To shave or not to shave the neck? That’s the question. 

If you’ve heard the term ‘neck beard’, you know it’s not the most favourable. A ‘neck beard’ usually refers to a poorly maintained beard/neckline and therefore someone who doesn’t take care of themselves. 

However, leaving the facial hair to grow out on the neck is also common when new beard growers make the mistake of not shaving or tidying up the neck. It’s an easy mistake to make!

While we recommend shaving your neck when growing a beard, there are important factors to consider, depending on your ideal beard style and how the beard is growing out. 

Why You Should Shave Your Neck Beard

When growing a beard, most men tend to let their facial hair grow out as much as possible before attempting to style it. However, beard hair does not always grow evenly, leading to thicker and thinner patches along the cheeks, chin, and neck. 

Neck beard hair can look especially awkward when the other parts of the face have little or no beard hair. As a general rule, the area above the mouth and chin should always have the most hair, followed by the sides and cheeks, then under the chin and neck area. Following this order of beard volume helps to achieve a balanced appearance for your face. 

Shaving the neck while the other areas of the beard are growing keeps appearance clean, and it makes defining the neck line easier later on, once the beard is fuller. The neck line of your beard defines how low it grows. There is no rule for where your neck line should be, and it will ultimately depend on the style and shape of your beard. We’ll cover more about this later on. 

Reasons to Consider Keeping a Neck Beard

A neck beard is worth keeping if you have a full beard - allowing your beard to extend down your neck can add to its volume. However, it’s important to keep any hair on your neck well-trimmed, as longer beard hair is more likely to become unkempt and trap contaminants such as sweat and bacteria. 

Shaving your neck beard too frequently can also lead to uncomfortable issues like cuts, ingrown hairs, and irritated skin. When the skin around the neck becomes irritated or has ingrown beard hairs, it is often accompanied by unbearable itching and redness.

How to Shave Your Neck When Growing a Beard 

So, what’s the best way to shave your neck beard, and how often should you shave?

Define a neck line

When growing a beard, take the time to visualise where the neck line will be - this will be a guide for where to shave your neck up to. A neck line that is placed too high will cut off your beard too abruptly, making it look unfinished or weird from different angles. Place the neckline too low, and you risk a scruffy-looking beard. 

Ideally, your neck line should follow the shape of your jaw. Trace a finger from the back of your sideburns down to the bottom of your face, and follow the natural curve created by your jawbone - this is the neck line for the side of your face. Next, trace a line from one side of the back edge of your lower jaw to the other, along your neck - this is where your beard should end. 

Trim during growth

Give your beard time to grow. Depending on genetics, it can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months to grow out a beard that you are happy with. You may need to stop shaving altogether for the first week or two to find out where you can grow a beard. 

While your beard is growing, make sure to shave your beard hair up to the neck line you have decided on. Shave whenever your neck hairs grow beyond stubble length - this ensures that your neck is kept neat while the rest of your beard grows out. You can also opt for a clear shave on your neck.  

Maintain the neck line 

Once you have a semblance of a beard, it will become easier to visualise and maintain the neck line. Going off your personal preference, you can change the position of the neck line to suit the beard style. Longer, thicker beard styles can conceal a lower neck line, while shorter beards will need a clearly defined neck line to avoid a messy appearance. 

When it comes to a neck beard, shave when in doubt. After all, you can always grow facial hair back and make adjustments from there. As for your new beard, you’ll need to keep it healthy and luscious with regular grooming and the right beard care products. Jericho is Australia’s most popular choice for quality beard care products that are made with natural ingredients - shop our collection of beard balms and beard oils online.