Going bald bad, was anyone ever "the hat guy"?

[mg42]

Hello SBG.  Getting into my very late 20s and my hair is starting to go bad at the temples, still have hair on top but its getting very thin.  Now I am getting very close to wanting to shave it all  to a 1 or 0(part of me is tired of living under hats and I wanna be myself).  The thing is/the other part of me thinks i have been wearing a hat everytime I go out for years and im soo shocked/worried of what people are going to think when the deed is done..I also have a big forehead. They are obviously gonna wanna see my hair since its shoulder length right now.  A few friends know what I am hiding since ive told a few, they say i should just shave it. Anyone ever been in the hat situation like I am? what were peoples reactions when you finally shaved or showed off the dome after living under a hat for years?

[Paul the Headblader]

the big forehead thingy is a lie. if you shave it, it'll be just ..head
and if your friends support you, go ahead and shave it! you'll love the pure freedom!

[Sir Harry]

I wore a lot of hats back in the day, mostly with my military uniform. Even before shaving bald, I wore caps when I would be out in the sun, or because it went well with a sports jersey at the time. I wore a hat when I started shaving bald at first, but as more and more people started doing it, I wore a hat less to show off my new dome...In due time, you won't even be concerned about a hat...

[stasiu]

Just no guard buzz it and or  razor it smooth.  If you buzz or go sly and still wear cap, everyone is going to see the skinned sides.  Time to wean away from the cap (except for cold weather) and be sly and proud.

[Laser Man]

Going from hair to bald is a dramatic change, especially if you have long hair and wear hats. People will comment, no doubt, but you'll be surprised at 1) how many comments are positive and 2) how quickly people adjust to your new look. Yes, you will get some negative comments, but you should ignore them. For the most part people accept and move on.  If you have friends urging you to shave, they'll probably be a good support system (some may be jealous of your new, dashing bald head!)

Yes, it may seem daunting now, but once you shave smooth, you'll realize quickly how good it looks and feels and your self-confidence will get a boost because you're no longer worrying about your hair!

[mrzed]

I've been buzzing my hair for several years, gradually getting shorter and shorter.

Today I shaved (BBC).  While I had a few comments doing the buzz, there really have been no comments today on the shave, so going from short buzz to shaved seems to be a smooth transition.

I do wear hats, but not the baseball cap style. Those just don't come large enough, even with the expander pieces. 

[KDusk]

Hello SBG.  Getting into my very late 20s and my hair is starting to go bad at the temples, still have hair on top but its getting very thin.  Now I am getting very close to wanting to shave it all  to a 1 or 0(part of me is tired of living under hats and I wanna be myself).  The thing is/the other part of me thinks i have been wearing a hat everytime I go out for years and im soo shocked/worried of what people are going to think when the deed is done..I also have a big forehead. They are obviously gonna wanna see my hair since its shoulder length right now.  A few friends know what I am hiding since ive told a few, they say i should just shave it. Anyone ever been in the hat situation like I am? what were peoples reactions when you finally shaved or showed off the dome after living under a hat for years?

It seems like you've already decided for yourself: you want to do it, your friends say you should do it... JUST DO IT  

But I know what you're going through, I've been through the same feelings a couple of months ago. I'm also receding and thinning, and for the last half year I had been wearing a hat or cap. That's when I wanted to do something about my 'balding' and going sly was closest to what I want people to associate me with: a confident person who is vain enough to shave every day / every other day, but not so vain that I need to hold on to medication or surgery to feel good about myself.

I also thought I had a big forehead, but guess what: that's your hair receding. Hair frames the face, and if your hair is receding, it draws all the attention upward and elongates the forehead. That's why I shave my head every other day: to keep the stubble away and keep my face in proportion.

After buzzing or shaving: don't wear a hat unless necessary (to protect you freezing temperatures or sunburn). It's less of a shock to others when you enter the room with a bald or buzzed head than when you wear a cap and take it of. I felt more embarrassed a couple of months ago when I had to take of my hat and reveal my 'hair' (or whatever was left of it) than I am now. Now I'm just: BAM, here's my head.

People's reactions have been all over the place: strangers I get to meet for the first time don't comment on it (so I guess it looks pretty normal), most of my friends made a Britney Spears-jokes when they first saw it ("Seriously, you're taking this Britney Spears-fandom WAAAAAY to serious") but were mainly indifferent about it, and my colleages and bosses really liked it ("a mature and clean look"). My mom was harder to please, but she started to like it eventually.

[Slynito]

I had a pony tail for <20 years so there were some reactions to my shaving, but not as many as I thought there would be...as for hats, I've always been a hat man and still like to wear them when I feel like it...dare to be different.

[DCdome]

Right now you are wearing a hat because you feel you must.  You got something to hide.  When you shave the dome you will be free!  You can wear a hat whenever you want but you'll have nothing to hide.  You will love the bald dome.