How To Trim A Goatee Neckline: Under Chin Technique

A well-positioned neckline could make or break a goatee. Perhaps that’s a little dramatic, but you’ll soon see my point. You’re about to learn how to trim a goatee neckline.

Too high and you’ve got a double-chin effect going on. Too low and you’re rocking some untidy neck stubble. It’s a fine balance, and it’s more of an art than a science. 

Having said that, there are tried and tested techniques used to carve out a neckline. The beauty of a goatee neckline is that it is narrow. It only extends partially across the neck, and so it isn’t as hard to get right. 

But knowing how to trim a goatee under the chin is a major facet of the style itself. It’s time to delve deep into the method. 

How To Trim A Goatee Neckline Under The Chin

As with any grooming habit, there is definitely more than one way to do this.

This is just what works well for me.

1. Trim the whole beard down 

Although not all of this hair will ultimately remain, you’ll want to trim everything you’ve got down to the same length.

Doing this makes it much easier to carve out the goatee outline and neckline later on. 

An electric trimmer is required to do this properly.

If you don’t already have a trimmer, the Philips Norelco Oneblade QP6520/70 is worth looking into. Check it out on Amazon here.

But anyway, back to the tutorial. 

Decide on what length you want your goatee to eventually be. This is the length to which you’re going to trim everything down to. Even the parts you’ll eventually shave off, like the cheeks and the neck. 

2. Trim the goatee outline

This is often done using the naked blade of the trimmer. In other words, the blade with no guards or combs attached to it. This will trim down to very short stubble. 

Visualize the sides of your goatee first. They should be a natural extension of the mustache downward. Following the natural curve of the mustache allows for very natural-looking sides. 

Trim this outline and all the hair surrounding it on the cheeks. The cheek hair must go. 

3. Define and trim your goatee neckline

You’ve trimmed the goatee outline as well as your cheek hair. The style should be looking very much like a goatee by this point. 

However, tilt your head up and take a peek at your neck. You most likely see a layer of neck stubble staring right back at you. This needs to go, and in doing so, you’ll be trimming a very fine neckline for yourself. 

The most commonly asked question is how far under the chin your goatee should extend. To trim an impressive goatee neckline, follow these steps: 

• Visualize the sides of your goatee extending down your neck. This determines the width of your neckline. 
• The height of your neckline should be approximately two finger-widths above your Adam’s Apple. 
• Using the naked blade of your trimmer, trim this line and all of the neck stubble beneath it. 

Other Goatee Necklines To Know

1. The Extended Goatee Neckline

This style is essentially a Full Goatee with the bottom edges of the sides tailing back partially across the jawline. Think of it as the start of a chinstrap. 

Men often wonder how wide their neckline should be considering the sides seem to track backward as they reach the jawline. 

The simplest way to tackle this problem is to simply have the neckline be as wide as the widest part of the goatee.

Yes, this will therefore very much depend on how far back the extended goatee extends backward.

2. The Long Goatee Neckline

A “long goatee” is a difficult beard to define. One man’s “long” is another man’s “medium” and is another man’s “short”. 

But no matter how long your goatee is, the neckline should be trimmed. The longer it is, the less important it will be. However, it is still important. 

But with long goatees, you can afford to have the neckline be a little lower because it simply isn’t as visible.

Having said this, neck stubble will be visible from certain angles unless your goatee is very long. For most people, this doesn’t apply. 

Keep it neat regardless of how long the chin beard in front of it is. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Neck Stubble Ever Acceptable? 

The “neckbeard” is a derogatory term for a beard consisting of a lot of hair on the neck.

Neck stubble is quite easy to miss. A few days after you trim your goatee you may feel as though you want to rest on your laurels.

It’s easy to let things slide. The goatee itself may look perfectly fine, but tilt your head up and you may find neck stubble starting to rear.

The reason it leaves a bad impression is that it can make a facial hairstyle look very unintentional. A beard should be well-groomed and well-nourished in order for it to look intentional. 

Removing neck stubble and defining a proper neckline is an important aspect of it. The shorter a beard is, the less acceptable neck stubble becomes. This is simply because it becomes more visible. 

Does Goatee Length Make A Difference To The Neckline?

Not necessarily. With stubble and short beards it’s more important to have a well defined neckline.

Remember, two finger-widths above the Adam’s Apple and you’ll most likely be absolutely fine. 

But if the goatee was longer, you could probably afford to lower the neckline a little. For one, the neckline itself would be less noticeable hiding behind the long chin beard. 

A longer goatee also tends to look more natural with a lower neckline. However, it still needs to be well-defined and neatly trimmed.

Help – My Goatee Neckline Is Too High

This can sometimes be difficult to assess yourself. It’s worth getting a second opinion if you’re unsure. 

A good self-assessment would be to stand in front of the mirror and look at your side profile.

Open your mouth wide, and check where the neckline comes up to. If it actually comes up above your chin, your neckline is too high. 

That’s not to say that your neckline is perfect if it doesn’t fail this test. It just means that it isn’t too high by definition. It still may not be at its optimal position. 

If you do notice that your goatee neckline does fail this test, you’ve always got the option of trimming it all off and starting over. The difficulty with this look is that it can create an awkward “double-chin” appearance. 

Conclusion

Maintaining a neckline at the right height should eventually become second nature.

It’s something that can be easy to neglect until you’ve seen what a well-positioned neckline can do to the overall aesthetic of a goatee. 

Once you’ve done it properly, you’ll never want to let it go. Hope you found all of that useful. Thanks for sticking around until the end.