Chest hair can take many different shapes and forms. Thick, thin, patchy, curly, etc. But tiger line chest hair is a surprisingly versatile style that would work on almost anyone.
It’s simple, slick, and elegant. The style doesn’t take a lot of effort to pull off, but certain steps need to be taken in order to ensure it’s done correctly.
Subtlety is the name of the game. Making carefully-groomed chest hair look natural is an art in itself, and the results can be outstanding.
In this article, I’m going to first explain what tiger line chest hair is. This is important because there are plenty of different definitions floating around on the internet.
Afterward, I’m going to dive into a step-by-step tutorial on how you can trim it for yourself.
What Does Tiger Line Chest Hair Look Like?
It’s a well-defined strip of hair that runs down the middle of the chest and abdomen toward the pubic hair.
In some men, it’s already quite well-defined. They just naturally have this glorious railroad of fur running down their body.
If you’re one of these people, good for you. You can still use a trimmer to define that tiger line even further.
If you’re not one of those people, you’ll have to work a little bit harder for it. You may have a thick rug over that chest with no particular pattern to it.
Or, you may have sporadic patches here and there. Not a problem, that’s what this article is here for.
First of all, this is what tiger line chest hair looks like:
An important point that’s integral to the trimming of this style is that chest hair naturally tends to get thicker as you get closer to the middle.
In fact, a lot of men simply have chest hair in the space between their pecs and nowhere else.
So, think of trimming this style as simply showcasing this hair in the middle, and thinning out the hair around it.
Another important point is the importance of maintaining a continuous strip from the chest, down the stomach, and to the pubic hair.
Of course, this won’t be possible in men who don’t have enough hair on their stomachs.
But if you do, it’s just important to keep that strip of hair flowing from top to bottom. For the style to look good, your chest hair and stomach hair will need to look similar in thickness and length.
You can think of it as a happy trail that just extends up your chest as well.
Bear that in mind as we step into the tutorial.
How To Trim Tiger Line Chest Hair
Here’s a simple, step-by-step tutorial on how to trim this phenomenal chest hairstyle.
What you’ll need:
- Electric trimmer – to do this properly, this is pretty crucial. You need intricate control over the length. You could **use your beard trimmer**, **a pair of clippers** or an all-in-one groomer like the Philips Norelco Multigroom 7000. Check it out on
Amazon here. - Moisturizing cream – you’re about to do some heavy-duty trimming. Chest skin can be quite sensitive. To save yourself from some irritation, you’ll need to moisturize well after you trim.
Step 1. Trim the entire chest and stomach to the “Tiger Length”
Bear in mind that the objective is to make the tiger line prominent while still keeping it looking natural.
The best way of doing this is to trim the areas either side of the tiger line 3mm shorter. Then, trim the outer chest and stomach another 3mm shorter.
This produces a nice, graded, thinning effect as you go outward from the tiger line to the edges of the chest and stomach.
So, the first step is to “create the canvas”, and trim the entire chest and stomach down to the “Tiger Length”.
The Tiger Length is the length your eventual tiger line will be. Although the tiger line is usually only around an inch wide, the first step is to trim the entire chest and stomach down to this length.
That way, you’ll be able to neatly carve out the line in the middle afterward. That’s what you’ll be doing in steps 3 and 4.
Now it’s time to decide what length you’ll want your tiger line to be. It really depends on your personal preferences. It also depends on how much chest hair you’re starting off with. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter.
I usually go for 1/2 – inch (around 12mm) when I go for this style. Then I trim the areas either side of the inch-wide tiger line in the middle down to 9mm. Finally, I trim the outer areas down to 6mm.
So, choose what tiger length you’d like, and trim down. Keep the skin gently taut to catch the more difficult hairs. Vary the angle of the trimmer, as chest hair tends to grow in all sorts of directions.
