Unsure How To Shave Your Neck With A Beard? 10 Steps To Follow!

With facial hair, you need to know how to shave your neck with a beard and keep it straight and tidy. This includes the back of your neck if you shave your head.

Whether you have a full beard, a goatee or other partial beard, beard care is something you need to pay some attention to for both style and cleanliness reasons.

Here are some tips in that regard.

How To Shave Your Neck Hair

1. Wet your neck with warm or cold water. Your choice. Men have been shaving since the beginning of time. We haven’t had hot running water since the beginning of time. Soldiers use cold water. Anyone camping probably will too. I’ve used both warm and cold water. I’m not sure I noticed a difference but perhaps you might.
   
2. Apply shaving cream. Pick a good quality shaving cream, gel or soap. If you have sensitive skin, pick a shaving cream that is good for sensitive skin which may also help if you suffer from ingrown hairs. You’re looking for a smooth shave that doesn’t tug at your hairs and doesn’t irritate your skin and a good shaving cream can help.
   
3. Shave with the grain. Shave in the direction of hair growth. So on the cheeks area, you’re shaving downwards. I shave against the grain but I’ve been doing this long enough that I know my own skin and know I can get away with it. Ingrown hairs do tend to occur on the neck area so stick with shaving down in the direction of hair growth at least to start with. Only shave each area once with little to no overlapping.
   
4. Then shave across the grain. This involves holding your razor sideways and shaving from back to front or front to back on the same area you just shaved. This is instead of shaving against the grain.
   
5. Use slow, short, light strokes. Shave slowly. Take short strokes which can help in tight areas on your neck that change direction around the jaw and throat. Take your time.
   
6. Rinse the blade often under running water. Just like you do for shaving your face.
   
7. Hold the skin taut. Some guys like to gently pull their neck skin downwards to straighten it before shaving. I don’t do this personally but it may help if you have saggy skin or very tight areas to shave.
   
8. Shaving the Adam’s Apple. For some guys it’s more noticeable than others. A trick to shave your Adam’s Apple: Tilt your head back. Swallow and hold the swallow. Shave the area. Holding a swallow for a few seconds causes the Adam’s Apple to indent slightly to make it easier to shave. Can’t do it? You can try moving the skin on your Adam’s Apple with your free hand to the side and then shaving the area.
   
9. Tilt your head back for sculpting underneath your chin and jaws. If you have a full beard or goatee, use the razor to sculpt your desired line. Use clippers to keep the beard hair at the desired length.
   
10. Rinse with water. Wash off excess shaving cream and cut hairs to avoid having them remain on your skin and possibly clog your pores. Warm water opens pores. Cold water closes them.

How To Shave The Back of Your Neck

Do you shave your head like I do? Then you’ll be shaving the back of your neck too.

1. Use clippers to first trim the neck hair if it is excessively long. It will make it easier to shave when it’s short. Long hair is more difficult and clogs up the razor.
   
2. Use a swing arm mirror if you want to see what you’re doing. I wouldn’t use a handheld mirror. You only want to hold one thing in your hand and that’s the razor.
   
3. Use a good quality razor and shaving cream. Use a preshave lotion if you’re into that. I’ve never used one personally so I can’t comment on their worthiness. Make sure you cover the neck area with enough shaving cream that you’d normally use on your face. In my experience when I have cut myself, it tends to be on the back of the head and upper neck areas.
   
4. Go slow. Take your time especially since you’re shaving an area on the opposite side as your eyes. It takes a bit getting used to. I don’t use a mirror anymore so I can concentrate on just the blade.
   
5. Shave with the grain. Shave downwards in the direction of hair growth. I shave against the grain on my neck but I’ve been shaving my head since 1995 so I have enough experience that I’m comfortable doing it. Plus I don’t have sensitive skin, don’t get ingrown hairs and rarely cut myself at this point. You’ll find out with experience what works for you.
   
6. Use your free hand to look for spots that you missed. Before wrapping things up, do a quick once over with your hands to find spots that need to be reshaved. Apply more shaving cream if necessary.
   

Conclusion

• Learn how to shave your neck with a beard properly when you grow a full beard or shave your head. You’ll need clippers, a razor and shaving cream or an electric shaver.
• As with other parts of your body that get shaved, use a good quality razor and shaving cream when shaving your neck.
• If you’re unsure how to shave your neck with a beard, remember to go slowly and pay attention to the style that you want to achieve.
• For the neck area on your face, shave with the grain and across the grain if needed.
• On the back of your neck if you shave your head, use a swing arm mirror if needed to see what you’re doing.
• You can shave with warm or cold water. Warm water opens your pores and cold water closes them so choose what you like depending on what you have access to.

Perfecting how to shave your neck with a beard without cuts, ingrown hairs or bumps also involves a bit of planning. Good tools like a decent razor and shaving cream and possibly a mirror also helps. What else do you use for shaving your neck?