Joining the dark side, since ya'll have cookies.

[Beardman]

Btw dude your beard is epic! If only my wife wasn't a pain about my beard

Thanks mate! I have yet to have an lady troubles with my beard. Though I've just started seeing someone now, so if the topic ever comes up, I'm just going to tell her she started going out with me like this, so I'm not cutting it to please her haha.

I see it the same was as I did when I shaved my head, as long as I am happy, why should it bother anyone else? Afterall I'm the one that has to deal with it on a daily basis.

[Sir Harry]

Welcome....I heard that you used baby oil in your introductory post. May I suggest investing in Shave Secret and a shaving brush? Both are sold at WalMart, and all you need is five drops of Shave Secret mixed in whatever soap/gel/foam that you use. Also, when you apply your shaving cream with a brush, it makes the hair softer and easier to shave and you may get less irritation and bumps. Good luck and better shaving as you go along!

[Frontier Guy]

Welcome Rado...

As you know from having lurked when you thought we didn't see you, there is lots of advice freely dispensed here. Which is all good if it works for you - and that's really key. Every guy is different and will have different successes and disappointments. For example, I don't use a shaving brush and I'm not all that keen on Witch Hazel.

SirSlyHarry got here first with the Shave Secret recommendation. It's a small bottle attached to a cardboard backer in the shaving section at Wal-Mart. About $3.50 and the bottle will last a long time. As was mentioned here a few months ago, if you put a drop of Shave Secret on your HeadBlade's blades that can help keep it from gunking up. (That also depends a lot on what blade you are using on the HeadBlade.) So I put one drop on the HeadBlade and then five drops on my scalp.

HeadSlick is great and I don't use anything else. Just use a little (like the size of a large pea) and it will lather nicely. Be sure your scalp is wet when you put it on. And if it seems to dry out or go thin, just add a couple drops of water to revive it.

I think the biggest variable is finding the razor/blades which work best for you. I've used the HeadBlade since Day #1 and don't anticipate changing to anything else. I used the HeadBlade triple-blades initially which were OK but switched (based on recommendations here) to Gillette CustomPlus3 blades which seemed better for me. And then I tried Wilkinson Sword Twin blades which xnewyorkx(?) recommended and those are by far the best for me. So expect to do some experimentation as you get settled in the Sly World.

As for the cookies ... it's kind of a "bring your own and share" situation. Normally the NEW members bring. Did I miss them when you arrived?

Welcome. I'm really glad you are here (in the spotlight) and shared your experience. Everyone benefits from seeing how Sly is working for each person.

Stick around and let us know how it's going and what problems you're having so we can overwhelm you with more suggestions.

How have reactions been from others? That's usually the biggest concern when guys go Sly?

[Viking]

How do I reclaim the cookies I missed out on when I joined the darkside?? 

Bald and bearded is the way to be!!

[mrzed]

Welcome. I'd suggest shaving with the grain for your next few shaves. Also I wouldn't go for super smooth for the first few shaves either. Trying for ultra smooth shaves in the beginning can sometimes mean that you take way too many passes and end up irritating your scalp. That's my $.02.

I always shave FIRST WTG.  Then go over again ATG for smoothness.  Starting out AGT seems too rough.

[Radocontact]

I see it the same was as I did when I shaved my head, as long as I am happy, why should it bother anyone else? Afterall I'm the one that has to deal with it on a daily basis.

It's all good on the girlfriend front... it's when they become a wife that you experience the problem haha! Their happiness is greater than yours at that point =P

Welcome....I heard that you used baby oil in your introductory post. May I suggest investing in Shave Secret and a shaving brush? Both are sold at WalMart, and all you need is five drops of Shave Secret mixed in whatever soap/gel/foam that you use. Also, when you apply your shaving cream with a brush, it makes the hair softer and easier to shave and you may get less irritation and bumps. Good luck and better shaving as you go along!

Thank you! I'll look for this today. The baby oil gunked up the blade too much for my liking. However, it was probably the nicest feeling shave I had during my frequent shaves. So I'm game for a more effective replacement!

Welcome Rado...

...

SirSlyHarry got here first with the Shave Secret recommendation. It's a small bottle attached to a cardboard backer in the shaving section at Wal-Mart. About $3.50 and the bottle will last a long time. As was mentioned here a few months ago, if you put a drop of Shave Secret on your HeadBlade's blades that can help keep it from gunking up. (That also depends a lot on what blade you are using on the HeadBlade.) So I put one drop on the HeadBlade and then five drops on my scalp.

...

I think the biggest variable is finding the razor/blades which work best for you. I've used the HeadBlade since Day #1 and don't anticipate changing to anything else. I used the HeadBlade triple-blades initially which were OK but switched (based on recommendations here) to Gillette CustomPlus3 blades which seemed better for me. And then I tried Wilkinson Sword Twin blades which xnewyorkx(?) recommended and those are by far the best for me. So expect to do some experimentation as you get settled in the Sly World.

