Causes of itchy mustache and the right way to deal with it

Various causes of itchy mustache

When your mustache feels itchy, of course there is a special underlying cause. The following are various causes of an itchy mustache, one of which you may be experiencing:

Dry skin

Dry skin can trigger an itchy mustache. There are many factors that cause it, ranging from hot, cold weather, or showering too often with water that is too hot.

In addition, using a facial cleanser that is too harsh can also remove natural oils on the skin, causing dryness of facial skin, including around the mustache.

Not only that, skin problems, such as psoriasis and eczema can also make the skin dry, which is quite severe.

Ingrown hair

Ingrown hair after shaving or ingrown hair can also cause itchy mustaches. This condition occurs when the shaved hair instead of growing out, actually grows back into the follicle.

This problem usually causes inflamed follicles and makes the mustache feel itchy. This condition is generally characterized by red, wavy, itchy, and sometimes painful, hair follicles.

Pseudofolliculitis barbae

Pseudofolliculitis barbae is an inflammation that occurs when facial hair growing from a follicle curves back into the skin. This condition is usually related to how to shave facial hair.

Symptoms include a face that looks red, there are pus-filled blisters, and a bumpy surface of the skin around the mustache.

Folliculitis

This condition occurs because the hair follicles in the mustache become inflamed. This inflammation is usually caused by a bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infection. When you have folliculitis, inflamed follicles will usually look red, sore to the touch, and blistered.

Seborrheic eczema

This skin problem can make the skin scaly, red, and of course itchy. Although it usually affects the scalp, seborrheic eczema can also attack your mustache and beard, especially in people who have oily facial skin.

Tinea barbae

Tinea barbae is a fungal infection that occurs in areas of facial hair, such as mustaches and beards. This skin problem is caused by dermatophyte fungi.

Usually tinea barbae causes a person to experience red, inflamed, and crusty skin, especially around the mouth, cheeks, and under the chin.

Tips for dealing with an itchy mustache

Mustache and beard are androgenic hair, meaning that their growth is triggered by testosterone levels in the body. The more testosterone you have, the thicker these facial hairs will grow. To treat it so that it no longer itches, here's what you can do:

1. Maintain clean mustache

Mustache sometimes feels itchy due to the accumulation of oil, dirt, and bacteria. This is especially true if you have a thick mustache.

So that you no longer itch, you need to keep it clean by washing your face every other day while rubbing your mustache hair. This aims to prevent oil and dirt from accumulating between the mustaches. If the mustache is thick enough, wash your mustache with warm water every 3 days.

2. Moisturizes the mustache with natural ingredients

Just like hair, mustache also needs to be moisturized. The reason is, the mustache and the dry skin around it can trigger itching.

However, try to use natural ingredients to moisturize it. You can use jojoba or argan oil to keep the mustache and skin area around it moisturized.

In addition, every time you shave your mustache, use tea tree oil or aloe vera to help moisturize it.

3. Using drugs

If it turns out that the cause of this itching is a certain skin problem, the doctor will usually prescribe medications, such as:

Ointments or creams containing lactic acid and urea to treat dry skin.
Mupirocin (Bactriban) to fight bacterial infections.
Hydrocortisone, clobetasol (Cormax), or desonide (Desonate) to treat seborrheic eczema if the inflammation is not contagious.
Ketoconazole (Nizoral), if the cause is due to a fungal infection.
Glycolic acid (Neo-Strata) to treat itchy mustache due to pseudofolliculitis barbae.
Topical or oral antifungal medication to treat mild tinea barbae.