Beards have become so popular that you might even hear in-depth conversations on the radio or cable talk radio covering some topic that has to do with beards. Where and when it is appropriate to sport a beard is a common topic, but an area that may cause a great divide is when the topic moves to neck beards.
In this article, we will dive into neck beards, including a look at them through history, where the modern shape seems to have started, as well as correcting some of the false information that may be floating around in the universe.
- What is a Neck Beard?
- Is a Neck Beard a Style or Laziness?
- Types of Neck Beards
- Famous Neck Beards
- Grooming Tips for Neck Beards
- What to Avoid if You Choose to Grow a Neck Beard
What is a Neck Beard?
Before we go any further, we should probably explain what a neck beard is. Although there is no single definition. A neck beard is a style of beard that grows on some part of the neck below the line of the chin.
Although the purest view is that a true neck beard features a clean-shaven face at or below the chin. Though the consensus appears to be quite a bit broader. A neck beard can be combined with a mustache, grown long or kept short, as well as appear impeccably groomed or let grow freely.
Neck Beards have been around for centuries, one only has to look at prominent historical figures such as Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, author Henry David Thoreau, obstetrician John Braxton Hicks (yes, who false labor is named after), and many others. In years past, neck beards have even been seen as a symbol of importance, power, or prestige.
People are perhaps most common with the Amish traditional beard look. Amish men must remain cleanly shaven until they marry, then let their neck beard grow. Even today, if you meet an Amish businessman and he possesses a long beard, you would be safe in assuming he has been married for quite some time.
Is a Neck Beard a Style or Laziness?
The biggest argument that tends to separate those for or against neck beards is the idea that a neck beard is a result of lack of grooming habits or pure laziness. While I will not claim that lack of beard grooming is not the cause behind some neck beards, I am more apt to believe that those who sport neck beards attend to them much in the same way any other type of facial hair is groomed. That isn’t to say there is no room for improvement in grooming technique and knowledge, however.
Types of Neck Beards
Now that we know that neck beards have been around for a while, here are some of the different types of neck beards. You will notice that in some cases the names they have been given may not make complete sense, but who knows where the actual names came from.
The “Neard” (Nerd + Beard)
This type of neck beard is the center of the pro or against neck beard argument. This name came from the many memes floating around online that depict a “nerd” with a grown out, patchy, unkempt beard. The idea is that they have spent too much time on their computer to worry themselves with silly things, such as proper beard care.
We only include this type because it has been so widely discussed, there is no direct example of this type of neck beard, it is more of an assumption of fact than a style.
The Chin Strap Neck Beard
This is the neck beard that consists of a small line of beard hair that is kept trimmed and usually fairly short in length. The beard runs on the underside of the chin, along the jawline. This is a great style for men that want to focus attention on a strong jawline.
This style may or may not be attached to the sideburns, and is common in younger men who have not achieved their full beard growth potential yet want to have some facial hair.
Pencil Cut Neck Beard
This neck beard is very similar to the chin strap style, except more hair is kept along the jawline and chin. This style requires regular upkeep due to its detailed styling and precision lines. Additionally, this style looks great with a finer French cut mustache.
The Professional Neck Beard
This neck beard is the ones you will see sporting beard decorations such as flowers, lights, and even (heaven help us) glitter. These beards are most often found on men that have no problem grabbing for the spotlight and make no excuses for themselves or their beards.
Low Cut Neck Beard
This neck beard style requires a thicker beard to pull it off successfully. This style requires precision styling along the top edge of the beard along the jawline. This beard is usually paired with a thick and full mustache as well and can be kept shorter or grown very long.
Patchy Neck Beard
This neck beard style may be the result of failing to groom or the early stages of a fuller beard. This style is often denser in some areas while others are thin or even completely balding. With this style, it is still important to properly care for your beard even if you are planning on a bigger beard statement.
Jawline Neck Beard
Very similar to the low cut neck beard, this beard style features an impeccably groomed shape that is meant to mirror the jawline on the lower edge of the beard as the beard get longer. This style is often paired with a more stylized upturned mustache for a unique and confident look.
