Four ways to hide a double chin

Distraction and disguise are the keys to hiding your chins.

Nifty tricks for the man who wants to slim down his face

It is easy to dress to hide parts of your body that you dislike, but hiding a part of your face is a different matter. For those who are stricken with two or more chins, or just a less than impressive jawline, there are a few sneaky ways to hide and distract from the problem.

Even slim guys can be cursed with a double chin. Your fat distribution is largely down to genetics. There are no chin exercises that will help you. Whether you could stand to lose a few pounds or just have a less than ideal jawline and chin shape, there are a few sneaky grooming and styling tricks which have a slimming effect on your chin.

Grow a beard

Growing a luscious beard is the easiest way to hide a double chin. Of course, if your facial hair is sparse, this technique will backfire by drawing attention to a problem area. Anybody who knew you pre-beard will be in on your trick, but people who meet you for the first time will have no idea of the double chin situation.

Use your stubble

You do not need a full coverage beard in order to obscure a wobbly chin. Short, groomed stubble will do the trick. Usually, men who maintain stubble will use a special blade (perhaps 5mm) for the facial hair, and then shave underneath the chin and neck closely. Instead of doing this, shave your neck hair using the 5mm (or whatever you are using) trimmer. You may want to still do a close shave on the lower half of the neck, while extending the shave line downwards. This creates the illusion of a shadow under your chin, which accentuates your jawline and makes for a slimming effect.

Accessorise with a scarf

It may seem like a disingenuous disguise to hide your wobbly jawline with a scarf, but it genuinely works. Of course, this trick works best during the winter, when the weather is actually appropriate to wearing a scarf. Go for an autumnal look with a long woollen coat and a warm toned, chunky knitted scarf. Experiment with different ways of tying or arranging the scarf until you discover the one that is the most flattering. Do not pull your scarf up too high, however. It will be too obvious that you are hiding something if your scarf is pulled all the way up to your mouth.

Draw the eye downwards

Covering your chin with the above methods are your best options, but you can also detract from the chin situation by using a distraction. Pick shirts which draw the eye towards the chest. An interesting neckline or a low neckline will do the trick. Low necklines have the additional advantage of creating the illusion of a longer neck. Patterns are also your friend when it comes to creating a distraction. A distinctively patterned shirt will mean nobody is looking at your chin.