If you can deal with the head shave, do it

[Boondock]

This is something we all-too-often forget here, and is particularly important for many of the new users popping in.

There's plenty you can do to keep your hair these days, but it's a long, fraught, and expensive road. And for many people, it does in the end result in failure.

If you're someone who looks reasonably good with a shaved head, or who is so stupidly good looking that 2 or 3 attraction points knocked is not going to ruin your life, then it's worth thinking about shaving. I'm not going to tell you to do it, but at least consider it. You will save yourself endless pain and anguish and hassle.

I'm still debating with myself whether to do this. I might do it, but I'm not sure yet. I at least gave it a go.

But for anyone reading this it really is worth thinking about. The shave is the ultimate solution. If it's a toss up between losing a bit of attractiveness or losing huge $, time, mental health, etc etc from being worried about your hair, then the choice becomes a little easier to make.

Not here to preach, cuz I'm still dealing with this myself. But always keep this outlook in mind.

 

[FSHGLD]

Assuming you live in the northern hemisphere, now is the perfect time to do it (if you're anything like me). I always feel in really high spirits at the start of the summer regardless of what's going on in my life.
I shaved my head more or less exactly 2 years ago and while it beats walking around with wispy hair by a million miles, it by no means offers closure on the trauma of hair loss. You'll find you become grateful for the stubble on top of your head and are loath to see it thin out. A shaved NW2 and a shaved NW7 look a lot more different than when you had hair.
Sorry to sound like a self absorbed dick, but I'm a pretty good looking guy, I had a pretty constant stream of women throwing themselves at me until about age 20. I still get some female interest but it's generally of a lower calibre and having to lower your expectations is seriously depressing. Hence why I've joined this site 2 years after shaving my head.
I'd say by all means shave your head, it will feel like a weight off your shoulders, but don't drop your regimen (if you have one/get any results at all from it). If you're on this site in the first place, shaving your head is unlikely to totally put the ghost to rest.

 

[Draco88]

I have considered it Boondock, even though i don't think i'm at a point where i need it..but damn the idea of it just scares me. I honestly cannot see myself being the same person if i were to buzz it down. Whenever i see guys who have buzzed their head, i instantly look away because it just scares me that i might have to do that one day. I know i don't have the shape of head for it too.

 

[thetodd]

Trust me, it's a pain in the *** no matter what you decide.
Applying the rogaine, popping a finasteride, and using the multitude of shampoo's out there which supposedly help with hairloss is time consuming, expensive, and for most of us, only moderately effective. But shaving your head is not necessarily going to be a satisfactory solution for you, either.
I've tried both. Shampoo, rogaine, finasteride, and toppik in the morning, followed by more rogaine in the evening. It took me longer to get ready for work than my wife takes when we're going out to dinner. So one day I just said, "Screw it", and shaved it all off. At first I liked it, but only for a few weeks. After that I wanted my hair (or what's left of it) back.
Now I wear a bandanna to conceal the balding middle of my head and do nothing else special.

 

[Boondock]

One point I would make is that I'd never say to anyone that you "should have a bald head". What I would say it you should try it. I have given it a go, and although I decided it wasn't for me I'm glad I at least gave it a shot. I faced myself bald in the mirror, and know what that will look like.

Another point to make, following on from what thetodd said, is that whatever you do you'll have to put in some effort. The shaved head look is not a way to end all the time and hassle out of this beast. You need to shave again every 2 days or so to maintain the look, and that time adds up.

Still, it's an easier option than most and is worth a try if you get the chance.

 

[Nene]

To all you guys who are scared to buzz, stop being a pussy!

 

[Draco88]

I've told myself, that if i ever move to another city/state/country, i'll buzz it down to a #1, since that way i don't have to face my friends and family..but only as an experiment, i don't imagine i'd actually go on like that.

 

[Boondock]

I've told myself, that if i ever move to another city/state/country, i'll buzz it down to a #1, since that way i don't have to face my friends and family..but only as an experiment, i don't imagine i'd actually go on like that.

Yeah I appreciate it's a lot easier to do this than to go the whole hog and do it under normal circumstances.

If you get a chance like this, though, definitely do it. Like I said, I did it, and realized it wasn't for me. I *wanted* to like it, and gave it a chance, and even shaved it down right to a #0 after my first few weeks with the #2. It didn't work for me, but I have no regrets in trying it.

 

[Nene]

Boondock, maybe you should give it a try for a little longer. I buzzed my hair down to a 0 for over a year and it kinda grew on me. People get used to seeing you that way and it becomes normal. Right now I'm growing my hair. I decided I'm gonna try to keep it and just use toppik for as long as I can get away with it, but now I know what I"ll look like when I buzz it down and I'm prepared to do it when the time comes.

 

[Boondock]

Boondock, maybe you should give it a try for a little longer. I buzzed my hair down to a 0 for over a year and it kinda grew on me. People get used to seeing you that way and it becomes normal. Right now I'm growing my hair. I decided I'm gonna try to keep it and just use toppik for as long as I can get away with it, but now I know what I"ll look like when I buzz it down and I'm prepared to do it when the time comes.

Aye, I've thought about it, but circumstances stand in my way right now. I've got a bunch of job interviews coming up later this year, and they're the kind of roles that the buzzed look might be inappropriate for.

I'm also planning on trying out hairpieces later this year and early next year (sounds crazy, but I wanna give them a go), and for that I will need longer hair.

I'm actually fairly enthusiastic about hair pieces, but if I'm honest, deep down I don't think they'll work out for me in the end (I guess I'm a pessimist when it comes to hair loss solutions these days). I want to give them a try, and I believe they can work since, after all, there are plenty of guys who play that game with success. But if they don't, I will be buzzing it down. I'm sick of the preservation game really, and by this time next year I want to have found a solution to last me several years so I can just get on with my life, even if I have to take the hit of going shaved.

