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Beard Neckline: Find, Trim, & Shape it 

beard-neckline-guide
beard-neckline-guide
Beard Trends

Beard Neckline: Find, Trim, & Shape it 

Defining your beards neckline is simple, all you need to do is use one to two finger widths as a guide.

The beard neckline can be found right under your chin and above your Adam’s Apple. It’s the hard line that defines the bottom part of where the beard starts.

It’s a matter of preference whether you want your neckline to be sharp and defined, scruffy and natural, or faded.

Finding out exactly where your beards neckline is supposed to start from, and how to properly trim it, is what you will be learning in this post. 

In other words, this is a complete illustrated guide on how to locate the optimal place for your beards neckline, how to trim it properly, and what are the best tools to help you maintain that perfect neckline effortlessly.

Let’s begin:


How to Find Your Beard Neckline Easily

how to find beard neckline illustration

Most beard grooming experts and barbers agree that the perfect location for where your beards neckline should be at, is at one to two finger widths above the top of your Adam’s apple.

Simply put, the easiest way to find your beards neckline, is to put your index finger on top of your Adam’s apples highest point and use that as the indicator where your beards neckline should be.

If it feels like the beard neckline is still too low after this procedure, you can optionally also place both your index and middle finger on top of the Adam’s apple and use that as your guide on where to trim your beard neckline from.

But that only covers the front part. How about the sides of the jawline, where should you trim your beards neckline at the sides? Easy, just keep the neckline one to two fingers below your actual jawline.

Here’s a picture that perfectly illustrates what I mean:

soft fat under beard neckline

So to summarize finding your beards neckline:

Looking from the front, your beards neckline should start from one to two finger widths above the highest part of your Adam’s apple. Looking from the side, your beards neckline should be one to two finger widths below your actual jawline.


How to Shave and Shape a Perfect Beard Neckline

evenly trimmed beard
  1. Take your beard trimmer and remove the guard.
  2. Place your index finger at the top of your Adam’s apple.
  3. Start defining a line around your chin, making sure there is a gap of 1-2 finger widths between the edge of your neckline and the top part of your Adam’s apple.
  4. Continue trimming the neckline towards your ears around the jawline, again use your finger to guide you by placing it underneath your natural jawline.
  5. Once done, you can use beard scissors to snip away all the rogue hairs still remaining, and a razor to give your neck a clean-shave.

How to Fade Your Beard Neckline

heavy stubble goatee with faded beard neckline

Some guys don’t want a sharp and defined neckline that defines where their beards start from, instead they would like to opt for a more natural looking faded neckline.

Faded beard neckline is simply a neckline that doesn’t have a sharp defined edge, instead it gradually blends into your non-bearded skin at the neck.

Here’s how to fade your beards neckline:

  1. Take your beard trimmer and put a guard on it with the lowest possible setting.
  2. Start from the top part of your Adam’s apple, and trim down a very small 0.5″ section upwards.
  3. Now set your beard trimmers guard up a couple settings and continue trimming down another 0.5″ section upwards.
  4. Again set your beard trimmers guard couple settings higher and continue trimming down another 0.5″ section upwards.
  5. Keep doing this until your neckline blends perfectly with the rest of your beard. Depending on your beards length you may need to use some common sense and fiddle around with the above measurements.

Fading your beards neckline is much harder than defining a clear-cut line. It’s best to go to a professional barber for this if you don’t know what you’re doing.


Best Tools For Maintaining Beards Neckline

using a beard shaping tool on the neckline
  • Beard Trimmer – It goes without saying that when trimming your beards neckline, there’s no better tool than a good beard trimmer.
  • Beard Scissors – Even after using the trimmer, you will sometimes find rogue hairs sticking out, it’s easy to snip these away with a set of beard scissors.
  • Beard Razor – Some guys like a clean-shave on their necks, and you need a razor for this. I recommend using something simple and cheap like the Gilette FusionGlide. Also a word of warning, shaving your neck hairs super short exposes you to the risk of ingrown hairs. Personally I skip razor and just use the trimmer without any guard for a clean enough look.
  • Beard Shaping Template – Arguably one of the most helpful but not that well known things that can help you define a beards neckline is a dedicated beard shaping tool.

