Your beard’s neckline is a big deal in the sense that it is the single most effective way to clean up the overall appearance of your beard! Chances are high that you can get away with a relatively messy cheekline or mustache line, but only as long as your neckline is sharp and well defined.
You see, your neck is the most notable point of contrast between your beard and bare skin. Because it’s so noticeable, it’s easy to tell when people do it right, and especially easy to tell when people do it wrong. Because of this, today we’re going to give you a few key steps that will help you determine where the neckline should start and how you can trim it properly for the perfectly sculpted beard look!
The length of your beard is going to make a huge difference in how you go about finding and trimming your neckline. More on the steps for that later in this article! For a quick and easy video on how to trim the perfect neckline, watch below and don’t forget to subscribe to Volt’s YouTube Channel!
What Is Your Neckline?
Your neckline is the area on your neck where you create a clean and clear divide between your full-on beard hair and your bare skin. The reason there should be a clear cut-off line between your beard and your skin is because this line gives your beard definition, shape, and the appearance of cleanliness and neatness. All it takes is a simple google search for “bad neckline” and you’ll begin to see what we mean.
Take a look at the image below to see what we describe as your neckline.
Essentially, you want your neckline to be high in contrast between your dense beard hair and your clean bare skin. The more clean cut this line is, the better. The more that your stubble starts growing around this line, the more it will begin to blur the edge of this line and cause your beard to look unkempt.
Where Should Your Neckline Start?
Probably the most difficult part of getting the perfect neckline is determining where your line should start and how you’re going to shape it! Well, we’ve got your covered with some of the following tips and considerations!
How Long Is Your Beard?
Short Beards: When you are rocking the 1-2 month stubble/short beard kind of look, then you’re going to want to trim carefully because your neckline is going to be more noticeable. Most people with shorter beards trim their necklines far too high, which can often lead to exposing the under-area of the chin, or creating an uneven line that can be seen from the side near your jaw. You’re going to want to keep your neckline long enough so that no point on the line heads underneath your chin or jaw area.
What we recommend for finding your perfect neckline are these steps: First, stand up straight and keep your head at a normal level looking forward. Then, take a ruler, pencil, your finger, or some kind of straight instrument and stick it across your neck as far back into the crease between your jawline and neck as it will comfortably go. Keep the tool there and slowly lift your chin up to view line across your neck where your beard hair should be trimmed for the cleanest look.
Medium-Long Beards: For longer beards that may hang off your chin and cover your neck, you’re going to want to trim your neckline at the longest point that will still give you a squared off base for your beard hair. Beard hair grows at different rates at different areas on your face, so squaring off the beard is a modern and clean look that any medium-long beard can accomplish.
Here’s how you can do this. First start by brushing and combing your beard to ensure all the beard hair is straight and will show you their true length. Then, face a mirror head on and view how the bottom of your beard is rounded. This most often happens because the hair on your chin grows faster than the hair on your cheeks, meaning that your beard hair is going to hang lower in the center and higher on the sides causing a round-edged appearance. Trim the center of your beard hair to match the lowest part on the sides to give yourself the squared-off look that enhances your jawline and looks clean and masculine.
Best Ways To Trim Your Neckline
At Volt, we always recommend using a beard brush/beard comb to straighten the hair, especially before trimming your neckline. Otherwise, the hair will just naturally extend as it gets touched, etc. and cause the line to look uneven or unkempt all over again. Optionally, you could also use some beard balm/beard wax to control the hair and keep it in place. This balm and/or wax will hydrate the hair, causing it to naturally straighten as well as stay in place for when you begin to carve the line.
Then, take a razor, clippers/trimmers, etc. and slowly move across your neck carving out that line in your hair. Once you have the neckline set up and well defined, then you can begin shaving away all the hair below it! It’s that simple. Check out the video mentioned earlier in the article for a demonstration!
You May Also Enjoy
