Your beard can be divided into three parts: The mustache, the jowls and the neckbeard. Let's define the neckbeard as the section of your beard that starts under your jaw and ends where your shirt begins.
Here are some examples of a neckbeard:
As you can see, it's a really old way to keep your neck warm during the winter months. But come spring and summer, you've gotta shear thyself.
Left alone, your neck will grow an unruly, unkempt, unprofessional mess of fur, but with the right tools, it's really quite easy to trim your neck down. Once you do, your beard will look crisp and clean and ready for spring.
Here's what you need:
- a razor
- shaving cream
- maybe 5 minutes of your time
- aftershave
As the video from ASOS above shows, all you need to do is identify your jawline and work downward from there.
An electric razor works well for this particular part of your beard, because your neck's hair follicles don't all grow in the same direction. If you shave in one direction across your neck, you'll shave into, around, with and against your grain. Electric shavers can help buffer this, as seen in the video above.
But if you want to use a wet razor, the Art of Manliness recommends using a gentle razor with a high performance blade, as that will cause less irritation.
Men's Health recommends you not only shampoo your beard, but condition and oil it every day as well, so that it stays as soft as it ever will.
With practice and a steady hand, you too can trade your neckbeard for a jawline like Odell Beckham Jr.'s, just in time for training camp: