I just took the plunge!... now a couple things

[odesseiron]

Hi everyone. After a ton of debate tonight I went and did it! I went with the grain for the first time. I am very pleased with the outcome, but I'll post a picture at a later time after I address my concern in the next sentence. It was a lot tougher than I thought shaving my whole head. Needed to recruit my girlfriend to give me a hand for the back part until I get used to it.

After shaving my head, I noticed more I had more seborrheic dermatitis patches than I thought. It's not a lot of scales or anything, but it's more kind of redness and what looks like whiteheads. I think these are both common SD symptoms. I don't get bad breakouts any more, but it's still nerver wracking, as I don't want to go out like this yet. I have a long 4 day weekend, and am hoping some of it clears up by Wednesday (hence the reason I did it on a Friday) Those of you that had SD and shaved their head, how long did it typically take for the SD to clear up? A couple of days? Longer? I'll have to wear a cap if I got out for a couple of days until it does clear up.

I have Bald Guyz shampoo and Moisture Gel, as well as a Soothing Serum by Nioxin specifically for SD. I might use that all through the weekend to help accelerate the healing.

I will shave ATG next time so I get the nice smooth look. It's a little rough right now cause I shaved WTG & also so I didn't irritate it.

Other than that, I am happy with the result. Anything else I should do for my new bald head?  Thanks all for anything you can provide!

[D.A.L.U.I.]

welcome, your technique will improve quickly--just don't let the gf know how quickly and enjoy that .  Others will attest to the SD solution accomplished by merely shaving.  Get some astringent w/o any oil.  Take your time, and welcome to the freedom--but keep it clean will keep it clear--wash that new dome w/ an antiacne soap, mild, two or three times a day, change your pillowcases regularly and those hats too, if you still wear them. 

[lordmage]

i am in the SD boat i would suggest two things when you can do them. a nice steam and exfoliate scrub after. what you can do when your used to it is shave WTG then steam scrub followed by a second pass ATG. after shave i use is a lanolin hand cream but it works nice before i use that i use a bump fighter product.

also Sun helps to heal it as well.

[erutan]

Congraulations on the new you.  It's an exciting journey...and I'm only one week into it!

[Arnie]

Way to go!!!

Welcome to SBGs!!!

[Rob-Raz]

Welcome aboard!!   The prep helps as much as the shave. A nice hot shower and an exfoliant to scrub the head beforehand really helps.

[Nonick]

odesseiron, congrats on making the move  
Its good that you got your girl involved; it gives her a piece of the action (buy in, and all that stuff too).
As you progress, you will find that you might be able to do it alone if you use 2 mirrors, one stationary and one hand held, maybe 3 or 4 inches wide; not a pocket mirror (unless you have big pockets   ).
 
As your skin clears up and you continue to get better, you may eventually go to one mirror or even no mirror (the real jedi knights)!  But, whatever works best for you is the key.

[odesseiron]

So, the verdict is in...

I got to work today and everyone loves it! 35 plus positive comments just this morning. I was very pleased, and it made me feel better about my move.  Once the redness from the SD goes away (hopefully soon!) I will feel even better!

To all you guys here, thanks for the support too. I feel a lot better about it. Much appreciated