How to Trim a Mutton Chops Beard

How to Do Mutton Chops Step-by-Step

• 1

  Start with a Full Beard
  Grow your beard for four to six weeks or until you have a good amount of hair growth.

• 2

  Clean and Dry
  Wash and dry your face before you trim your beard. Then use a styling comb to brush your facial hair in the same direction.

• 3

  Trim Up
  Trim your neck, chin and mustache hair with your Wahl trimmer.

• 4

  Set the Border
  Using your beard trimmer, create a top border by shaving a sloped line along the top of the natural border of your beard on your cheek to your mouth. This beard can be thick or thin, depending on the style you wish to achieve.

• 5

  Pick Your Style
  You can leave your beard to be seamlessly connected to your mustache. Or add a floating mustache by trimming a 1/2-inch to 1-inch vertical strip on both sides of your mouth to separate your mustache and the Mutton Chops.

• 6

  Contour Your Jawline
  Create a lower border by shaving a defined line along your jaw line.

• 7

  Maintain Your Look
  Allow your new chops to grow to the desired length. You can keep them styled and tamed with a dab of beard balm.

What You Are Asking about Mutton Chops

How to grow Mutton Chops?
Like any beard style, we recommend growing your beard out for four to six weeks before you start shaving. Then follow our step-by-step guide above.

Why are they called Mutton Chops?
Simply, they are named to reflect the shape of mutton or lamb chops.

What are other Mutton Chops Styles?
So, you have the lowdown on how to create the Regular Mutton Chops, but did you know there are several variations?

Friendly Mutton Chops: Modern and fun, these Friendly Mutton Chops are paired with a mustache. You can connect them to the mustache or trim your Mutton Chops to have more of a “floating” mustache style.

Thin Mutton Chops: A little cooler. More sculpted. Frames the face. Perfect for a squarer jawline. Connect to your mustache. Faded into a perfect, edgy look.

Thick Mutton Chops: Thick. Wild. A low-maintenance style that spreads across both sides of the face. (Also known as the John Lennon mutton chops.)

When were Mutton Chops popular?
In the early 1800s military men grew their sideburns to work around military orders and remain “clean shaved.” Later that century it became fashionable to connect thick and long Mutton Chops to equally thick and long mustaches. This style resurfaced in the 1970s and then it became a badge of honor for millennials. Today anything goes.

Who are famous Mutton Chops wearers?
The first example would be Elvis Presley in the 1960s. Later would be John Lennon for a bushier style. Today? Think Hugh Jackman in Wolverine.