The neckline is the one edge most men get wrong on their own. Take it too high and you carve the beard up into your jaw, so it looks like a chinstrap. Leave it wild and the beard blends into neck stubble, which reads as unkempt no matter how sharp the rest is. There is a spot in between, and it is easy to find once someone shows you where.
Find the line with two fingers
Tilt your head level and look straight ahead. Put two fingers stacked flat right on top of your Adam's apple. The top of your upper finger marks the front of your neckline. That is the lowest point of the curve. From there, the line should rise gently toward the back corner of your jaw on each side, meeting the bottom of your ear.
Picture a smile shape, or a soft U, running from ear to ear with its dip sitting at that two-finger mark. That curve follows the natural shape of your jaw and keeps the beard looking full from the front.
Why not straight across
A hard, straight line across the throat is the most common mistake. It looks fine head-on for a day, then every time you turn or look down it shows a flat, unnatural edge. The curved U moves with your neck and holds up from every angle. Follow the jaw, not a ruler.
Shave below, leave above
Once the line is set, the rule is simple. Everything below the curve gets shaved clean. Everything above it is beard and stays. Use a trimmer with the guard off for the edge itself, then a razor or foil shaver to take the neck below it smooth.
Go slow the first time. It is easy to shave up into the beard and hard to put it back. When in doubt, leave a little extra and take it down on the next pass.
Prep so the neck stays clear
The skin under your jaw bumps easily, so treat this shave like any bump-prone shave. Warm the skin with a shower or a hot towel first. Use a slick shave cream, not dry-shaving. Go with the grain on the first pass. Rinse cool and put a light moisturizer on the shaved area after.
Hold the line between cuts
Your barber sets a clean neckline, then it grows back within days. To hold it, clean up just the neck below your set line every two or three days at home. Do not chase the line upward each time. If you take a little more every clean-up, in two weeks the neckline has crept high and the beard looks short. Match the same U your barber gave you and only clear the growth beneath it.
When to let the barber handle it
If you are growing the beard out longer, or your jaw shape makes the line hard to read on yourself, leave the neckline to your barber and only maintain the sides between visits. A good line-up is worth the chair time, and the shape holds better when a trained eye sets the baseline.
EvenHue reads what the camera can see and coaches your grooming. It is not a medical service, does not diagnose or treat any condition, and is not a substitute for a dermatologist. Anything that looks like more than grooming, see a professional.