Your beard could be the most majestic beard around, but if you have a messy neckline, it’s going to look unkempt. Trimming your neck beard is easy. It’s all about finding the right line and tidying up your edges. Some hair on your neck can add depth and fullness to a longer beard; however, regular maintenance is still essential. Check out our guide on how to trim your neck beard to perfection.
Contents
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What is a Neck Beard?
How to Shave a Neck Beard
Getting Started
Define the Neckline
Take Out the Weight
Shape the Sides and Cheeks
Refine the Shape
How to Trim a Neckbeard
What is a Neck Beard?
A neck beard refers to the hair that grows along a bearded gentleman’s neck and throat. It can often grow faster than other parts of the beard and tends to be patchier and unruly, due to different growth directions. Neglecting to tidy this area up regularly can make your entire look shabby and disheveled, so it’s important to keep on top of your neck maintenance. Plus, if you’re growing your beard out, trimming your neck beard is also an excellent opportunity to shape the rest of your beard as it’s growing.
How to Shave a Neck Beard
Getting Started
Trimming your neck beard is much like cutting any other part of your beard. You’ll need to gather a few supplies, including a comb, a trimmer or razor, and two mirrors — one fixed and one hand-held. If you’re growing your beard out, you’ll want to check in about once a month for a trim. Alternatively, if you’ve got a short beard, you may need to trim a little more regularly.
Define the Neckline
The first step to trimming your neck beard is to identify what hair you want to keep, and what you need to cut. To do this, you’ll want to picture a line running from one ear lobe to the other, around the bottom of your face. This line should fall roughly where your head joins your neck, about an inch above your Adam’s Apple. Anything below this line should go. Use your trimmer or razor to create a neat edge and shave below that line. Keep in mind, if you have a longer beard, this neck beard line may need to sit lower, at the bottom edge of your beard. By doing so, you’ll enhance the fullness and depth of your beard. However, shave any hair that sits below the lower edge of your beard to keep your look neat and polished.
Take Out the Weight
The next step is to take out any bulky weight under your chin. If you’re in tune with your beard, you should know where your fast-growing zones are. Often, under the chin is one of those areas. Take your trimmer, and remove any bulky tufts of hair. You’ll know you’ve done it correctly if, when you raise your chin, the hair forms a straight line from chin to neck.
Shape the Sides and Cheeks
Now that you’ve tidied up your neck beard, you’ll want to make sure your other edges are looking neat. Similar to under the chin, your jawline near your ear can also be a fast-growing zone. To shape up your side edges, use your trimmer and trim in line with the back edge of your sideburns, down to the bottom of your beard. This creates a strong line. Depending on your face shape and beard goals, you can leave the bottom edge squared off, or round it out. Next is your cheek lines. The cheek lines will vary a lot between people and techniques. The simplest way to start is to follow the natural growth line and just use your trimmer to tidy up the edge. You can try different line-up techniques, depending on how long you’ve been growing your beard, and what your goals are.
Refine the Shape
The final step is to refine the overall shape of your beard. Again, you’ll want to look for longer patches, and carefully trim them down to the same level as the rest of your beard. Often, these patches will be around the sides of your face. If you’ve got a mustache, you can also trim along your the top of your upper lip, to neaten that edge as well. Then, when you’re happy with the overall shape, massage in some beard oil or beard balm, to add moisture and hold for styling.
