How to Shave Sideburns with a Straight Razor

Photo by SimpleFoto on Depositphotos

As a hairstyle, sideburns don’t get their fair share of grooming attention. This is unfortunate because sideburns can actually make or break your overall outlook. Like eyebrows, they can enhance your facial features, making you look more stylish. They can balance out your facial features while enhancing rugged jawlines and cheekbones.

This is why a sideburn is a symbol of masculinity and rebelliousness. Ever since Alexander the Great was depicted on a mosaic wearing a sideburn, it has been seen on military generals, appropriated by Elvis, and most recently, worn by Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.

And yet, as important as they are, these small peninsulas of facial hair can suffer from over-indulgent growth. They can also be easily led astray by over-zealous trimming. That’s why, like any facial hair, grooming your sideburn requires careful preparation.

In this article:

• History of the Sideburn
• Choosing the Right Sideburn Style
• How to Shave Sideburns with a Straight Razor
• Shaving with a Straight Razor

History of the Sideburn

The term "sideburn" was named after Unior Army General Army General Ambrose Burnside, shown above.
Photo by WikiImages on Pixabay

While men have worn sideburns for centuries, the current name was given to them in the late 19th century.

The honor goes to Union Army General Ambrose Burnside¹. He was a popular military man and later a politician. He started wearing particularly prominent facial hair on his cheeks connected to a mustache while keeping his chin shaved perfectly clean.

Such a facial hairstyle wouldn’t be popular today, but in the 1870s and '80s², the somewhat unique formation of his whiskers was quite in vogue. It helped start a new facial hair trend, which people called "burnsides."³

In later years, this style evolved to just the facial hair down the side of the cheek, omitting the mustache. The name was also changed to fit the style. It was now called sideburns, although, in some areas, it was also called mutton chops.

Choosing the Right Sideburn Style

Choose sideburn styles that suit your face shape and keep them groomed.
Photo by behrouz sasani on Pexels

Like beards, shaving your sideburn is all a matter of choosing the proper style to match your facial shape. So consider the shape of your face before shaving your sideburn in the style that you want.

• Broad, square, or round face
  
  Long, thin sideburns can be a great way to elongate the face. Longer sideburns are great for framing the face and generally finish below the ear.
  
  
• Narrow or long face
  
  Trim your sideburns wide to enhance your facial features.
  
  
• Clean-shaven face and minimal facial hair
  
  A short sideburn works well with a clean-shaven face and minimal facial hair. The trick here is to keep the sideburn short and sharp by ensuring that the cut-off line stays above the bottom of the ear. If you want to change things up, play with the angles of the line or experiment with a short, tapered approach.
  
  
• Looking to disguise uneven hair growth
  
  Another contemporary take on the classic sideburn style is the tapered sideburn⁴. This faded effect is created by a gradual variance in hair length, with the thickest hair closest to the temples. This style is well-suited for men looking to disguise uneven hair growth. However, it requires regular trimming so that the stray hairs don’t mess up the style by turning it into a patchy look.
  
  
• Men who likes having slick hair
  
  Skinny sideburns are the perfect sidekick for those who like having their hair slick. Just merge the sideburn into your beard⁵ or extend it to the bottom of your ear, and it will make you look good. For round faces, you can also keep them long so that it will draw the eye downwards and elongate the face.
  
  
• Wolverine-style
  
  If you want to look like Wolverine, the mutton chop⁶ is for you. Mutton chops are perfect for highlighting angular cheekbones and rugged jawlines. This look is Wolverine’s de facto beard style⁷. It’s a pair of long, full sideburns that reach the corners of the mouth, slowly increasing in width as it travels down the face.
  
  Let your sideburns grow out to achieve this masculine look until they meet your beard. Then, shave and sculpt out the shape. The key feature is a clean-shaven chin. However, leaving some hair on the neck underneath will slightly soften the look. Finish by brushing the hair down with a comb for a sleek look.

How to Shave Sideburns with a Straight Razor

For newbies, shaving sideburns can be a frustrating experience, even if you’re using a single blade like a straight razor. It’s either because they forget to keep their head steady or the position of the razor fixed, so they end up with an off-center and uneven trim.

One neat trick to prevent this is to look at yourself in the mirror straight on. Try not to turn your head or raise your head up and down. Trust yourself to see the area with your mind’s eye after your first look. Then, line up the side of your razor’s head so it’s straight on with the mirror. From there, take a single stroke straight down.

Then re-lather. On the second pass, begin well below the edge, taking short strokes and slowly rising upward to clean up any stray edges.

This technique can be used with facial hair like goatees⁸ or chinstraps. Always use a single stroke to define the general area and short strokes upwards to clean the stragglers up.

Shaving with a Straight Razor

The Lancelot Straight Razor offers precise sideburn sculpting with its sharp, narrow blade and Dutch points for safer trimming.

As always, a straight razor is the best tool for grooming facial hair like a sideburn. That’s because its single, narrow, and very sharp blade makes it easy to sculpt the sideburn and give it a sharp detail.

Here at Naked Armor, our straight razor blades are versatile for all kinds of hair textures and skill sets. Most of them come with Dutch points to make trimming your sideburns safer.

Don’t spoil your shaving experience with a mediocre razor. Check out our website for great offers, high-quality straight razors, and shaving products.

More Naked Armor Reads

Straight Razor Shaving: How To Wet Shave with a Straight Razor
How to Make Your Neckbeards Look Cool
How to Grow Your Beard for Competitive Bearding

References:

1. The Hairy History of 'Sideburns'. (n.d). Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/sideburns-meaning-origin
2. Army Hair Throughout the Ages. (2018, March 16). The Angry Staff Officer. https://angrystaffofficer.com/2018/03/16/army-hair-throughout-the-ages/
3. burnsides (n.). (2017, September 28). Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/burnsides
4. Ricardo The Barber. (2011, November 25). Tapering the Sideburns. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjtDJcGc1Ao
5. Sam Villa Hair Tutorials. (2017, September 21). How to blend sideburns into your beard. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afd5Ex90Trk
6. AH Editors Team. (2017, January 8). 20 Best Mutton Chop Beard Styles:: What is it, Why do they Call Sideburns. AtoZ Hairstyles. https://atozhairstyles.com/articles/mutton-chop-beard-styles/
7. Weldon, G. (2016, August 23). Wolverine's Mutton Chops To Hugh Jackman: 'This Ain't Over, Bub'. npr. https://www.npr.org/2016/08/23/491049704/wolverines-mutton-chops-to-hugh-jackman-this-aint-over-bub
8. Giannotti, A. (2023, December 8). 37 Goatee Styles: How to Grow & Trim (Definitive Guide). Beardoholic. https://beardoholic.com/goatee-styles/