Ugh! Stupid island of hair!

[VictorMackey]

So I've been Sly for a week now, shaving my head down with a Mach Fusion.  It's great in the way that people can't tell if you're doing it because you're really bald or you're just doing it to be badass.

My work colleague saw it when I removed my hat yesterday having only shaved it the night before, and he said "wow, that is a short style!"

I joked that I have no choice and he asked why, and I said I'm folically challenged. He said so is he and took his hat off to reveal just the faintest of recession.  Then I stuck my head in his face and said, "no this is folically challenged".

Then he said, "oh my God that IS folically challenge.  There's an island of hair just at the front!"

It was so disheartening because one of the advantages I was looking forward to when going Sly was getting rid of this horrible tuft of hair that's been left on my forehead thanks to my hair receding from the front and from the crown.

My hair is dark, so it's understandable.  But how do I just get rid of this massive annoyance?  Would waxing it off be an idea? Would waxing it get rid of it for good considering you're pulling out the whole hair including the root?

Shaving's just not cutting it in that area (pun intended).

Thanks in advance, my sly brothers.

[Noodles]

Victor,

Kind of hard to tell what you are talking about without seeing evidence of both what you are referring to and the size of that particular area on your scalp that's bugging you.

Try and post up a pic. You can upload a picture to a site like PHOTOBUCKET, then copy that link into your profile (or any message), and it will appear in the forum whenever you make a post.

More details on how to post a pic in the "How do I..." section of the main forum page.

 - Cap'n Noodles -  

Are you referring to a "spot" like in the picture below?....

                 

[The Noggin]

First of all, I think you shouldn't stick your head in another man's face for any reason .

We have some threads about waxing as well as tweezing with an epilator.
Or see http://www.scalptweezing.com for some info.
Basically, you can get rid of the shadow, but it's not permanent.

[Razor X]

I think part of the problem stems from color variations between the parts of your scalp where there was hair and the rest of your head.   The differences aren't as pronounced as they would be in the summertime, but they're still there.  The first time I shaved my head, some people thought I just had a really short  buzz cut, but eventually the shadow became less noticeable.  Of course, continuing thinning and recession also helped.   

If your island is thinning out, you can speed things along a bit with a pair of tweezers.  I've occasionally done a little cleaning up at the hairline.  All you need to do is let the stubble grow out for a day or two and tweeze out what you can.  You'd be surprised at how easy it is to pull out hair from an area that's already balding and how painless it is.  A lot of those suckers are just waiting to drop on their own anyway. 

[tomgallagher]

You could probably wax that area in a heart beat and it would last for 3 or 4 weeks.

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

Don't get to obsessed about the "island" stuff, they are going to disappear relatively quickly and somehow they fade quickly before there isn't any "hair there."  I had two, now just one that I can feel some but not much stubble in.  Sort of reminds a guy of the problems--the tuft--that you've left behind.  For most of it, only you notice. 

[cincydavid]

nm

[VictorMackey]

Cincydavid, that's not me! lol

That's Victor Mackey, a character from the Shield.

Okay, I'll put this up temporarily, because I have a thing about my pictures just being out there. Especially ones where I'm bald lol

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/333/img0192copy.jpg

I swear I'm not trying to pose.  I took it from the side because I want some thoughts on the shape of my head.  Aside from that, you can better see the horrible island at the front.

Also, note the terrible skin that I want to clear up.

Finally, the last time I shaved was Saturday night, and that was taken Monday (last night) evening!

[Noodles]

Okay, I'll put this up temporarily, because I have a thing about my pictures just being out there. Especially ones where I'm bald lol

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/333/img0192copy.jpg

I swear I'm not trying to pose.  I took it from the side because I want some thoughts on the shape of my head.  Aside from that, you can better see the horrible island at the front.
 

Not a bad pic, dude... not at all. Sometimes we tend to be more critical about ourselves, and something that seems so noticeable by ourselves goes completely unoticed by others.