Short Styled Neck Beard
For men who have no problem maintain a regular grooming routine, this neck beard style is a beard that covers the lower half of the face and underside of the chin, stopping just at the curve of the neck. While the length can vary a little the best style actually features a reverse fade to a clean-shaven head. The thicker hair being on the apex of the chin.
Hanging Neck Beard
A nod to neck beards of the past, this beard style features a clean-shaven face and jawline. In many ways, this beard may appear to be a fake beard, like those ones a mall SantaClausmay use. The hanging neck beard can be many lengths, but the goal is usually, the longer the better
Famous Neck Beards
Men of all walks of life have donned the neck beard from time to time. Although we were unable to find a celebrity that is currently sporting the hanging neck beard, we were able to track down a few examples of celebrities that either currently has or have worn a neck beard at some point during their career. This list is not all-inclusive if you know someone we should add go on and let us know.
Jonah Hill
Hill has caught some flack in the media for his unkempt neck beard. Although we applaud his talent, he should really check with his stylist before settling on the look of the unshaven.
David Beckham
Beckham is one of the few men that can get away with almost any kind of style and women swoon. But we must applaud his easy style. These days you will not see David worrying about a precise cut for his beard, he embraces his wild growing beard.
Andrew Luck
The NFL is no stranger to impactful facial hair, but Luck has now become almost synonymous with the phrase neck beard. One quick search will turn up more than a few comparisons between Luck and well-known neck beards in history. Isn’t that like comparing apples to oranges?
Redd Foxx
You may not recognize the name, but Foxx played the father role on Sandford and Sons, an ornery character filled with laughter and perfect timing. Foxx was one of the first celebrities to sport a partial neck beard on the television screen after a time of actors either being clean shaven or only wearing a mustache.
Hank Williams, Jr.
This country legend is well known for his beard and especially in the 80s sported a prominent thick neck beard paired with a mustache. What many may not know is that Williams originally grew his facial hair to cover scars he received after an accident in the mid-seventies.
Grooming Tips for Neck Beards
No matter the style, or reason for having a neck beard. Proper grooming will help to ensure that you have the best neck beard you can possibly achieve. Here we provide you with some important tips for getting whatever style of neck beard you are after.
Washing Your Neck Beard
Keeping your neck beard clean will make it look better, improve the overall health of the beard and relieve many of the common issues that men with neck beards face, such as itching, even odor. Choosing to grow a neck beard, especially a traditional neck beard, takes some dedication.
Just like the hair on your head (if you have any), a neck beard requires regular washing to eliminate excess dirt and oil. When looking for a cleanser, make sure to pick up shampoo, soap, or cleanser that is specifically designed for beard hair. Other types of cleansers may not be able to penetrate the coarse beard hair to provide the proper cleanliness.
The beard hair follicles produce an oil, called sebum. This oil is necessary to coat the hair, helping to keep moisture from escaping the strands. Longer beards fight oil buildup, especially closer to the skin since there is no natural way for the oil to distribute the length of the hair shaft. This does not stop oil from being produced.
Especially long neck beards may want to use the rinse and repeat method of washing their beard. The first wash removed dirt and oil from the length of the beard, while the second is able to effectively clean the root and skin of the beard. Men who fight beard dandruff or itchiness will want to be sure to completely clean this area.
Conditioning Your Neck Beard
No one likes the look and feel of a dry brittle beard, wearers or others that may get close. Conditioners help to soften the coarse beard hair while promoting hydration to the beard hair.
There are a few different ways to condition your neck beard. First, you can use a conditioner that goes with a beard shampoo. This simple way of conditioning can be done right in the shower and for those that wash and condition their head hair can be especially easy to add to your routine.
Another way of conditioning a neck beard is to use one or more conditioners that are mostly designed to be left in the beard instead of washed away. Here are a few of the types of products that will help to condition your neck beard:
Additionally, beard oil users may fight to build up more than non-oil users; likely requiring more regular washing.
Sea Salt Spray (a little known secret)
Not everyone knows that sea salt spray is even a thing, let alone it’s used. Sea salt spray is often used to create texturized beach waves in head hair. However, sea salt spray can be a great addition to the grooming routine of neck beard wearers.
