Author Topic: Still on the fence?  (Read 139036 times)

Offline Razor X

  • Sly Moderator
  • Sly Nobility
  • *****
  • Posts: 8694
  • Country: us
Still on the fence?
« on: January 15, 2010, 07:44:33 PM »
Since we seem to have a number of newbies lately who are considering taking the plunge:

I just realized this afternoon that this weekend marks the eighth anniversary of the first time I shaved my head.   I'd bought a set of clippers because I thought I should start doing my own buzzcuts instead of paying the barber to do it once a week.  The #1 setting wasn't short enough; the only option was to take the guard off.  After one swipe over the top of my head, I realized that this was MUCH shorter than I'd thought it would be.  I'd had no plans to shave my head, but when the shorter-than-expected buzzcut was done and I realized how very close I was to complete hairlessness, I couldn't resist the urge to lather up and shave.

Had this site been in existence then, I likely would have gotten some much-needed support, kept my head shaved daily and that would have been the end of the story.  I liked the result better than I'd thought I would, but I was very self-conscious about it and made the crucial error of letting it grow back after that one shave.  Once the hair was grown back, however, I got the urge to shave again and a month or two later I did.  Thus began an almost two-year roller coaster ride of shaving, growing back, shaving, etc., before I finally made the commitment to stay shaved for 30 days no matter what.

A lot of things have changed in the past eight years.  At the time, the shaved look was becoming more mainstream, whereas now it is completely mainstream and is, in fact, the haircut of choice for the overwhelming majority of young and middle-aged men who suffer from MPB.  So if you're sitting on the fence, just do it.  There's nothing to be afraid of.  It does take some time to adjust to a change in appearance, but you'll be surprised at how quickly you and those around you get used to it. 

I can honestly say that it has brought about a number of positive changes in my life.  They say that change comes from within, but I believe that being happy with one's outward appearance creates a confidence that carries through to almost every other aspect of life.  Nobody looks good with thinning hair, a combover, or a bald top surrounded by a long fringe of hair, which were the only options for balding men in years gone by.  On the other hand, most guys look perfectly fine with a shaved head.  Everybody thinks he's the exception -- that his head is too big, he's too pale, too fat, too thin, whatever.  It rarely turns out to be the case.  There are hundreds of reasons we can come up with why we can't shave our heads, but at the end of the day, the only thing that is stopping you is you -- not your parents, not your friends, not your boss, not your wife, and not your girlfriend.  Just you.  There are no more excuses; the shaved dome is accepted in all walks of life.  You may run into the occasional person who doesn't like it, but that's going to happen no matter what you do with your hair, no matter how you dress, etc.

You younger guys -- count your blessings.   You're addressing this issue early in life and putting it behind you.  You're lucky; you get to be the hip bald guy in your circle of friends.  It may not be what you had in mind, but use it as an opportunity to reinvent yourself.  Hair is greatly overrated.  You may not see it that way now, but if you take the leap of faith, shave your head and observe the 30 day rule, and visit this site regularly for support, you'll find that I'm right.   There are a lot of things I'd change about my appearance if I could, but a full head of hair is definitely not on the wish list.

So what are you waiting for?



Offline Sgt. Pate

  • Sly Bureau
  • *****
  • Posts: 2043
  • Country: us
  • ~ Semper Fi ~ Sly Till I Die! ~
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2010, 08:32:49 PM »
Great post Razor!  O0



"Never pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you." - Clint Smith

Offline wpruitt

  • Sly Moderator
  • Sly Nobility
  • *****
  • Posts: 5101
  • Sly!!
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2010, 08:33:17 PM »
Words of wisdom !
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

Offline D.A.L.U.I.

  • Team Sly
  • Sly Nobility
  • ******
  • Posts: 5545
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2010, 08:42:41 PM »
Great post, and you are really part of the vanguard of the liberation from mpb--you may not have realized it when it was happening, but you really are.  Glad we had you to lead the way.

Offline Razor X

  • Sly Moderator
  • Sly Nobility
  • *****
  • Posts: 8694
  • Country: us
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2010, 10:08:32 PM »
Great post, and you are really part of the vanguard of the liberation from mpb--you may not have realized it when it was happening, but you really are.  Glad we had you to lead the way.

