Finally took the plunge - page 1 -

• Finally took the plunge by bsev08 on 26 May, 2012 20:17
• Hey everyone, been browsing for a few days now.
  
  Name is Brett, currently 22 years old. Receding hairline started when I was about 16 and the top of my dome began thinning at about 18. I was obviously not blessed with decent hair genes, but at the same time it has never bothered me and I am actually somewhat grateful for it.
  
  I have been buzzing my hair no guard for about 3 years now soon after the thinning started. I had been considering breaking out the razor for quite some time, and it was always just a thought in my mind.... Until 3 days ago.
  
  
  
  I used my gillette fusion proglide and the results were more than satisfactory but I am very meticulous about not missing any spots. So I found myself standing at the sink for 25 minutes ending with a few nicks and a couple bumps on the back of my neck.
  
  When I read about everyone shaving daily, I followed up yesterday about 22 hours after the first shave. Went a little better than the first.
  
  Last night I picked up the Headblade sport and Headslick from Walgreens and wow what a difference. It will take a while to get used to but its amazing how much easier it was.
  
  I need to pick up some pre and post shaving items to take care of the few bumps that showed up. I used to get ingrown hairs when I would shave my face so I expected this to occur, but no fun when the blade sliced through one on the back of my head yesterday!
  
  I am 3 days in of daily shaving, 27 more to go.. Yet something tells me I wont need the 30 Day Rule considering I feel amazing about this decision.
  
  Looking forward to spending a good amount of time on this forum as I get through my learning period and even long after that.
  
  Sly since 5/24/12
• #1 by marty22 on 26 May, 2012 20:20
• welcome Brett from New York!
• #2 by IllinoisBaldy on 26 May, 2012 21:08
• Welcome to SBG.
• #3 by PigPen on 26 May, 2012 21:11
• Welcome! Glad to see you jumped right in to the 30 day without hesitation.
  
  Looking good, and I have no doubt you'll stay SLY after that.
• #4 by Itall on 26 May, 2012 21:11
• Looking good.
• #5 by Frontier Guy on 26 May, 2012 21:15
• Welcome to the world of Sly (though you've been lurking at the door for quite a while).
  
  I've only been here a bit more than a week, but can assure you the inhabitants here are an incredible bunch who are willing to offer friendship, encouragement and advice as needed.
  
  Hope you'll be a regular participant as well.
  
  BTW, it's a great look for you. And having been doing the buzz for three years I guess it's not too much of a surprise when you see your shaved head. < wink >
• #6 by RoWilJr on 26 May, 2012 21:28
• Welcome to SBG...Looking absolutely Sly my friend! See ya around the forums
• #7 by zetaeffe on 26 May, 2012 22:14
• Welcome! Looking great!! 
• #8 by bsev08 on 26 May, 2012 22:25
• Thanks for the kind words guys, really excited about making this a permanent addition to my daily routine. The past two nights I was very eager to go to bed because I knew it was only a few short hours until my next shave!
  
  I plan to update this thread every couple days over the next month to "document" if you will, the process of my learning and my scalp adapting to the daily scraping. Also including my experiences with products that (hopefully) make this process as painless as possible.
  
  Just starting out I plan to try the following Headblade products -
  
  "HeadWash" for cleaning (not sure if this is necessary, I shower before I shave).
  "ClearHead" as an attempt to remove and minimize bumps while my head adapts over the next few weeks.
  "HeadLube" for moisturizing.
  I was also looking at "HeadShed" for exfoliating but is that not the purpose of a warm shower before?
  
  I figured the HB company is very reputable and with my limited exposure to head care products I went to these as a first resort. If anyone can give me advice on any of these products, or if you recommend a different product found in local stores that worked for you please dont hesitate to say so!
• #9 by Mike on 26 May, 2012 23:07
• Welcome! Buzzing for 3 years should have gotten you ready for smooth.
  
   As for the headblade products, I am a loyal user but I shave in the shower. What I use in the shower first is headwash which gets most of the grime off. Then I use the headshed which gets everything else off. It really does make a difference because I have gone times without using it and my scalp shows it. After the wash and shed I use the headslick to shave, then rinse and use a smidge more headslick to get any spots I may have missed.
   The warm shower does help your scalp but like I said, the headshed really does the job and gets all of your dead skin cells knocked off. In the shower, don't get it too hot because it will dry your skin out. I am not a fan of the headlube personally because to me it is just too slimy feeling and it makes my scalp feel more greasy feeling, my scalp is oily as it is so I don't need any artificial help
• #10 by Sir Harry on 26 May, 2012 23:31
• Welcome and congratulations for freeing yourself from "hair prison".
• #11 by bsev08 on 26 May, 2012 23:36
• Thanks Mike, appreciate the reply! Exactly the kind of info I was looking for.
  
  I was unsure of whether to use the headwash or headshed first. Have you tried using headshed before headwash? That was the way I was considering using it since the wash would get rid of the cells the shed breaks loose. Yet on the other hand the wash may have an affect on the shed's exfoliating when used after it.
  
  Did you use the glossy or matte headlube? I was going to get the matte because I am not going for the shiny dome at this point in time, maybe down the line I will   .. I was mostly interested in it as a moisturizer since I have dry skin naturally.
  
  My second shave was in the shower and being only my second the water hitting my head after the shave was irritating. Also I was not using headslick at the time so the shaving cream may have contributed to that... My only thought about shaving in the shower is my meticulousness about getting perfect around my ears and above the beard. Although that will come naturally by feel in time with more practice.
  
  Thanks sirharry! Glad to be a part of this community!
• #12 by Sir Harry on 26 May, 2012 23:49
• You're welcome, bsev....BTW, you said the water was irritating your scalp after your shave...May I suggest rubbing your scalp with ice cubes and witch hazel after your shave...closes your pores without the sting of traditional aftershave. Good Luck!
• #13 by bsev08 on 26 May, 2012 23:54
• Thanks! I saw a post earlier today where someone (might have been you actually) suggested the ice cube idea. I may have to give that a try for now, since my shaving lineup only consists of headslick and no preshave or aftershave products.
• #14 by Sir Harry on 27 May, 2012 00:23
• It's always good to apply something after you shave...even if it's traditional aftershave...open pores can lead to razor bumps, something no bald man wants on any part of his dome if he can help it...BTW the beard looks good!. Most drugstores sell witch hazel. Also, two things to suggest. I would just get in front of a mirror and do behind the ears to prevent nicking your ear and also, St. Ives Apricot Scrub is another good product to clean your scalp with. Visit some of the threads and you will find various scalp cleaning and scalp shaving suggestions. Happy shaving!