Despite what it looks like in my photo, I too hve "little islands of hair" here and there, I'd like to seek out and destroy (LOL). While there are measures you can take, like scalp tweezing and waxing ( as mentioned above) a good razor like HeadBlade, Fusion, or Mach 3 are designed to give you the closest shave possible, which will make the  "island' less noticeable... even to you!

As far as the "skin condition" you describe, if you're talking about shaving irritation, products such as Nivea After Shave Balm, will not only soothe the irritation, but give both your head and face a "cooling-sensation" that calms the skin and somehow seems to "extend" the time before stubble starts to make its debut again.

Also, you said you had skipped a day (or two) in between the day you shaved and the day you took your pic. Do you normally let that amount of time lapse between shaves? I myself, in order to keep that "bone close" look have to shave twice a day .. once in the morning....then again, in the evening.

Hope this bit of info helps, but as others have suggested, check out the other threads as well.

- Cap'n Noodles -

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

Oh boy, I can assure you that no one, absolutely no one, notices all the faults and defects you are concerned with.  Sly works for you--just like we said it would.  Chill, relax, enjoy the freedom of sly.  If you're having some irritation I also attest to the comfort of Nivea Extreme Comfort--great stuff, very mild scent and a bottle, 3.3 oz, lasts a really long time.  Nothing unusual about the shape of your head, either.  Go on, try to enjoy all this a little rather than stirring up worries within yourself that no one else can notice!

[Jason66]

yeah, I agree with Noodles. You really can't tell too much having it buzzed. But putting it in front of his face and pointing it out.... you kinda asked for it... The other way of getting rid of the shadow is laser. I'm currently doing it. BUT my hair line didn't look half as good as yours. If I had yours, I'd be sporting a pony tail  lol (kidding)

Anyway, I've only gotten one laser treatment so far, (6wks ago) and still no sign of shadow. A few hairs sprouting out here and there, but very few and far between. So I got 7-8 weeks or so being shadow/hair free.

I don't thing you're anyway near that level yet. But If you ever do decide that road, get it started before the grays start. A lot more in there then one would think.

[YohaiM]

yeah, I agree with Noodles. You really can't tell too much having it buzzed. But putting it in front of his face and pointing it out.... you kinda asked for it... The other way of getting rid of the shadow is laser. I'm currently doing it. BUT my hair line didn't look half as good as yours. If I had yours, I'd be sporting a pony tail  lol (kidding)

Anyway, I've only gotten one laser treatment so far, (6wks ago) and still no sign of shadow. A few hairs sprouting out here and there, but very few and far between. So I got 7-8 weeks or so being shadow/hair free.

I don't thing you're anyway near that level yet. But If you ever do decide that road, get it started before the grays start. A lot more in there then one would think.

Laser?
I thought there isn't one for the head,yet.
I live in Israel,and had looked for it in past,but got a big no from the laser companies.
Does it permanently remove the entire hair off of your head?
I hate my shadow(most of my head)......

[marty22]

plenty of laser places for the head, MR Yohai!

[Jason66]

Yeah Yohaim... use the "search" You'll see a few topics here on it... slybaldguys.com/smf/index.php?topic=77.480 ... anyway, Same laser is used on head. I'm having beard done also. From the guys I've spoken to that had it done 3 or more yrs, It doesn't remove 100% but most of it after many sessions (10-12) Most still have a very light peach fuze that grows, like a womens arm hair. (well some women lol) There's also a lot of factors involved.  But I'm 6wks out and still nothing, so a session is every 8-12 wks for me. They wanted me to come in every 4. Nothing there so nothing to kill, would be a waste of time/money/pain...  You have any questions on it, feel free, though there are a few guys on here that have done more then I have. I did research the crap out of it before doing it... you should do the same   :-)

[Natedawg]

I don't see what the fuss is about, Vic. You look just fine. Sly suits you well. We all have different hairlines. I myself have a pronounced widow's peak that's noticeable when I let my head get fuzzy. Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure your coworker made that comment only because you yourself put it right in his face.
I'm gonna echo some others and say that you should just relax and go with the flow. It just takes time to get used to the never-before-seen features of your head. You'll be just fine.