Mustache vs Beard: Difference and Comparison

Mustache and Beard are facial hair that occurs during or after the adolescence of a person. A mustache grows between Labium superius oris and the lower nostril like a line.

On the Contrary, a beard grows on the cheek, jaw, and chin, which could happen due to androgen hormones in the body. 

Key Takeaways

  1. A mustache is hair grown specifically on the upper lip, while a beard refers to facial hair grown on the chin, cheeks, and neck.
  2. Mustaches can be styled in various ways, such as the handlebar, pencil, or walrus, while beards can be shaped into styles like the goatee, full beard, or Van Dyke.
  3. Both mustaches and beards can be worn individually or together, depending on personal preference and facial hair growth patterns.

Mustache vs Beard

Mustache is hair on the face between lips and nose. A person can make a mustache style in fifteen different ways. Men have thick mustache hair. Women have light mustache hair. These hair mostly grow at the age of 18. Beard is hair on chin, jaw and cheeks. There are multiple types of beard styles. Beard covers almost half of the face of the person.

Mustache vs Beard

Mustaches are strands of facial hair observed between the upper lip and nose. Men tend to have thicker mustaches than women due to androgen hormones.

Like, animals have whiskers, Humans tend to have mustaches too. It is a French word primarily derived from Medival Greek, followed by the Italian word mustachio.    

Beards will start growing during puberty. It is also a type of facial hair that grows on the jaw, chin, neck, and cheek.

Usually, facial hair growth such as beard, is developed by dihydrotestosterone hormones and genetics in human beings produced from testosterone in the case of men and estrogen in women.

Comparison Table

Parameters of ComparisonMustacheBeard 
Meaning A type of facial hair grows between the top of the lip and the bottom of the nose.It’s another type of facial hair that occurs on the chin, cheek, and jaw of an adult,  person. 
Etymology In the 14th century, the word ‘Mustache’ is derived from Italian as ‘mustaccio’ & finally attested as a mustache in french.According to Old English, the word ‘Beard’ came from Proto-Germanic ‘bard’ 
Types of StylesThere are 15 types of mustache styles, that a person can style. Beards got various styles under the three heads- Goatee style, Partial beard, and Full-beard style.
Parts A mustache covers a part between the upper lip and the bottom of the nose like a line. A beard covers sideburns, mustache side & front face, and the neckline of a person.
When will it GrowMostly, the Mustache grows once the boys hit puberty or adolescence, where you could see tiny hairs growing. A Beard starts to grow during puberty, and for some, it may occur after teenagerhood, i.e, 18 years old.

What is Mustache?

Mustache is one of the finest and trendiest facial hairstyles for men. Mustache is a type of facial hair observed between upper lip and nose; thickly in men and lightly in women.

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Having that said, the thickness and density of a mustache depend on the androgen and age of the man.

Or to put it in other words, when one gets to hit puberty, let’s say around the age of 18, the facial hair will begin growing slowly.

Not only it is considered a natural process, but the mustache has become a transformative tool for glow-ups. Over and above, health and lifestyle play a part in the growth of a mustache.

Moreover, there are a hundred types of mustache hairstyles, from Chevron Moustache to Walrus Moustache, Pencil Moustache, Handlebar Moustache, Cowboy Moustache, and many more. 

Furthermore, there are several organic products such as scrubbing, shampooing, moisturizing, conditioning, that help in growing mustaches faster and thicker. Besides, trimming, waxing, and combing the mustache in time process a well-trimmed and neat mustache.

Historically, Mustache is a french word derived from the Italian word mustachio in the 14th century.  On the whole, a Mustache symbolizes assertive masculinity.

In addition to it, a mustache depicts one’s social maturity, aggression, age, appeasement, and attractiveness. 

mustache

What is Beard?

Facial hair is common in both men and women, however, the idea of continuing growing it is what defines the term. Beards will start developing during puberty time.

Whereas hair that is found on the jaw, chin, neck, and cheek is a beard. It is mostly during pubescence and adulthood, males grow beards.

Earlier, a beard is considered a cultural-religious tradition, but lately, it goes along with fashion trends. Some religions like Islamism and Sikhism mandate long beards as a part of the cultural heritage.

Besides, beards represent a man’s virility, wisdom, strength, sexual prowess, and high social status.

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However, sometimes beard is associated with poor hygiene and an unconventional demeanor. Yet, Beards help keep warm in colder climates. 

Over and above, a beard is characterized as a secondary sexual characteristic by biologists since it is observed only in one gender.

Speaking of its types, there are full beard, old dutch, jawline, brett, garibaldi, sideburns, goatee, chin curtain, Van Dyke, and many more.

In a nutshell, for a healthy, fast-growing, thick beard, there are a few tips, including exfoliating, cleansing, moisturizing, ingrown hair checkup on the face, stress-free schedule, healthy diet, vitamins, and supplements, and a no trim policy. 

beard

Main Differences Between Mustache and Beard

  1. A mustache grows on the face, between the upper lip and the bottom of the nose, whereas a Beard grows in three parts of the face- chin, cheek, and jaw. 
  2. Mustache is derived from the Italian word ‘mustaccio’ and later attested ‘mustache’ from the French language. ‘Beard’ is derived from Proto-Germanic ‘bard’ according to Old English. 
  3. Mustache symbolizes assertive masculinity, but a beard represents a man’s virility, strength, sexual prowess and also indicates social status as high class. 
  4. A mustache has numerous hairstyles such as Fu Manchu, English Mustache, Dali Moustache, Horseshoe, Pencil, toothbrush mustache, Hungarian mustache, Zapata mustache, Walrus, Painter’s brush, Lampshade mustache, Chevron, and Pyramid mustache. On the other hand, Beard has various hairstyles such as Goatee, Balbo, Soul Patch, Chin curtain, Hulihee, Circle beard, sideburns, Verdi beard, ducktail, and many more. 
  5. A mustache grows after puberty, say mostly teenagers, nevertheless, A beard is grown by pubescents and adult males.
Difference Between Mustache and Beard
References
  1. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-137-06228-4_1
  2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44450605

Last Updated : 24 July, 2023

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