How to Trim a Chin Strap Beard

Co-authored by Juan Sabino

Last Updated: December 28, 2020 References

The chin strap beard is a style that’s been popularized over the years by everyone from Abraham Lincoln to modern day athletes. It’s a good option for people who don’t grow thick facial hair or who want a minimal beard that looks tidy and stylish. It’s a look that requires regular maintenance to keep it looking sharp, but once you get the hang of trimming your chin strap it’s a breeze.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Prep

1
Grow your whole beard out to at least 1 cm (0.39 in) long. Wait however long it takes for your beard to grow out. This gives you plenty of facial hair to work with and define a great looking chin strap beard.^{[1]
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- Feel free to grow your beard out longer, to about 2 cm (0.79 in) or so, if it takes longer for your facial hair to fill in everywhere.
2
Wash and rinse your face and beard thoroughly. Stand in front of a sink and a mirror with good visibility. Rinse your face and beard with cool or warm water, then lather your whole face up with face soap. Rinse all the soap suds off.^{[2]
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- Washing your face and beard in the shower is another option if you prefer that.
- If you'd like, you can exfoliate by mixing together olive oil or coconut oil with brown sugar and rubbing it onto your skin, then rinsing it away. This will help remove dead skin on your face while softening up your skin.^{[3]
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  Expert Source
  
  Juan Sabino
  Professional Barber
  Expert Interview. 28 January 2020.}
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3
Dry off your face and beard completely. Use a clean face cloth to pat and rub your face and beard dry. Make sure you get all the water droplets out of your beard so they don’t interfere with shaving.^{[4]
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4
Attach a 3-5 mm guide to an electric beard trimmer and plug it in. Snap the guide onto the electric beard trimmer. Plug the power cord into an outlet near a bathroom sink and mirror with good visibility.^{[5]
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- If you have a beard trimmer with adjustable length settings rather than guides of different lengths, rotate the settings wheel to somewhere in the 3-5 mm range.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Trimming and Shaping

1
Shave your whole beard down using a beard trimmer with a 3-5 mm guide. Stand in front of a mirror and turn your trimmer on. Run the blades of the trimmer with the attached guide all over your facial hair, using smooth, even strokes, until it is all the same length.^{[6]
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2
Outline the top edge of a 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) strip with a beard trimmer. Start at 1 ear and trim straight down with the blades of the bear trimmer, keeping the beard in line with your sideburn, until you reach the top of your jawline. Turn the blades of the trimmer to shave along your jawline at the height you want the beard to reach on your face all the way up to your other ear.^{[7]
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- The traditional chin strap look doesn’t include a mustache. However, if you want to keep your mustache, skip shaving the lines of facial hair that run vertically from the corners of your mustache down to your chin beard.
- If your beard trimmer has a precision attachment, snap that onto the blades. Otherwise, use the trimmer with no guides or attachments to define the lines.
3
Shave under your jaw to outline the bottom edge of a 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) strip. Place the blades against your skin just under one corner of your jaw. Move the blades down away from your jaw to shave off the hair underneath it and keep doing this, following the contours of your jaw and chin, until you reach the other corner of your jaw.^{[8]
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- Don’t worry about shaving all the hair off your neck right now. Just focus on finishing the outline of the chin strap beard.
4
Shave the rest of the hair off your cheeks and neck with a rotary shaver. Move the blades of the rotary shaver in smooth, even circles over your cheeks above the lines you defined for the chin strap. Repeat this for the hair on your neck below the outline of the beard under your jaw and chin.^{[9]
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- If you don’t have a rotary shaver, use your beard trimmer without any guides or attachments to shave your cheeks and neck.
- Unless you’re keeping your mustache, don’t forget to shave that off too when you shave your cheeks.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Defining and Perfecting

1
Apply shaving gel to your face along the edges of your chin strap. Use a clear or semi-transparent shaving gel to make it easier to see what you’re doing. Stand over a sink in front of a mirror. Rub the gel all over your face and neck above and below the edges of your chin strap.^{[10]
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- Avoid shaving creams that are foamy and white because they make it difficult to shave precisely.
2
Clean-shave with a sharp razor. Carefully shave along the outline of the chinstrap above and below your jawline. Shave all over your cheeks and neck until all your skin outside the beard is smooth.^{[11]
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- To get a smooth shave, first shave in the direction that the hair is going—the grain. Then, lather again and shave against the hair pattern.^{[12]
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  Expert Source
  
  Juan Sabino
  Professional Barber
  Expert Interview. 28 January 2020.}
- Be very careful when you’re shaving close to the outline of your chin strap not to accidentally shave into it. Work slowly and don’t take your eyes off the mirror in front of you.
3
Rinse and dry your face and apply any shaving aftercare products you like. Splash water all over your face to get rid of any remaining shaving gel and small bits of hair clinging to your skin. Wipe your face dry with a clean face cloth or towel. Rub some moisturizer on your skin or pat a few drops of aftershave onto your face to refresh it after shaving.^{[13]
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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Care and Maintenance

1
Apply beard oil or beard balm to your chin strap daily to moisturize it. Put a bit of beard oil or beard balm in the palm on one of your hands after you shower or wash your face. Rub your hands together to get the product all over, then work it evenly into your whole beard by rubbing it into the hairs with your fingers.^{[14]
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- This helps your facial hair look nice and healthy as well as prevent the skin underneath from drying out.
2
Trim your chin strap beard every 2-3 days to keep it looking sharp. Use the 3-5 mm guide on your beard trimmer to trim the length down. Use a razor and shaving gel to clean-shave along the outlines of your beard and all over the surrounding skin to keep it smooth.^{[15]
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- Chin straps really only look good if you keep them trimmed neatly. They start to look pretty rough if you let the stubble around them grow in.
3
Experiment with different lengths and thicknesses to find your favorite look. Don’t be afraid to let your chin strap grow a little longer or to trim the length down closer to your skin to see how it looks. Trim new outlines using your electric beard trimmer and a razor if you want to see what a thicker or thinner chin strap looks like as well.^{[16]
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- Ultimately, whatever style of chin strap you like best and think works well for your unique face is great!

Expert Q&A
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Question

Why do I get razor burn?

Juan Sabino
Professional Barber
Juan Sabino is a Professional Barber and the Owner of Juan's Barber Shop, a barbershop based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Juan has over 20 years of male grooming experience and over eight years of professional barber experience. He specializes in combovers, barber fades, and tapers and is focused on improving men's overall wellness.

Juan Sabino

Professional Barber

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Shaving is a whole process that your skin has to recover from. Try taking a break from shaving, especially in the winter when your skin tends to be more dry.

Warnings

Avoid using white or foamy shaving cream when you’re shaving your face around your chin strap beard. These types of shaving creams make it hard to see the lines of your beard and you might mess it up.

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