Need some advice

[Steve807]

*Moved post from Introductions to here*
Hi Everyone. I've been thinking about shaving my head for a while now and I just came across this website. A little background, i'm 23 years old and I started showing signs of balding when I was in high school (17 years old). It started with a minor receding hairline but I always kept my hair long so I didn't notice until I started cutting my hair short. About a year ago I started having to tell the barber to leave some hair on the sides on my temple so I could do the "comb forward" look on the sides. Today I just happened to realize for the first time that i'm starting to lose the hair on the back of my head (see attached picture...if I attached it right). To be honest this crushed me. I've always known that I was going to lose my hair early because of genetics but I never thought it was going to be this soon. Since I was young i've told myself that at the first signs of balding I would shave my head instead of looking 30 years older than my age because I have a comb over. I'm scared to do it, as dumb as that sounds. I'm worried about what people at work are going to think if I come in bald one day but at the same time if i continue with the balding look I know its only going to make me more self conscious. I should also add that growing up I had a buzz cut until around the 7th grade so I know the feeling and I think I have a nicely shaped head for a short haircut. Basically I was driven to write this post because I want to get some real feedback. Does the attached picture look bad (please be honest) and how would you recommend going about this for the first time? (shave it or progressively keep cutting it shorter). Thanks a lot!
-Steve

[Frontier Guy]

Hi Steve, and welcome.

You'll get lots of advice from the guys around here. And if you read through the various areas of the Forums you'll encounter lots of young guys who dealt with a similar situation. So it's not all that unusual. And then there are a fair number of others who are "BBC" (Bald By Choice) simply because they prefer the look or the simplicity.

Your post really says it all. Hair loss is an increasing burden for you. It's taking way too much mental energy to "maintain" the appearance. So it seems to come down to how to transition from your current hairstyle to a new "hairless-style."

You can gradually shorten it (a bit every week or two) like using the #3 guard on the clippers, then the #2, etc. or do away with it all and go directly to #0 or "no guard" or "shaved head." Once you get to the #0 or "no guard" there's really no visible difference between those and shaved, but the feeling you'll get with a smoothly shaved head is sensational.

Everyone's story is different - but the recurring themes are "I should have done this much sooner" and "I have much greater confidence now" and so on. Reactions from parents seem to be the most uncertain. In general, most reactions from friends and co-workers are positive - or non-existent.

If you do go sly, commit to it for 30 days. Those 30 days will help you establish trimming or shaving as part of your daily routine. It will help your scalp toughen a bit. And it will give yourself and others time to adjust to the new look. I found after about a week that I was totally hooked and will not go back to dealing with hair.

But what really matters, is how you feel. It's your head and your life. Take control. If you go sly you will find a sense of freedom you couldn't have imagined. No more worries about hair positioning, dealing with hats, wind, and all.

So take a look around. Ask questions. Tell more about your concerns. The guys here are awesome, encouraging, well-informed, experienced with these issues, supportive, and - at times - quite humorous.

[marty22]

welcome! it's up to you...but it may not be your turn to join us as of this time.

[JasonR]

I think you've got two options...

1. Buzz it shorter and shorter. I started losing my hair at 17 (started receding at 17), and my hair kept getting thinner after that. At age 20/21 I started noticing the thinness was getting worse. I buzzed it to a number 3, then 2, then 1, then 0. No one commented much (although i wore a hat quite a bit)...as the shorter your hair is the harder it is to notice MPB. I did still have that receding hair line. I think this approach would work fine, however, you will be self concious about your hair with this method.

2. Shave it now. It will grow back if you don't like it. Use a 0 guard or a razor, doesn't matter. Try it for 30 days...if you like it, keep it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain with this method. If you don't like shaving it completely, go bad to option 1.

Good luck...and post pictures whatever you decide. Oh and by the way you can buy clippers for $30 at Target or Walmart. Handy for all sorts of grooming.

[stasiu]

Advice ?  You def. got mpb starting at crown but got quite a ways to go.  Go progressively shorter until you have no other choice but sly.  Or ... try sly now and see how you look cuz your hair will grow back on top.  Experiment now or forever regret it.