Defining Your Neck Line
Visualize a line from one ear to the other. Imagine a line that loops from the back edge of each ear down and around the top of your neck. Envision the lines meeting in the center of your neck (below your jaw).
Visualize two lines extending down from your sideburns. Find the rear edges of your sideburns. Imagine a straight line extending down from each. If you don’t have any sideburns, allow them to grow in a bit so you can better identify where the rear edges of your sideburns are.
Identify the intersection of the two lines. Everything above the first line you visualized and in front of the second line you visualized should be allowed to grow in. Anything below or otherwise outside those lines should be shaved. Another way you can find your neck line is to look up, then locate the deepest curve of your neck. Shave everything below that line, gradually angling up toward your jawline.
Exploring Options
Give yourself a clean neck. If you want a “hard stop” between your beard and your neck, simply shave away everything outside the neck line you’ve identified. Use short quick strokes to remove all the stubble or beard growth that is not inside the neck line.
Give yourself a faded neck line. Instead of having a “hard stop” on your beard, you could have a neck line that gradually tapers down in beard thickness to smooth skin. To shave your neck into a fade while growing a beard, set your clippers at half the length of your regular setting. Using the clippers, trim the base of your neck line in a perimeter of about one inch (two centimeters) out from your neck line. Shave everything outside this perimeter bare.
Add more gradation to the faded neck line. If you wish, you could create even more gradation within the fade by shaving the outer half inch (one centimeter) of the perimeter you’ve already shaved using an even shorter setting for your clippers. For instance, you could set the clippers to one-quarter of the standard length you use, then shave the outer portion of your one-inch fade.
Adhering to Best Practices
Use warm water to wet your neck area. Shaving your neck while growing a beard will be easier if your neck is wet. Shaving after a shower is a good option. Alternately, wipe a towel dampened with hot water over your neck before you shave. This will help open up your pores. For an even smoother shave, apply shaving lather to your neck before shaving.
Use a straight razor. A straight razor will allow you to get a closer, smoother shave than a disposable razor. Set the blade at a 30-degree angle to your skin. Change hands as you move from one side of your face to the other.
Shave using long, slow strokes. Don’t rush the process. Razors are sharp, and shaving too fast could cause you to injure yourself. Use long, slow strokes to shave your neck when growing a beard.
Splash cold water on cuts. If you accidentally cut your neck while shaving, splash cold water on the cut. This will tighten the capillaries and should reduce bleeding. If your neck continues to bleed after a few minutes, place a piece of toilet paper over the cut, or dab a styptic pencil on the cut to clot it.
Apply aftershave to the neck. Aftershave is a liquid, gel, or lotion that cools and soothes freshly-shaved skin. Moisten your neck and hands a bit, then apply a few drops of the aftershave to the palm of one hand. Rub your palms together briefly. Massage the aftershave into your neck.
Conduct maintenance when you feel it is necessary. There is no firm schedule according to which you must shave your neck while growing a beard. Different people have different rates of neck hair growth. Additionally, the urge to shave one’s neck while growing a beard also varies in intensity. Therefore, shave your neck as often as you like. Some folks will shave their neck every other day, while others will shave just once per week.
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