TOO MANY GUYS still skip the basics of good grooming. Theyre washing their face with the same bar soap they use on their body instead of reaching for a (necessary!) cleanser. Theyre ignoring sunscreen and gambling with skin damage. Theyre letting ragged fingernails sabotage a date . But the most common (and overlooked) offense? Unruly neck hair.
Facial hair, of course, invites some level of passivity. The act of growing a beard, in and of itself, is the result of not shaving for a prolonged period. However, this does not mean it lacks any maintenance. For a beard to pop (and not look deranged), it needs to be properly washed, moisturized, and shaped. Shaping is the most involved, ultimately coming down to how you trim your beard and define its lines. Its the last bit that guys often forget, especially around the neck.
There is no beard or facial hair style that features unkempt neck hair, and there is no better way to defame a quality beard than ignoring neck hair. For someone like me with a fair amount of body hair , this can also result in the two colliding to create the worst kind of forest lingering under the chin. But you dont need to commit to this all-too-common disheveled tradition. Using these three easy steps, you can trim your neck beard.
Step One: Preparation
Just like shaving, trimming your beard , or cutting your own hair , tackling neck hair takes preparation. First, you need to clear the area of any gunk by washing your beard and neck. This will minimize irritation and reduce the risk of ingrown hairs by removing dirt, oil, and dead skin cells that clog pores and cause friction during the shave process. It will also soften the hairs, making them easier to cut, further reducing razor burn. If you have a shorter beard or rock stubble, a face wash will be able to handle the job.
Still, Id recommend something unscented and gentle like Kiehls Ultra Facial Cleanser or La Roche-Posays Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser . For longer beards, however, youre going to want to use a dedicated beard wash to avoid drying by stripping the strands of their natural oil. When it comes to beard products , Jack Black Beard Wash is one of the best around by utilizing soothing aloe and nourishing vitamin B5 to clean beards without drying the underlying skin out. The Horace Beard Shampoo is also a great option here from the always reliable skincare brand .
Now, its time to figure out what style youre going for. Do you like some scruff or a full-on beard? Either way, the neck needs to be taken care of, but what tool you use to manage it depends on your goal. To get the cleanest look possible, youll need shaving cream and a razor. Barbasol is a classic for a reason; its thick shave cream is as soothing and gentle on skin as it is comically foamy. Pair it with a Gillette Fusion5 razor, the best razor around, and youre primed for a smooth, irritation-free neck shave.
If youre an electric razor guy, you cant go wrong with the Braun Series 9 Pro Plus , with its AutoSense technology that adjusts to your unique beard density and powerful 40,000 micro-vibrations per second motor. This is ideal for shorter beards, as clearly defined and shaved neck and cheek lines will help facial hair look cleaner and more intentional. While Id recommend shaving (even if its after initially trimming) for longer beards as well, any growth on the neck will be more noticeable on shorter beards.
For any length, but especially longer beards, itll be easier to take a beard trimmer to the neck hair first before shaving. These tools allow for more targeted malleability, making it easier to shape and define the outline of your beard before fully shaving the neck. And there is no trimmer more adept at detailing than the Philips Norelco OneBlade .
With a double-sided, flexible trimmer blade that can squeeze into any crevice on your face or neck, you wont find a more versatile option. For a traditional beard trimmer, Panasonics option is powerful, efficient, and great when used without a length guard (which is how youll want to approach any neck trimming job).
Step Three: Trim Your Neck Beard
Determine Your Face Shape
There comes a time in every mans life when he must ask himself, Is my face oval or square? And that time should be right before attacking his neck beard, because tailoring your trim to your face shape will make your beard look intentional and way more flattering.
To determine your shape, look at your face to see if its longer than it is wide with a rounded chin (then its oval) or if its about as wide as it is long with a leaner jaw (square). This will then inform where you draw the line on your facial hair. For example, oval faces should lean toward a slightly lower neckline, while round faces benefit from a higher, more angular cut to elongate the jawlines appearance.
Define the Line
As a starting point for where to end your beard and shave neck hair, there is a simple trick using your Adams apple. First, while standing in front of a mirror, tilt your head back slightly to expose your neck and locate your Adams apple. Then place one to two fingers (depending on your face shape and how meaty they are) horizontally above your Adams applethis is where your neckline should start. From here, visualize a curved line from behind one ear, dipping to this point, then rising behind the other ear, with my round face dudes making the curve sharper and deeper.
Start Trimming
Starting from that spot you found roughly one or two finger-widths above your Adams apple, trim down your neck completely. For the cleanest possible job, use shave cream and a razor, but if youre nervous about placement or if your hair has been growing for more than a few days, take a beard trimmer to it first. You can always shave the remaining stubble after. Then follow the visualized curve starting behind each ear and do the same.
A few other tips: Move slowly and evenly to avoid accidentally cutting into the defined line and creating a patchy look. Also, when shaving, always go with the grain to minimize irritation and ingrown hairs. And just like that, your facial hair goes from looking overgrown to a natural style piece that pops.
More Grooming Essentials
How to Groom Body Hair | How to Cut Your Own Hair | How to Trim Your Beard | How to Trim Nose Hair | How to Maintain Your Trimmer | Best Beard Trimmers | Best Nose Hair Trimmers | Pubic Hair Trimmers | Best Hair Clippers | Best Cordless Clippers | Best Back Shavers | Best Head Shavers | Best Body Groomers | Best Razors | Best Electric Razors
Sean Zucker Grooming and Commerce Editor
Sean Zucker is the Grooming and Commerce Editor at Men's Health. He brings over half a decade of experience covering health, wellness, and lifestyle. When Sean's not writing about hair products, you can find him running for exercise, or toward the nearest food truck.
Reviewed by Christian Gollayan Deputy Editor, Commerce
Christian is the deputy commerce editor at Men's Health and Womens Health, where he oversees shopping content for both brands. He started his magazine career as an accessories assistant at Vogue, and has since held editorial roles at Tatler Asia and The Manual. When hes not online shopping, you can find him on long walks with his two corgis.