Thank you.  I remember all too well what it was like obsessing over every hair that was lost.  And I can remember listening to other guys saying that they didn't mind being bald, that they wouldn't want their hair back --- and not believing a word of it.  I don't think it's something that can be fully understood until you've gone through it yourself. That's why it really is important to give the shave a try.  It may take a little while to adjust to it, but once you do, it's amazing how different things seem.  For one thing, you wonder what you were so afraid of.

Offline ozzie

  • Team Sly
  • Ultimate Sly Guy
  • ******
  • Posts: 862
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2010, 10:14:53 PM »
For one thing, you wonder what you were so afraid of.
True words there! Excellent post, Razor.  O0
To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom – Bertrand Russell

Offline warhawk

  • sly 4 life
  • Sly Moderator
  • Sly Nobility
  • *****
  • Posts: 7615
  • Country: us
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2010, 10:40:29 PM »
hey razor:  that is an excellent post. O0

WARHAWK O0
Tough times don't last but tough people do!!!


Offline surfboardnyc

  • Sly Guy in Training
  • *
  • Posts: 21
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2010, 08:23:41 AM »
Great post!

Offline R o b 6

  • Team Sly
  • Ultimate Sly Guy
  • ******
  • Posts: 570
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2010, 10:13:44 AM »
Razor, this advice from you two years and a half years ago is what finally made me pull the trigger two years ago. Couldn't be happier. Great post!


There are hundreds of reasons we can come up with why we can't shave our heads, but at the end of the day, the only thing that is stopping you is you -- not your parents, not your friends, not your boss, not your wife, and not your girlfriend.  Just you.

Offline geoguy

  • Sly Jr.
  • **
  • Posts: 57
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #9 on: January 16, 2010, 10:24:16 AM »
"Hey you young guy!!  YES YOU!!  Trust Razor!!  Its true!!"

I'm also young and completely bald (I always joke and say I look like Bozo the clown before I shaved) LOL.  This is the only way that you will ever feel truly comfortable with yourself.  The first 30 days of slyness may be tough, but ist small in comparison to the amount of self confidence and self respect that you gain.  Be a man, shave it off, I promise, you won't regret it...
If I should wake up tomorrow morning, and all my hair grew back; I'd still shave it all off!!  Thank God I'm Bald!!

Offline Ming the Merciless

  • Super Sly
  • ****
  • Posts: 476
  • Country: 00
  • No More "Mr. Nice Guy"
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #10 on: January 16, 2010, 11:51:59 AM »
So true.

Offline joergHH

  • Team Sly
  • Sly Bureau
  • ******
  • Posts: 1156
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #11 on: January 17, 2010, 01:55:41 PM »
Yes congrats and thank you for this outstanding post!

J

Offline dave523

  • Still not really used to being a bald dude and nose looks huge since baldness :-(
  • Sly Jr.
  • **
  • Posts: 56
  • Result 26 march 2009
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2010, 05:14:51 PM »
Since we seem to have a number of newbies lately who are considering taking the plunge:

I just realized this afternoon that this weekend marks the eighth anniversary of the first time I shaved my head.   I'd bought a set of clippers because I thought I should start doing my own buzzcuts instead of paying the barber to do it once a week.  The #1 setting wasn't short enough; the only option was to take the guard off.  After one swipe over the top of my head, I realized that this was MUCH shorter than I'd thought it would be.  I'd had no plans to shave my head, but when the shorter-than-expected buzzcut was done and I realized how very close I was to complete hairlessness, I couldn't resist the urge to lather up and shave.

Had this site been in existence then, I likely would have gotten some much-needed support, kept my head shaved daily and that would have been the end of the story.  I liked the result better than I'd thought I would, but I was very self-conscious about it and made the crucial error of letting it grow back after that one shave.  Once the hair was grown back, however, I got the urge to shave again and a month or two later I did.  Thus began an almost two-year roller coaster ride of shaving, growing back, shaving, etc., before I finally made the commitment to stay shaved for 30 days no matter what.

A lot of things have changed in the past eight years.  At the time, the shaved look was becoming more mainstream, whereas now it is completely mainstream and is, in fact, the haircut of choice for the overwhelming majority of young and middle-aged men who suffer from MPB.  So if you're sitting on the fence, just do it.  There's nothing to be afraid of.  It does take some time to adjust to a change in appearance, but you'll be surprised at how quickly you and those around you get used to it. 

