Trouble getting your Santa mustache to stay on?
If you’ve wondered “How do I keep my mustache on?” or had issues getting a reliable hold, we’re here to help.
It’s understandable to be nervous about wearing a glue-on mustache for the first time. It might seem like so much could go wrong! And perhaps your first effort led to your mustache falling off or not staying in place. That happens and it’s ok – learning how to wear glue-on pieces can take a little practice.
If your mustache won’t stay put, here are four tips, and some product suggestions.
1 – Your mustache isn’t sticking because your skin has surface oil
You can have lingering residue from skin oils, but also from lotion, make up, after shave or other skin products. Even the foods you eat can make your skin more resistant to adhesive!
Suggestion – wipe the area with a cotton ball soaked in witch hazel (an astringent) a few minutes before using glue or tape. It’s best to start with clean, dry skin and not to use any products on areas where you intend to use glue or tape. Be sure to let the astringent dry completely before you apply tape or glue.
2 – The adhesive product you’re using just doesn’t work effectively with your skin chemistry or in the conditions you’re working in.
Suggestion – there’s a plethora of adhesive products designed for attaching lace backed hair goods to skin. Spirit gum, though cheap and easy to find, doesn’t work well for some people, even with perfect use. Double stick toupee tape is wonderful, but there are some people for whom it simply doesn’t stick.
If you’ve tried a glue or two, or tape, and couldn’t keep your mustache in place, it’s time to try some other options. Other brands of tape or liquid adhesive may work better for you. If you’re not sure what to try, talk with other Santas or call the manufacturer and ask for their recommendation based on your skin type or environmental situation.
Tape for your mustache, wig or beard
We sell six of the best and most popular brands of double stick beard and wig tape. They’re available as straight or curved strips, or in rolls. If you want to try all of these tapes, our Not a Whisker Stirring beard and wig tape sampler and Wig Tape sampler are very cost effective ways to test them all!
A word about liquid adhesive products
We are often asked to recommend adhesives. Since there are so many options, it’s very difficult for us to suggest a universally effective glue. But if you’re looking for a starting point, we do recommend these two:
Liquid Adhesives
We don’t sell liquid adhesives, but know many of our clients use theses two products with great success:
There are many other ‘entry-level’ brands of spirit gum, including Kryolan and Ben Nye. It’s important to know that basic spirit gum is a fairly limited glue. While it does work incredibly well for some people, many folks find that it doesn’t hold up long or it irritates their skin. Still, if you’re going to try a liquid glue, it makes sense to start with the basics. Of those, we prefer Mehron and feel it’s the most reliable.
Mastix is another very popular contact adhesive, and it’s very resistant to sweat and humidity. Many of our Santa clients swear by Telesis glues, especially for long days.
There are many other ‘entry-level’ brands of spirit gum, including Kryolan and Ben Nye. It’s important to know that basic spirit gum is a fairly limited glue. While it does work incredibly well for some people, many folks find that it doesn’t hold up long or it irritates their skin. Still, if you’re going to try a liquid glue, it makes sense to start with the basics. Of those, we prefer Mehron and feel it’s the most reliable.
Mastix is another very popular contact adhesive, and it’s very resistant to sweat and humidity. Many of our Santa clients swear by Telesis glues, especially for long days.
Please note that we are making general recommendations. You should consult the product labels and instructions for anything you use and ensure it’s suitable for your skin and situation. We are not medical professionals and are providing information and links only as a starting point.
Any product we recommend is considered safe to use with any Custom Wig Company produced wig, beard or item of facial hair, unless otherwise specified. Be sure to clean your pieces after every glue application. We do not recommend using any oil-based ‘removers’ directly on our pieces – the oils can damage the lace and hair. We recommend cleaning any of our lace pieces with 91% rubbing alcohol.
If you’re looking for other adhesive options, we suggest seeking guidance from a reputable seller or the product manufacturer, as they can steer you towards products likely to meet your individual needs. A great starting place for this is Alcone Makeup Co. They sell many of the most common liquid adhesives and have helpful staff to advise you.
3 – Improper use of product or incorrect method
Even the best wig tape or liquid adhesive won’t work if you’re not using the right technique.
Suggestion – make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions if using a liquid adhesive. Some need to be applied in two parts (one to the piece, one to your skin). Others might have a specific set-up time before the piece is applied. Check that the glue or tape is rated for fine lace pieces. Make sure you’re using any pre-application product the manufacturer recommends.
4 – Not leaving yourself plenty of time to practice putting your mustache on
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of using your new mustache. Or maybe you’ve got an event coming up and you’re out of time to experiment. But your first attempt at putting your mustache and set on might not go as planned.
Suggestion – To avoid disastrous results when it matters, give yourself time to try your pieces on and practice. Plan to test a method of application at least two or three times, on different days, before your first event. If one thing doesn’t work, leave yourself plenty of time to clean your skin and the lace and then try something else.
It can take time to learn how to apply your pieces properly and to find the best product and methods for your skin.
Leave yourself plenty of time to prepare your skin and the piece and to do the application. If you try a product or method and find it doesn’t work, note what seemed to be the issues, and then consider if there are any ways to adjust the process for next time.
For example, you could try letting product cure for another few minutes before applying, cleaning your skin with a different product, or changing where you start to put the piece on. For that final one, it might mean you start putting your mustache on from the middle of the upper lip, not the side (or vice versa)
5 – Not giving yourself enough time to get used to the process and the feel of having pieces attached
Wearing glue-on facial hair can feel odd at first. Even if you’ve found the perfect process of applying the piece, you need to give yourself plenty of time wearing your new pieces. If you spend a few hours wearing your pieces, you’ll be accustomed to have they feel. That will give you confidence in both your application and wearing them.
Learn what ‘normal’ feels like
Stand in front of a mirror and talk, laugh, sing or eat a cookie – if you usually do a thing in character, do it in front of the mirror. As you do, watch your mustache. Do you see it moving or shifting? Is it popping up in the middle? Watching how your mustache (and beard!) do or do not move when you’re performing will help you know what feels normal and what it feels like when something isn’t sticking.
It can also be easy to let one or two unsuccessful attempts put you off the whole process, but give it a few more tries and see how it feels.
We’re proud to offer professional wig and beard styling tools, care and maintenance supplies and a selection of wig and beard tapes.
These products are also available for purchase at any time in our store – click the buttons below to learn more about the items or order.
Your Santa order form includes the option to add these tools and supplies to your order at a discount.
These issues may not resolve the problem of your mustache falling off or coming loose, but they’ll give you some ideas to try. For most people, working through this list is enough to fix the issue. It’s truly very rare for a person to find no adhesive product or method works for them, but it can be a daunting, and even frustrating, process to figure out the best product and methods.
If you’re having trouble keeping your mustache on, see if any of these suggestions help. Do you have a foolproof method for securing your Santa mustache? Tell us in the comments!
Would you like to know more about our Custom Santa Beards and Wigs? Check out our main Santa Page and our Santa FAQ.
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Never consume alcohol prior to using adhesive as it gets secreted out through perspiration in the skin and will cause any adhesive like spirit gum or tape to fail.
If you use spirit gum leave the cap off the bottle overnight it will make it stick better, apply a thin coat to the area where the mustache lace will fit under your nose. let the first coat dry completely, apply a second light coat on top of the dried area. Tap the spirt gum as it gets tacky then press the mustache into place and hold until it sets up.