This article was co-authored by Juan Sabino and by wikiHow staff writer, Amber Crain. Juan Sabino is a Professional Barber and the Owner of Juan's Barber Shop, a barbershop based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Juan has over 20 years of male grooming experience and over eight years of professional barber experience. He specializes in combovers, barber fades, and tapers and is focused on improving men's overall wellness.
There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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A well-groomed beard has defined cheek lines and neck lines. Cheek lines run along each cheek bone, from the bottom of the sideburn to the edge of the mustache. Neck lines run from ear to ear, beneath the jaw bones and connecting in the center, right above your Adam’s apple. Sounds simple enough, but lining up your beard takes a little work! Once you know which points to start at and where the lines should run, you’ll be able to line everything up easily.
Steps
Smoothing Your Beard for Trimming
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1
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2Allow your beard hair to dry fully before you trim it. Never trim a wet beard! Wet hair looks longer than dry hair, so if you start trimming while it’s still wet, it’s easy to trim off way too much. Let your beard air dry completely, or use a blow dryer on a low setting to dry the hair.[3]
- If you have sensitive skin, skip the blow dryer. It can aggravate the skin beneath your beard.
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3Invest in a wide-toothed comb and beard trimmer. To properly line up and trim your beard, you need the right tools. A good wide-toothed comb and quality beard trimmer are essential.[4] If you have a good pair of clippers, you can use those instead of a beard trimmer.[5]
- For daily maintenance, you might want to pick up a pair of professional barber’s scissors, too.
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4Comb through your beard. Using a wide-toothed comb, gently detangle your beard hair thoroughly. Comb the hair into its usual place. This gets everything organized before you start creating your beard lines and helps ensure clean, even results.
Designing Your Cheek Lines
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1Visualize a straight line from your sideburn to your mustache. This line should follow the natural line of your cheek. You want the line to be straight, starting at the bottom of your sideburn (point A) and ending at the edge of your mustache (point B). Identify specific points for A and B; don't generalize.[6]
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2Draw a straight line from point to point with a white pencil (optional). If you’re worried you can’t create clean lines just by visualizing them, pick up a white pencil to draw yourself a guideline on each cheek. You can use a white eyeliner pencil, or hop online and order a barber’s pencil.[7]
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3Trim the hair above one cheek line with a trimmer or clippers. For a clean and defined line, don’t use a guard for this. Carefully trim the hair above the visualized (or drawn) cheek line. Shave downward and go with the grain of your hair.[8] Start at the sideburn (point A) and working your way down your face right next to your mustache (point B).[9]
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4Round off the transition points if desired. If you want a very defined and angular look, don’t worry about rounding off the transition points at your sideburn and mustache. For a softer, more natural line, round off the edges at the point where the beard meets your sideburn, and again at the point where it meets the edge of your mustache.[10]
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5Repeat on your other cheek. Always do one cheek first, and then refer back to it as you’re working on the other cheek to make sure things are even. Avoid going back and forth from cheek to cheek, which can result in you trimming off too much of your beard. Make the sides as even as you can, but don’t stress over absolute perfection.[11]
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6Trim your cheek lines every 1-2 days for the cleanest results. If you want to keep your lines defined and sharp, you are probably going to have to do routine maintenance and clean up every other day. If your hair grows very fast, you may even need to do this daily.[12]
- Avoid trimming every day since you could irritate your skin.[13]
Shaving Your Neckline
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1Visualize a line that runs from ear to ear. Imagine a line that starts behind one ear (point A), curves down to the top of your neck (right below your jaw), then back up to the back of the opposite ear (point B).[14]
- The ideal neckline extends down from the curve of the ear.[15]
- You can always use the white pencil to draw guidelines if you need them.
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2Locate the midpoint right above your Adam’s apple. Place two fingers above your Adam’s apple, right below your chin. This will help you locate point C, the midpoint between point A and B.[16]
- The midpoint is typically 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm) above the Adam’s apple, right between your head and neck.[17]
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3Place the trimmer at point C and shave downward. This is a good place to start with the neck line. Place the clippers or trimmer right at point C, above your Adam’s apple, and shave downward. Go down as far as necessary to remove all the hair from your neck area below point C.
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4Work outwards from point C. Starting at the freshly shaved midpoint, work outward, either to the right or left, and start eliminating all of the hair below the jawline. Remember to follow the line that runs from point A to point B. Avoid creating an overly rounded line – it should curve gently.
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5Return to the center and work outward on the other side. Once you have one side cleaned up, return to the midpoint. Then repeat the exact same movements to create the neck line beneath your other jaw.
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6Round off the intersection where the sideburn and neck line meet. Imagine another line that goes straight down from your sideburn. It should start at the back edge of your sideburn (the part closest to your ear) and go straight down to meet your jawline to bisect the ear-to-ear line. Use the trimmers to round the intersection off on both sides.[18]
- If you prefer an angular look or want to create a more square-shaped jaw, skip rounding off the intersections.
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7Trim your neck line every 1-2 days for the cleanest results. To keep your neck line defined, clean up the lines every other day. If your hair grows very fast, you may even need to do this daily. For a more natural look, you can do it every three or four days.
References
- ↑ Juan Sabino. Professional Barber. Expert Interview. 28 January 2020.
- ↑ http://www.esquire.com/style/grooming/a4429/how-to-trim-a-beard/
- ↑ http://www.beards.org/grooming.php
- ↑ https://www.beards.org/grooming.php
- ↑ https://www.beards.org/cheek.php
- ↑ https://www.beards.org/cheek.php
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbrMuYQED80
- ↑ Juan Sabino. Professional Barber. Expert Interview. 28 January 2020.
- ↑ https://www.beards.org/cheek.php
- ↑ https://www.beards.org/cheek.php
- ↑ https://www.beards.org/cheek.php
- ↑ https://www.beards.org/cheek.php
- ↑ Juan Sabino. Professional Barber. Expert Interview. 28 January 2020.
- ↑ https://www.beards.org/cheek.php
- ↑ https://www.themanual.com/grooming/how-to-shape-a-beard/
- ↑ https://www.birchbox.com/guide/article/how-to-trim-and-fade-your-beard-neckline
- ↑ https://www.themanual.com/grooming/how-to-shape-a-beard/
- ↑ https://www.beards.org/neck.php
About This Article
To line up your beard, you’ll need to make a straight cheek line and shave a clear neckline. First, imagine a straight line running from your sideburns to your mustache along your cheekbone. Then, trim the hair above the line with clippers. If you want the line to be very defined, round off the transition points at your sideburn and mustache. Otherwise, just round off the points where your beard ends for a more natural look. When it comes to your neckline, imagine a line running from one ear to the other. Find the mid-point on this line by placing 2 fingers just above your Adam’s apple. Shave downwards from your fingers with the trimmer. Work in both directions to get rid of all the hair below your jawline. Finally, trim a line running down the back of your sideburn closest to your ear to the bottom of your beard. For tips on how to wash and comb your beard before trimming it, keep reading!