I can honestly say that it has brought about a number of positive changes in my life.  They say that change comes from within, but I believe that being happy with one's outward appearance creates a confidence that carries through to almost every other aspect of life.  Nobody looks good with thinning hair, a combover, or a bald top surrounded by a long fringe of hair, which were the only options for balding men in years gone by.  On the other hand, most guys look perfectly fine with a shaved head.  Everybody thinks he's the exception -- that his head is too big, he's too pale, too fat, too thin, whatever.  It rarely turns out to be the case.  There are hundreds of reasons we can come up with why we can't shave our heads, but at the end of the day, the only thing that is stopping you is you -- not your parents, not your friends, not your boss, not your wife, and not your girlfriend.  Just you.  There are no more excuses; the shaved dome is accepted in all walks of life.  You may run into the occasional person who doesn't like it, but that's going to happen no matter what you do with your hair, no matter how you dress, etc.

You younger guys -- count your blessings.   You're addressing this issue early in life and putting it behind you.  You're lucky; you get to be the hip bald guy in your circle of friends.  It may not be what you had in mind, but use it as an opportunity to reinvent yourself.  Hair is greatly overrated.  You may not see it that way now, but if you take the leap of faith, shave your head and observe the 30 day rule, and visit this site regularly for support, you'll find that I'm right.   There are a lot of things I'd change about my appearance if I could, but a full head of hair is definitely not on the wish list.

So what are you waiting for?

Good post for bald visitors of www.slybaldguys.com. However i shaved my head once after a lost bet, but i really think i would be happier  ;D  with a full head of hair i can count on. Started taking natural propecia-like substance to stop thinning (which really helped actually). I think it would be fairer if i kept my hair, chicks used to digg running their hands through my hair.

Offline D.A.L.U.I.

  • Team Sly
  • Sly Nobility
  • ******
  • Posts: 5545
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #13 on: January 19, 2010, 06:07:01 PM »
[ but i really think i would be happier  ;D  with a full head of hair i can count on. Started taking natural propecia-like substance to stop thinning (which really helped actually). I think it would be fairer if i kept my hair, chicks used to digg running their hands through my hair.

If you have the genes that say you will be bald or thin, then you shall be bald or thin--drugs, etc., may delay they don't prevent baldness.  What is the line from the poem, "Where are the snows of yesteryear?"  Until you grab hold of your life, shake it for all it's worth you are living in yesterday--and tomorrow will be yesterday and lost also.  The only question I see for you is when you accept your genetic assignment, embrace it, and move on with living it fully.  "Chicks used to digg [sic]"  just isn't realistic, nor real--it's the girl, your personality and that special something--nothing in there about hair. 

Offline Razor X

  • Sly Moderator
  • Sly Nobility
  • *****
  • Posts: 8694
  • Country: us
Re: Still on the fence?
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2010, 07:08:11 PM »


Good post for bald visitors of www.slybaldguys.com. However i shaved my head once after a lost bet, but i really think i would be happier  ;D  with a full head of hair i can count on. Started taking natural propecia-like substance to stop thinning (which really helped actually). I think it would be fairer if i kept my hair, chicks used to digg running their hands through my hair.

Most of us aren't thrilled when we discover that we're losing our hair.  I'm about as vain as they come, and I'll admit to being very bothered by it -- but not bothered enough to ever consider plugs, drugs or rugs.  Change can be difficult, especially when it's something that is thrust upon you that you didn't really want.   You just have to let go of the image of what you think you should look like, and just go with the changes that  you can't stop anyway.  One of the great advantages to being male is that you don't have to be "pretty" to be good-looking.  Use it as an opportunity to redefine yourself.  Some chicks like to run their hands through a guys hair -- but there are plenty who are more attracted to big muscles than thick hair.  So you shave your head and hit the gym.  The end result may not be exactly what you had in mind, but it can be a lot better than you ever thought it would.

We're conditioned to believe that our hair is the most important part of our appearance.  Nothing could be further than the truth.  I have a whole list of cosmetic imperfections that I'd fix if I could.  Having a full head of hair is not one of them.   I used to feel self-conscious about being the only bald guy in a group; now I feel like I'm privileged.   That feeling didn't happen overnight; it takes a lot of positive thinking and knowing that you've done everything you can to improve the aspects of your appearance that are within your control.  Once you've done all of that, hair doesn't seem that important anymore.