Why You Can Only Grow A Neckbeard: 5 Simple Tips

There are few words as dreaded as this one within the bearded community. It’s a problem that plagues so many aspiring beardsmen. So, what can you do when you can only grow a neckbeard?

The main way to deal with it is to choose a style that works with that distribution of hair. 

Although that’s the general gist, I wanted to dig deeper. 

Below are some simple tips you can take away. Not all of them may work for you, but there’s a great chance that at least one of them will. 

First, let’s briefly discuss what a “neckbeard” really is. 

N.B – This is a general style/grooming article, not professional advice. If you have any concerns about an uneven or unusual distribution of growth, seek professional advice.

What’s A Neckbeard? 

The “neckbeard” is the layer of hair that grows over your neck. 

Most men will grow hair in this region; even those with solid facial hair on their chin, cheeks, and mustache as well. 

A core principle of beard grooming is maintaining the “neckline”. This is the lower border of the beard and is where the neck hair meets the neck skin. 

It should generally be set at the right level – not too high and not too low. 

But part of maintaining the neckline is removing all of the hair underneath it. In other words – getting rid of the neckbeard. 

Neckbeards are generally considered unattractive and unpleasing to the eye, especially when it starts to crawl toward the chest. 

However, there are some men that can only grow hair over their necks. In other words, there’s no hair or very little hair on their face. 

These men can be said to have “true” neckbeards. Although there isn’t much that can be done to magically conjure up a solid and full-looking beard, there are some tips to help you through. 

5 Simple Tips For Men That Can Only Grow A Neckbeard

Read through the following tips and consider which of them would be worth trying. As I mentioned, there’s a good chance that at least one of them will be the one for you. 

1. Give It More Time

This can be a tough thing for aspiring beardsmen to hear. Developing beard patience can be a tough thing indeed. 

But the simplest solution to only being able to grow a neckbeard might be to give your face a little more time to mature. 

2. No Beard Is Better Than A Neckbeard

Neckbeards are one of the few examples where there isn’t much room for opinion. They’re just so universally disliked that it’s simply best to remove it. 

It may well be the only facial hair you can grow, but that’s no reason to rock one unless you’re looking to make some sort of contrarian statement. 

So, if a neckbeard is all you’ve got to work with, strongly consider clean-shaving. There’s a 95% chance that it’ll be a better look for you. 

Again, this may not be ideal and might seem like a copout. The reason it’s on the list of tips is that much like giving it more time, it’s a very practical and matter-of-fact way of dealing with the problem. 

3. Try The Chinstrap 

This tip is most relevant to those who are capable of growing some hair just above the jawline. 

They may not have much hair on their cheeks or mustache area, but if they’ve got some growth above the jawline they may be able to trim a chinstrap. 

The “chinstrap” is a style where there’s quite literally a strap of hair that runs along the length of the jawline from ear to ear. 

They can be thin or thick. In general, thicker ones (approximately an inch in length) are more aesthetically pleasing. 

Chinstraps aren’t as popular as they used to be – they’ve got a bad rep these days, unfortunately. 

But when trimmed and sculpted neatly it can still work. There are still plenty of men who choose this as their style, regardless of whether they can grow hair on the rest of their face. 

So, if you can only grow a neckbeard but do have some growth extending up just above the jawline, this may be an option for you. 

Just remember to define the neckline and remove the neckbeard. Shave the neck for the cleanest and slickest finish. 

4. Try The Goatee 

Here’s another style-focused solution that may be possible for some men with neckbeards. 

While the chinstrap depends on some growth just above the jawline, the goatee depends on some growth on the chin. 

A lot of men that can only grow neckbeards do have some hair on the tip of the chin as well. If there’s enough growth here it may be possible to form a goatee. 

A “goatee” is any style where there’s hair on the chin but not on the cheeks. So, if you’re unable to grow any cheek hair, rocking a goatee may be a simple solution. 

Goatees may or may not include a mustache. If there is a mustache, it may or may not be connected to the chin beard. 

But the bottom line is that you don’t really need anything other than some growth on the tip of the chin to style a goatee. 

If you’ve got decent growth you could go for a long goatee. But even if you’re just able to grow heavy stubble on your chin, it’s still a valid and attractive goatee style. 

Goatees can add strength and length to the chin; perfect for men with weak chins or round faces. 

But just like with any other style, you need to trim a goatee neckline and shave all of the hair beneath it. 

Yes – this means removing the neckbeard and only keeping the goatee. 

5. Try Stubble Instead

This tip will only be relevant to men who have some growth on their face, even if it’s just thin and patchy hair. 

In other words, the thickest growth is on the neck (i.e the neckbeard) and the growth on the face is weak in comparison. 

Although this may not be relevant to everyone, if this applies to you why not try this: 

Trim it all down to stubble. 

Stubble refers to facial hair that’s less than 5mm long. It’s as short as facial hair can get but does range from light stubble to heavy stubble. 

Trimming all of the facial hair down to a very even and short length like this can make even patchy and wispy hair look fuller. This may well work for the thin hair on the face, although it may not look as thick or full as the neckbeard. 

For some, it may be worth a shot. 

Conclusion

Hopefully, you’ll find that at least one of those tips works or was at least worth trying. 

Unfortunately, neckbeards won’t be coming into style anytime soon. There are barely any circumstances where a sole neckbeard with no other hair on the face would be considered attractive. 

If you find yourself in this position, try not to stress about it too much. Follow the tips and advice in this article and see whether you can get somewhere with it.