What to Do if You Shave Beard Neckline Too High

too high beard neckline

The cardinal sin of trimming a beard is shaving the beards neckline too high.

Most men trimming their beard for the first time, make the mistake of thinking that they should follow the natural edges of their jawline and chin when trimming their beards neckline and jawline.

Wrong.

If you do that your beards neckline will go way too high and it will simply look unnatural, especially from the side profile.

On top of looking weird, a beards neckline that is too high will also creep up to halway of your cheek when you open your mouth to eat or laugh for example.

Stick to the golden rule of 1-2 finger widths up from the Adam’s apple and down from your natural jawline to avoid that.

But what if you already shaved your beard line too high, is there any way to recover?

Sadly there isn’t a silver bullet that could quickly fix the issue. Your only hope is to trim the rest of your beard down and wait some time to try again (yes, this can mean months of growing due to one simple mistake).


Should You Shave Beards Neckline When Growing a Beard?

beard with low neckline

So we know by now that sculpting a defined line to the bottom part of your beard can make it look defined and awesome.

But what if your goal is to grow a big long beard, one that goes way below your Adam’s apple for example, how should you go about shaving the neckline then, or should you even shave it?

The answer is no! When growing a big bushy beard, it’s best to let your neckline grow out naturally as well.

This is due to the fact that if you would constantly keep shaving down your neckline while the rest of your beard grows in length, it would eventually create an odd looking gap between your neck and the beard.

Remember, the neckline gives a lot of volume to a big full beard. If the goal is size, leave your beards neckline alone.

If that sounds confusing, here’s a picture that shows exactly what I mean:

long beard neckline

Conclusion

Defining your beards neckline is simple, all you need to do is use one to two finger widths as a guide, place them on top of the highest point of your Adam’s apple, and trim a nice defined line right there.

Most professional barbers and beard groomers agree that a gap of 1-2″ below the top part of your Adam’s apple and the start of your beard is perfect for beards neckline.

Fading the beards bottom part is of course also an option, but it’s much harder and often times better to be done at a professional.

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The Executive Contour

Popular Men Hairstyle

Know it:

It’s not a cut. It’s a tool to get what you want. Rules boardrooms. Does awfully well in bedrooms, as well.

Get it:

The Executive Contour is a classic men’s cut. It’s a bit like a Hard Part Pompadour, but without the hard part and with considerably more length on the sides and back, so you can’t see scalp. Consider starting with a clipper guard of four. You can always cut it closer after that. The Executive Contour works with or without a hard part, depending on how structured you want it to appear.

Build it:

1. Scrub a towel over your hair, leaving it only slightly damp.

2. Use a comb to create a smart part, straight back from your hairline to your crown.

3. Blow the whole mess dry, maintaining the parting, using a Vent type brush to add a bit of a natural wave. 

4. When everything’s dry, smooth Reuzel Green Pomade evenly through your hair.

5. Comb The Executive Contour into place.

6. Use your fingers to create a natural curl in the bangs, laying it back against the hair on top. After all, there isn’t a single titan of industry who isn’t a bit of a rascal when he needs to be.

The Junior Contour

Popular Men Hairstyle

Know it:

Somewhere along the way, every l’il rascal starts to transform into a proper scumbag. This isn’t just a cut, it’s a rite of passage.

Get it:

Have the young gentleman tell his barber he wants his hair short on the back and sides, but rather long and thick up top. The intent is to create a natural side part.

Build it:

1. Shampoo with REUZEL 3-in-1 Men’s Tea Tree Shampoo. (Because lord knows boys don’t stand still long enough for proper conditioning.)

2. Thoroughly towel-dry the hair.

3. Use a comb to create a side part, and then blowdry the hair on top brushing up and back as you do.

4. Scoop out a liberal amount of Reuzel Red Pomade and smooth it through the hair, working from crown to tips.

5. Now comb the whole mop back into place, sweeping the long bangs up and back over the opposite side of the head.

6. Snap a photo now, dad. Because if your lad’s anything like ours, he won’t be returning quite as clean as he left.

The Scumbag Boogie

Popular Men Hairstyle

Know it:

Calling Jay Gatsby. This is the look that flattened women’s hearts during America’s Golden Age.