Sea salt spray helps to provide fullness to limp or finer beards without adding excess weight. Additionally, individuals who struggle with oily skin and beard can use sea salt spray to absorb the excess oils.
Brushing Your Neck Beard
Brushing your neck beard not only takes out any tangles but can help with other beard needs as well. Brushing with quality, natural fiber brush will help to distribute the sebum produced throughout the length of the beard hair. Some men may even be lucky enough to not need additional conditioners after regular use of a beard brush.
Boar’s hair is perhaps the most popular bristle for natural fiber brushes. They provide a strong but flexible bristle that can absorb both oil and water easily. These brushes can be used either dry or wet depending on your individual needs. Individuals that want to retain most of their natural sebum will want to soak the brush in warm water prior to brushing. The hair fibers will absorb the water allowing for less absorption of sebum and more distribution.
There are synthetic and plastic brushes on the market. These products can remove tangles from your beard and assist in styling your beard. However, these products are often mass produced by machines that leave behind small burrs and imperfections that can pull or damage your beard hairs.
Blow Drying Your Neck Beard
First-time beard growers may be surprised to know that many men regularly blow dry their beards. There are a few things to keep in mind if you choose to blow dry your beard.
First of all, you must protect your skin by only using the dryer on a low heat setting. The skin on your face and neck is much more sensitive to burns than on the scalp. Low heat will also cause less damage to the beard hair.
Only use a blow dryer after you have towel dried your beard. Using a blow dryer to completely dry dripping beard hair will mean too much heat. Using a heat protectant, or beard oil will help to reduce the amount of damage that heated drying can cause.
Finally, using a brush with a blow dryer can help to straighten out especially curly beards for a longer, polished look. Curly beard hair is especially susceptible to humidity changes and will curl very easily in humid conditions. Using a small amount of beard oil will help to keep the humidity from frizzing your beard.
Style Your Neck Beard
There are a ton of options for styling your neck beard, from a specific cut to length, even braids, and other style techniques. What we want to cover is the product that many men use to style their beards, and that is beard wax.
If you do not know what beard wax is, it can be similar to beard balm, but with a significantly high ratio of beeswax to other ingredients. When warmed the wax becomes soft and can be used to sculpt the beard. When it cools the wax become hard.
Using beard wax for the first time can be interesting, as you learn how much wax fits your personal style. You can choose to use very small amounts of wax that provide a light hold, or more if you want your beard to stay put.
Whichever way you choose to use beard wax, know that what you put on, you must then take off. There are horror stories of some men believing they had no choice but to cut away wax. That is not true if you have wax in your beard that is hard to remove, simply use a blow dryer to soften the wax and comb away. Follow manufacturer’s recommendations for using beard wax to prevent any unnecessary mishaps.
What to Avoid if You Choose to Grow a Neck Beard
Choosing to grow a neck beard should not be a choice made easily, neck beards of all types require beyond that of traditional beards. Here are just a couple of the important aspects to consider.
Failing to Consider Face Shape
When you look at pictures of men that sport neck beards you are going to quickly notice two things. When they look good, they look great, when they don’t it is a disaster.
Neck beards are definitely going to draw attention to the area below your chin. If you have excess weight or a double chin, this may be accentuated by growing a neck beard. If this is your issue, consider the styles of neck beards that stay at or just above the jawline, such as the chin strap and pencil cut. You should also make sure that your lines are very thin, as precise as possible.
Regular Maintenance
A seasoned beard expert can easily spot the difference between a beard that has just been let grow and one that is regularly maintained. Even if you choose to not trim any area of your facial hair, it should be brushed, washed and conditioned regularly. Especially long beard hair can get dry very quickly. Not only does dryness lead to itch, but the hair will appear extremely dull as well.
Conclusion
There you have it, everything you ever wanted, or needed, to know about growing a neck beard. The bottom line is that only you can decide if a neck beard is right for you. Your personal style, grooming routine, and desires will be the biggest factors in making the decision. If you do choose to sport a neck beard, be patient, growing a statement beard takes time. There will be many times you may reconsider your choice, just give it time. No matter what you choose, it’s your beard… Own It!
