Growing a beard takes commitment, and you want it to come in thick and proportioned to face shape. So, what if you have too much growth in the wrong areas and develop an unwanted neck beard?
You can easily get rid of a neck beard by trimming, shaving or waxing. This will temporarily solve your scratchy and unwanted hair problem. Then you’ll want to shampoo, towel dry and beard normally. Then let it air dry so you can comb it out smooth and tangle free.
These beards can happen to anyone! See how proper beard care prevents issues with overgrowth and stray hairs into your neckline. Keep reading.
What is a Neck Beard?
“Neckbeard” is a derogatory term referring to nerdy, awkward men often detested by their peers. However, as it relates to men’s grooming, a “Neck Beard” refers to excessive facial hair around the neckline. Also, an unwieldy neck beard is seen by others as unkempt and unsightly, particularly when patchy.
Performing routine facial grooming is an important step for avoiding a neck beard. Many men don’t trim or fade the neckline as they’re unsure of the proper length and trim techniques.
how to avoid a Neck Beard?
- Define your perfect neckline.
- Use this guide to trim a beard neckline perfectly.
- Comb your beard daily and check for stray hairs.
- Keep an electric shaver and edging attachment handy to clean up your neck hair.
- Talk to your barber about creating a better neckline if you want to use your beard to slim down your chin, jaw, and neck.
What if you like a neckbeard as your personal style?
Not everyone wants to have a super sleek beard or even have the time to trim beard hair every day. Additionally, your personal style is all your own, but just googling the term ‘neckbeard’ shows you it’s also used as a derogatory insult.
If you properly groom your beard with a conditioner, oil, and comb, you may have a larger, full beard that drops lower on the neck, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a neckbeard. When neck hair becomes unruly and grows down to your collarbone, it’s more noticeable that you haven’t kept up with your beard grooming.
How to Shave a Neck beard
Shia LaBeouf is one of those men who may be able to pull off a thick, unkempt beard, but the patchy growth towards the Adam’s apple inspires a bit of cringe, don’t you think?
Emphasize Facial Features
One thing to consider is that when you trim hair below your jawline, you actually add depth to your face. A well-kept beard also emphasizes your facial features, but a neckbeard may draw attention to areas you don’t want people to focus on when meeting you.
Just consider Jonah Hill’s beard transformation – before and after shaving his neck beard.
You don’t have to have super clean-cut edges either, but you do need to define your neckline, then you can take care of unruly neck hair growth. If you aren’t sure whether you have a neckbeard, you can lift your chin up and look at the hair extending down from your jaw.
If you see patches of hair extending past your Adam’s apple, then you’re in need of a neckline trim.
Define Your Beard Neckline and Shave Your Neckbeard
Start at the Bottom of Your Ear
Let’s start by lining up your beard. If you put your finger at the bottom of your ear, then trace a line down your jaw’s edge underneath your neck to your neck. Where does your finger stop? This is your neckline:
The neckline should stop about an inch above your Adam’s Apple. It could be different based on the length of your neck or how much of your neck you want to expose. However, one thing is certain, neckbeards are most noticeable once they trail past the middle of your neck or about where your Adam’s apple is located.
Place two fingers above your Adam’s apple to see where your neckline will start.
Shave Everything Below Your Neckline
Once you have found the right neckline, you can start shaving from the bottom of your neck upwards. You want to take it slow and make sure it’s even so that you don’t shave off too much. However, you should still use shaving cream and go with the grain with your razor.
If you have access to an electric shaver, you can use an edging attachment for a professional look.
How to Trim & Fade your Beard Neckline
If you have grown out your beard enough to fade into a thick beard, you can use an electric shaver with different guides to fade your neckline at home.
Fading a neckline is fairly simple, but you’ll need the following:
- Electric shaver or hair clipper
- Clipper guide combs (#1, #2, and #3)
- Shaving cream
- Beard oil
- Beard brush or comb
1. Start with a #3 guide to trim down your entire beard.
Faded beards are very clean and stylish. For that reason, you want to trim down the entire beard to a longer, uniform length. This can be done with a higher guide comb and your clipper. We suggest using a #3 or #4 depending on the length you want.
2. Clean your lower neck first with a #1 guide comb.
Move up from the bottom of your neck and trim just slightly past your Adam’s apple.
3. Switch to a #2 guide comb now to trim and blend.
Trim up from your Adam’s apple, blending up to your beard.
4. Clean Up and Finish
Take off the guide comb or get a shaver to clean up below your Adam’s apple and remove any other stray hairs.
Go to more faded beard styles.
Other Tips to Avoid a Neck beard
Trimming your beard may be necessary every day to avoid growth in areas you don’t like. There are a few things to keep in mind when molding your facial hair for the perfect beard length and texture.
Start with Symmetry
Well-balanced beards look the best around the neckline. You may want to use a beard shaper or beard guide for your neckline if you aren’t comfortable.
Go to a Barber First
If you are very unsure about cleaning up your neckline because it may expose too much of your neck, then you should have an expert barber trim your beard and hair first. Now you have a guide to how to trim and clean up your beard like an expert, and you can use your own shaver to do it.
Select the Best Trimmers and Razors
You can use any razor to shave your neck and clean it up, but if you want a professional look that blends hair to create a smooth neckline naturally, then you may want to use a beard trimmer. The best features of electric shavers and trimmers include:
- Ceramic blades
- Multiple clipper lengths and guides
- Wireless
- Multiple speed options
Brush and Comb Your Beard Daily
Even if you have some stubble or a few stray hairs on your neck, you should be able to clean up the rest of your beard and keep it looking sharp and well-groomed. You should develop a style with your beard that accentuates your facial features and adds a little length to your neck as well.
If you have a thin or patchy beard, a beard brush can actually help you groom and generate more volume with your beard hair. You can direct hair how to grow and cover-up patches and eventually be on your way to a full or even a yeard beard!
