After the remains of eccentric surrealist artist Salvador Dali were exhumed Thursday by Spanish authorities trying to solve a paternity mystery, forensics experts announced that the painter's iconic mustache has managed to hold its shape-- even though Dali has been dead since 1989.
"The mustache preserved its classic 10-past-10 position," said Lluís Peñuelas of the Dalí Foundation to the newspaper El Pais. "Checking it was a very exciting moment."
It didn't take long for some Dali admirers to pronounce a miracle, such as Narcís Bardalet, the embalmer who preserved the artist's body, who told a local radio station, "Salvador Dalí is forever."
Of course, mustache aficionados have long known about the seemingly death-defying qualities of mustache wax. To shed some light on the miracle of Dali's mustache we turned to our resident hair guru, Marlin Bressi, who (along with being a regular JOTB contributor), also happens to be a nationally-renowned master hairstylist with seventeen years of professional experience and is also the author of "Blow Me: Hairy Adventures in the Salon Industry".
"Mustache wax is typically made from a combination of beeswax and mineral oils," Bressi explains. "Beeswax is essentially immortal. This substance has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs in usable condition. Beeswax has also been recovered from ancient shipwrecks and found to be in good condition even after centuries under water."
Since Dali has only been dead 27 years, there is nothing "miraculous" about his immortal mustache. Although there is one possible way to find out for sure, should Spanish authorities and descendants of the painter be so inclined.
"Beeswax melts at around 150 degrees," explains Bressi. "If authorities or family members ever decide to have Dali's remains cremated and the mustache manages to retain its distinctive shape, then, yes, I'll have to admit that a miracle has taken place."