down the freshly cut hair to remove all of the trimmed hairs and check for length
- When the rest of your face is trimmed, carefully trim your mustache using horizontal strokes, checking length as you go
- When your beard and mustache are fully trimmed, rinse your face to clean away remaining cut hair, then apply a good beard oil or balm to re-moisturise and control
My mustache scissors are starting to dull. Can they be resharpened?
Absolutely.
There are multiple methods to sharpen a dull set of hair or beard scissors, including:
- Cutting through folded sandpaper
- Cutting through aluminum foil folded several times
- Using a store bought scissor sharpener
- Using a whetstone and blade oil
Why do some mustache scissors have rounded tips?
The answer is deceptively simple. So you don’t stab yourself.
The skin on the face is particularly soft and sensitive, and you’re working in tight areas, and usually in a mirror. It’s simple to overcommit or misjudge and catch yourself with your scissors, even, and probably especially, once you’ve used them one hundred times and get a little complacent.