Step 2. Trim either side of the tiger line
It’s time to carve out the tiger line chest hair by trimming either side of it to a length 3mm shorter. If you chose 12mm, this would be 9mm.
Refer back to the diagram above to make things clearer.
So, keeping an inch-wide strip of hair in the middle of the chest and stomach at your original length, trim either side of it down to 3mm shorter.
How far either side should you trim to this length? This is also down to personal preference.
I usually visualize lines going down from the middle of both of my collarbones, and use these as the “edges” for this shorter length. Outside of these lines, I’ll be going another 3mm shorter (in step 4).
So, set your trimmer to a length 3mm shorter than your tiger line, and carefully carve it out by trimming either side of it.
Try not to make the change in length too abrupt – you can even fade into it by keeping the very edges of the tiger line a millimeter longer. This would be going for perfection, however, and not entirely necessary.
Remember, whatever you do on the chest, do the same for the stomach. That is, of course, if you have enough hair on your stomach to do this. If not, not a problem. Just keep it as similar as possible.
Step 3. Trim the outer segments of the chest
These areas should be another 3mm shorter. So, they will end up around 6mm shorter than the tiger line itself.
Again, try not to make the changes in length too abrupt. It really does look awesome when there is a nice, graded change in length as you go from the middle out to the edges of the chest.
Once you’re confident you’ve trimmed the entire chest and stomach using this method, you can safely say you’re done.
Why Tiger Line Chest Hair Is Attractive
Chest hair is probably the most divisive topic in men’s grooming today. Ask a cohort of women, and you’ll get near enough a 50:50 split.
Of course, there are cultural differences. But overall, all you can say is that some people like chest hair and some people don’t.
The tiger line is often a safe bet. If you’re a fan of chest hair and looking for a way to style it, it’s a pretty surefire way to ensure that the reception is positive overall. Not everyone will be a fan, but you’ll do well.
The reason this style is so appealing is mainly that it encourages symmetry. You have a line going down your body, with similar-looking hair either side of it. People love symmetry.
If you’ve got a reasonably toned body, having a line running down your chest and stomach can draw some serious attention to it. It’s like the hair is guiding your eyes down your entire torso.
Ultimately, people love a well-groomed body. Tiger line chest hair is neat, tidy, and slick. It’s more masculine than shaved and more sophisticated than a natural chest rug.
It really does have a lot going for it.
Is it the style for you?
The chest hairstyle is very versatile. It generally gets a warm reception, it would turn heads on the beach, and it’s comfortable to wear under any clothing.
But as you’ve probably already figured out, it does require some maintenance.
When you trim chest hair, you’re simply cutting the hair above the level of the skin. You aren’t pulling the hair out at the root-level as you do with waxing.
Because of this, the hair can regrow pretty quickly indeed. So, in order to properly maintain this style, you’ll most likely need to repeat this process every one or two weeks.
However, if you’re like me, you’re happy to let it get a little untidy first before trimming it. If that’s the case, you can take things a bit easier.
Body hair grooming doesn’t need to be so strict, in my opinion. If you trim off too much, it’ll grow back. If you let it grow a little untidy before trimming it back down, it’s not the end of the world.
So, if you’re a fan of the look, weigh this up against the maintenance requirements. If you’re willing to put up with it, I’d say this style may well be for you.
Conclusion
There you have it. You’ve learned what tiger line chest hair really is, what it looks like, how to trim it, and how to decide whether it’s for you.
It isn’t complicated, but there’s
If you don’t like it, you can either try again in a couple of weeks or try a different style.
If you’re really stuck, you’ve always got removing it all as an option as well. I’ve compared trimming vs waxing, and trimming vs shaving in other articles.
But this style is so subtle and attractive, I’d be surprised if you weren’t an instant fan. Try and have fun with it.
Thanks for sticking around until the end of the article.
Ready Sleek founder. Obsessed with casual style and the minimalist approach to building a highly functional wardrobe. Also a fan of classic, vintage hairstyles.