Get it:

The Scumbag Boogie is in every Reuzel barber’s wheelhouse. If you find yourself elsewhere, ask for a high fade and a relatively high side part. Tell them you want enough left up top to give your hair a bit of a wave.

Build it:

1. After a nice shower and daily shampoo, dry your hair with a towel. Use a comb to establish a clean part.

2. Blow dry hair with a vent brush, without lifting or creating excessive volume. (In fact, if you aren’t headed out for a bit, you can let the hair dry on its own.)

3. Once dry, apply a liberal amount of Reuzel Blue Pomade for a firm hold, smoothing it from the part sideways. Or use Reuzel Red Pomade for a hold that’ll loosen up after a solid hour of jitterbugging, if you know what we mean.

4. Comb hair into place, letting the teeth flow naturally with the wave of your hair. Let the good times roll.

The Vanguard Hairstyle

Popular Men Hairstyle

Know it:

The full-bore slick back. No part. No fuss. Nothing standing between your face and the world about to be laid at your feet.

Get it:

A Reuzel-certified shop will clock just what The Vanguard is. But a lesser stylist, who knows? So tell them you want to comb your hair straight back, without any obvious blending or undercut.

Build it:

1. Apply a generous palm of REUZEL Grooming Tonic to clean, towel dried hair. 

2. Run a comb through your hair to make sure the tonic is spread evenly.

3. For an extra-straight look, blow dry while directing hair backward with a 7-9 row Denman type brush. If you’d rather keep just a bit of natural wave, use a vent brush instead.

4. Once that’s done, you’ll want to put in some product to lock The Vanguard down. Use Reuzel Blue Pomade, and let the pork do the work.

5. Comb everything backwards evenly, so there’s no visible part.

6. If you’d like a bit of height, use a hair pick to lift up the front and top. But in general, keep it smoothed back from your face. After all, the whole point of The Vanguard is looking like you got nothing to hide. Even if you do.

The Low Fade Pompadour

Popular Men Hairstyle

Know it:

Keep it low, buddy. Get down to the scalp around the neck and ears. Then a speedy blend to create weight on the sides and back.

Get it:

Ask your stylist for a Low Fade Pompadour. The most common question you’ll get is, “How low do you want to go?” The proper reply is that you want the fade to blend one inch above your ears.

Build it:

1. Apply Reuzel Grooming Tonic to clean, towel dried hair. This’ll make your hair easier to control, and smell very nice indeed.

2. Use a comb to create a part, pushing the hair over and back.

3. Blow your hair dry, while using a 7-9 row Denman- type brush to direct your hair. The sides go backwards. The front goes up and then back over your crown.

4. When you’re done drying, scoop out a knuckle’s worth of Reuzel Blue Pomade for a clean, high shine. Or use Reuzel Pink Pomade, which will thicken your hair into pure grease.

5. Rub the product between your palms and smooth it through the hair, petting yourself like a good doggie from front to back, away from the part.

6. Comb everything into place, lifting your bangs up and back if you want even more height up front.

The Textured Long Crop

Popular Men Hairstyle

KNOW IT:

The textured long crop is a classic shorter at the sides and back with a bit of extra length on top haircut. Enough hair on the sides and back to cover the scalp and just enough length on top to show lift and texture. 

GET IT:

Tell your barber or stylist you just saw Steve McQueen in the movie “The Great Escape” and you’ve been inspired but you want the top a bit more texturized.  If they don’t know what you’re talking about, show ’em this picture.

BUILD IT:

Clean the textured crop haircut with one of our shampoos and condition the hair. Towel dry the hair and spritz on a small amount of Reuzel Spray Grooming Tonic. Comb the hair into place on the sides and back and tussle the top with your fingers. Allow to dry naturally.

For a strong textured top – use a dab of Reuzel Extreme Hold Matte Pomade and rub it into the longer hair on top until happy with the look. For a softer more natural look – use Reuzel Matte Styling Paste instead.