The Handlebar Club Forum

Glue Brands: Avery Glue Stick (purple or white) and UHU Purple (not white)

Availability/web site/stores: Available most places where office supply or craft stuff is sold. I get mine at the Dollar store.

Ingredients: unspecified adhesives but marked as nontoxic per USA standards. Contains no petrolatum as is not greasy at all.

Amount, price, currency: three tubes of .26 oz. or 7.4 gm for a dollar US at dollar store. More elsewhere. Pretty cheap regardless, compared to moustache wax.

Reviewer’s climate: Desert with 2 mos of high temps in summer and 2 mos of cold in winter, seldom below freezing.

Reviewer's Moustache style(s): curled handlebar or English.

Amount to use: Minimal, depends on style.

Undried Consistency: smooth, firm paste in stick form like chap stick.

Application: like a crayon or by finger: apply lightly to body of moustache and into front and back of the extended ends. Be sure to get the lower edge over lips so it sticks to itself also. Goes on non-sticky, then develops a stickiness for a while, then dries non-sticky.

Visibility: Don't use too much or it may be visible. Dries invisible. Tiny clumps may form if you comb after the tacky period. The purple varieties will lose that color before it dries and be colorless.

Drying time: 1 to 5 mins - or less with application of heat.

Dried Consistency: in the curls or extremities it's hard as rock, in the middle holds the same depending on how much is used. Glue stick does soften a bit with moisture from the breath, especially if less is used. Extremities are not affected by that.

Durability: I can sleep on my curls and they come out undamaged in the morning. Glue stick is very tough in general. You can flick the curl repeatedly with your finger and not harm it. Lighter applications are less tough.

Caveats: Don’t use paper napkins or tissue as they may leave lint on the moustache if any moisture is present. Carry a cotton handkerchief.

Limits/disadvantages: Not water proof, so wet conditions, rainy weather or cold conditions where breath will condense on hair will not be good. Keep tightly capped so it doesn’t dry out.

Advantages: Washes out with water easily, so you can remove it or change style quickly or do repairs easily. Nontoxic and not at all greasy. Durable in bed. Very portable twist tubes. STYLING OPTIONS: because it makes the individual hairs sticky you have more options for styling. You can do the curls more open rather than solid for a different effect, or do a feathered look overall. Completely non-greasy so won't leave residue on your pillow.

Maintenance: Middle hairs may come apart a bit after some hours if you use less glue there. Experiment. Easy to touch up that if need be. Has to be replaced when you wash your face.

Washing out: plain water in a few minutes. If you have more in the hair or curls that may take a few minutes of massaging. Soap isn't needed. Just use warm water for tougher spots.

Additional thoughts, recommendations, conclusions: Other brands may work as well. UHU white glue stick dries clear also but has an odd, artificial fruity scent I got sick of after a couple hours. Try some other brands. 3M glue stick was too gummy.

Check out my blog at the link below for more on using glues and for videos.