As for the cookies ... it's kind of a "bring your own and share" situation. Normally the NEW members bring. Did I miss them when you arrived?

....

How have reactions been from others? That's usually the biggest concern when guys go Sly?

Thank you! I bought the HeadBlade classic. Kicking myself a little because they had the sport at another store for the same price. I originally used the blade that came with it twice. I believe it's a double blade. After that I bought the triple blade for the next few shaves but I think at that point the damage was done. After this heals up, I'm going to give the Schick Hydro a shot to see if having the blade guards help from irritating my scalp until it's use to being shaved. I figure I have plenty of years ahead to experiment! Definitely going to check out the Shave Secret.

I think medpsy82 ate your share of the cookies

The reactions have been interesting! My wife is probably the one having the hardest time with it. Being with someone having hair for 8 years then going to none is probably a bit of a shock but I think she's excepted it. My coworkers have actually been really awesome about it. They've all given me compliments and said it's much better than having the hair with thinning. The only real hazing I've received was from my four year old daughter who sang, "Daddy has a silly head!" at me for three days, haha!

On another note, I've received more compliments in the beginning week of my head shaved by women than I have in the last 24 years with hair! Granted, I'm not looking for love on the side, but it definitely boosts the self esteem! It would appear that the ladies are definitely okay with domes!

Honestly, I can't stress enough to the people lurking or the ones not sure about shaving their heads. It was the best decision I've made about my hair since I started losing it. It always bothered me while it was thinning. There's definitely a freedom to getting rid of it and having a more uniform looking head. I know I was very worried at first about my head shape. Admittedly, the back part of my skull is a little funky, but overall I was pleased to find out that my head is very symmetrical.

Looking forward to reporting about my future shaves =)

[Slynito]

Welcome to the forum. 

[Radocontact]

Thanks slynt! Kayak fisherman or just like kayaking?

[Laser Man]

Welcome!

Hope your wife comes around to liking your new look.  Give her a little time to adjust and I'm sure she will because it looks good on you. 

A lot of guys worry that women don't like the sly look, but I've gotten lots of unprompted compliments from women.  Makes me wonder if my hair looked that bad! 

As far as shaving, part of the fun is experimenting and finding what works for you.  Your technique and what you use will evolve over time and you may find yourself with a couple different routines like one for when you are short on time and one for normal days.  Look around and you'll see lots of info or PM with questions.

[Radocontact]

Can't say thanks to everyone enough!

Ready to get my shave on here in the next day or so!

[Slynito]

Thanks slynt! Kayak fisherman or just like kayaking?

I'm a Yaker and love to explore. I can get into some remote places so I should take an ultra-lite with me. Hummm?

 

[Radocontact]

I'm a Yaker and love to explore. I can get into some remote places so I should take an ultra-lite with me. Hummm?

 

Ha! I've never done it myself, but I have been researching it a lot lately. Just seems like it'd be absolutely peaceful on my down time!

[Radocontact]

Shaved the head yesterday night and it went awesome!

Put razor in Hydrogen Peroxide while waiting
Let hot water run on my head for 5 minutes.
Head and Shoulders Shampoo - Shower puff
St. Ives Apricot Scrub
4 drops of Shave Secret on the head, 1 on the blade
HeadSlick
Schick 3 Hydro
Shaved WTG
Ran head under cold water for a few minutes.
Put razor back in Hydrogen Peroxide

Witch Hazel on the head
Bump Patrol on
Nivea Extreme After Shave Balm

I felt absolutely no irritation afterwards. Previous irritation wasn't even a factor. Head isn't completely clear yet, but no added bumps! Only thing that was odd was that the Schick Hydro leaves a snotty residue while shaving. On the bright side, I think that was part of the reason it was such a smooth shape!

I'm amped up now!

[Paul the Headblader]

Shaved the head yesterday night and it went awesome!

Put razor in Hydrogen Peroxide while waiting
Let hot water run on my head for 5 minutes.
Head and Shoulders Shampoo - Shower puff
St. Ives Apricot Scrub
4 drops of Shave Secret on the head, 1 on the blade
HeadSlick
Schick 3 Hydro
Shaved WTG
Ran head under cold water for a few minutes.
Put razor back in Hydrogen Peroxide

Witch Hazel on the head
Bump Patrol on
Nivea Extreme After Shave Balm

I felt absolutely no irritation afterwards. Previous irritation wasn't even a factor. Head isn't completely clear yet, but no added bumps! Only thing that was odd was that the Schick Hydro leaves a snotty residue while shaving. On the bright side, I think that was part of the reason it was such a smooth shape!

I'm amped up now!

Nice!

[Beardman]

Glad to hear it!