 

[Nene]

Good luck with the piece Boondock. If it works for you then more power to you. I don't think it's a god option for me but we're all different so I won't judge you if you go that route. I think whatever makes one feel most confident he should do, whether that be a piece, a hair transplant, meds, or the natural bald look. Whatever makes you feel good go for it bro.

 

[Boondock]

Good luck with the piece Boondock. If it works for you then more power to you. I don't think it's a god option for me but we're all different so I won't judge you if you go that route. I think whatever makes one feel most confident he should do, whether that be a piece, a hair transplant, meds, or the natural bald look. Whatever makes you feel good go for it bro.

Cheers man. I feel conflicted and ridiculous about trying it emotionally, but rationally it does make sense to me. I dunno, I reached a point where I asked myself why I wouldn't at least try the hair system option, and I came to the conclusion that I had no reason: I just didn't like the feel of the idea.

To be honest, I think that's going to be the most likely thing to make me fail at that option, but I feel it'd be silly of me not to give it a try. I'm likely to spending much of 2011 abroad, and this gives me an opportunity to experiment away from the spotlight, as it were. Even if it's only a 10% chance it'll work for me, if it does, my problem's *sort of* solved. Not permanently, but at least the obsession will be over.

 

[thetodd]

To all you guys who are scared to buzz, stop being a pussy!

I know you were probably just joking around with that comment for the most part, but deciding to shave your head isn't any easy choice to make. If you shave your hair off and decide instantly that you don't like the way you look, it's not like you can just put it all back on. You'll have to deal with that for the next several months while your hair (or what remains of it) grows back. All I'm saying is that it isn't a decision to be made lightly. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about.

 

[FSHGLD]

To all you guys who are scared to buzz, stop being a pussy!

I know you were probably just joking around with that comment for the most part, but deciding to shave your head isn't any easy choice to make. If you shave your hair off and decide instantly that you don't like the way you look, it's not like you can just put it all back on. You'll have to deal with that for the next several months while your hair (or what remains of it) grows back. All I'm saying is that it isn't a decision to be made lightly. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about.

But everyone on this forum is already used to not liking the way they look...so shaving your head in effect becomes nothing. It was for me anyway, and I dreaded it beforehand

 

[thetodd]

To all you guys who are scared to buzz, stop being a pussy!

I know you were probably just joking around with that comment for the most part, but deciding to shave your head isn't any easy choice to make. If you shave your hair off and decide instantly that you don't like the way you look, it's not like you can just put it all back on. You'll have to deal with that for the next several months while your hair (or what remains of it) grows back. All I'm saying is that it isn't a decision to be made lightly. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about.

But everyone on this forum is already used to not liking the way they look...so shaving your head in effect becomes nothing. It was for me anyway, and I dreaded it beforehand

Not liking the way you look is one thing. Being disgusted by it is another. There is no way to know how you're going to feel about the way you look shaved until you've done it. And once you have, you're stuck for several months until it grows back. If you apply a concealer and don't like it, you don't have to use it again. If you comb your hair a certain way and don't like it, you can go back to your old style. But once you go for the chrome dome look, nothing short of an expensive hair piece is going to change your appearance until it grows back. That's why I say shaving your head isn't a decision to make on an impulse.

 

[Nene]

I hear where your coming from and I was just kidding. But I think everyone with thinning hair, or even those with lots of hair, should give the buzzed/shaved look a try. What do you have to lose? You might end up liking it. I have friends with full heads of hair who look really good with very low buzz cuts and go that route despite being Norwood 1s. A month or two of very short hair is hardly a death sentence. I can see if you've had long hair your whole life it isn't a decision you would make lightly, but even then, it'll grow back and at least you tried it.

 

[thetodd]

I hear where your coming from and I was just kidding. But I think everyone with thinning hair, or even those with lots of hair, should give the buzzed/shaved look a try. What do you have to lose? You might end up liking it. I have friends with full heads of hair who look really good with very low buzz cuts and go that route despite being Norwood 1s. A month or two of very short hair is hardly a death sentence. I can see if you've had long hair your whole life it isn't a decision you would make lightly, but even then, it'll grow back and at least you tried it.

Fair enough.
I just know that I ended up hating the way I looked with a shaved head but couldn't do anything but wait a few months until it grew back. I still have very thick hair on the sides and a lot of whispy stuff in the middle, so the concealer option works best for me right now. Plus, I often wear a bandanna or doo rag. I like that option, too. Some guys do look absolutely fine with shiny domes, though. It's a risk, but you never know until you try.

 

[Jokerman]

Shaved my head on a whim last night. Was trimming my beard when I got the urge to do my head as well. I've never shaved it before and I take pain staking steps to conceal what recession and thinning I have.

A completely insane decision, but f*** me... it actually looks pretty good.

 

[Obsidian]

Same here, did this past week and I actually think it looks good, plus now topicals are so much easier to put in.

 

[KeepTheHair]

The saved head or buzzcut looks terrible on me. I look good with hair though. I think this is the case for most people.


I love what my regimen is doing for me. I am getting regrowth. The itching is gone. I don't have to worry about going bald anymore... at least not for at least another few years.

I am sorry guys, but my opinion is the shaved head is ugly, looks cold and just bad. Very few people get away with it...even with that said....they look better with hair.


I have seen a lot of people with the horseshoe....and even if they shaved the horseshoe it will look worse...even that garbage looks better. The scalp looks cold, and just ugly...


That's just my sincere opinion. I'd never shave, ever. My hair looks good lately though.