need help with deciding to go bald.

[BaldingSince16]

Hello all how is everyone doing? So I am just trying to decide if i should go bald or not and needed some advice and or opinions on if and why I should go bald.

Now I know a lot of you are probably just going to say to shave it just because that's what you did and you think everyone should do it. And hey thats great for you. But i am seriously looking to better myself as a person inside and out by doing this.

Anyways, a little about me. My name is Chris. I am 26 years old and I have been going bald since I was 16. I have pretty much no hair in the front except a few bangs left and it is getting to the point where i hate it but i feel I will look dumb bald. I have a huge forehead and I cannot grow any kind of facial hair and when it does grow in it grows in splotches. Now i mention that because. a lot of the guys that have pics posted either A. are more muscular or heavier set which somehow accentuates the hair. Or B. have facial hair which draws attention away from the bald head and makes it look better. now i cannot do either of these things.

Anyways i have attached a picture to show you all what I am working with if you could give me some advice thank you very much. And have a wonderful 2013.

Ok so it will not let me attach any photos. sorry guys i tried.

[Sly Red]

Now I know a lot of you are probably just going to say to shave it just because that's what you did and you think everyone should do it. And hey thats great for you. But i am seriously looking to better myself as a person inside and out by doing this.
By shaving your head you are accepting the fact that you're going bald.  Accepting the truth will quite possibly make you a better person inside and out.

When you're clean shaven the large forehead is no more.  Just all slick bald head.

To post a picture you need to post it into a photo hosting site then link to it.

Cheers,
Red

[Bensen]

Welcome on Board !
Your concerns are understandable.  I am wondering  if you ever tried a short buzz or so.
"Now I know a lot of you are probably just going to say to shave..." yes because it would be a way to find out which route you might wanna go. You wouldn't need to keep it shaved if there is no way you would like it. Finally the only relief of thinking to much for me was to try it, kinda.

[leighmundo40]

Be good to see a photo!

Like Ben32 said, you dont need to shave completely SLY, try a buzz cut or something really short and see how you feel about it.

Whatever you decide, support is great on here.

[Crusher0209]

I have to agree with Red by doing it pretty much all the problems that you have listed should go away and it will make you feel better about your self. I am still in high school don't have facial hair or muscles at all but I am skinny as can be but I love the fresh clean look and absolutely love it and you should give it a go if you don't like just buzz it down when grows back. The choice is yours and it is up to you in the end. Hope it goes well for you.

[schro]

Now I know a lot of you are probably just going to say to shave it just because that's what you did and you think everyone should do it. And hey thats great for you. But i am seriously looking to better myself as a person inside and out by doing this.

I'm not sure if I should be offended or not by the above comment, Chris. 
One thing you see prevalent in the responses to the "Should I or shouldn't I" question is confidence. Clearly there are some exterior factors that may play  a part in confidence, but confidence mainly comes from within. How you feel about yourself, the image you project on others, how you deal with adversity, how others view you. These are all derived from your belief in yourself.

Prior to shaving my head for the first time six years ago, I considered myself a pretty confident guy. I was married (still am) to an incredible lady, have two great kids, and have a pretty good life. However, I was always grabbing a ballcap first thing in the morning. I hated the horseshoe around my head. Plus, I had a scalp condition that drove me nuts. Since shaving the head, the scalp condition is a non-issue, and I love the sly look on me.

Am I a muscular guy? Not really.
Is my head big? Size 7 1/2, so yeah it is.

You need to ask yourself if you'd rather have the "few bangs" of hair left, or give Mother Nature the finger and give it a shot. What have you got to lose?
And who knows, you might like it! And it you don't, your hair can grow back and return to where you once were a few short days ago.

Good luck with your decision.

[Frontier Guy]

I'll just add, that if you either shave or buzz it short ... maintain it for 30 days so you have a chance to become accustomed to it. As with any change, there is a period of evaluation / adjustment.

Spend some time reading the other topics which may help you solidify your thoughts.

Honest opinion: Although I think it would be good for you, I don't think you're ready. (No offense intended.)

[VoodooSyxx]

So I am just trying to decide if i should go bald or not and needed some advice and or opinions on if and why I should go bald.

Not to sound like a total prick or anything bro, but momma nature already made that decision for you, as she did for me. The only choice any of us have in the matter is whether we accept it, own it, and make it look good or just keep on hiding behind those last few hairs and deluding ourselves.

Now I know a lot of you are probably just going to say to shave it just because that's what you did and you think everyone should do it. And hey thats great for you. But i am seriously looking to better myself as a person inside and out by doing this.

Yeah. Pretty much. As schro already said, I'm not quite sure if I should be offended by this statement, so I'm going to assume you didn't mean to offend anyone and just leave that be. Looking around at the fellas on these forums, they all seem to be pretty solid guys with great character and tons of confidence. I can't speak for them but I'm fairly certain that the one thing they all have in common, scraping the head, was an improvement for them.

For myself, I can speak. Even though I haven't been at this long, it has been a massive improvement for me. I don't have to hide under a cap any more, or wonder if people are staring at my head and judging me as one of those guys who just can't be bothered to take care of himself and clean up that mess already. I'm bald, and frankly, I make this look good. That's the attitude I carry around with me, and people are noticing and responding to it positively.

You're right. I'm going to suggest you give it a shot. It isn't permanent, and what hair you have will grow back if you decide it just doesn't work for you.

[mangosink12572]

Why do you think you will look DUMB BALD? - - -Do you think we all look DUMB BALD?

DON'T you know and see that BALD GUYS are better looking than guys with hair 

[Hingatao]

No offense intended to anyone but, unlike yourself and some of the others here, I wasn't suffering from mpb when I went sly. I was, however, suffering from some pretty serious dandruff.

I'd been thinking about shaving my head for a long time so, with the encouragement of a few friends, I finally made a conscious decision to just do it. And you know what? I like it. It hasn't been quite seven months yet but I've seen a major surge in my confidence and self-esteem. I've also noticed that I'm more outgoing than I used to be.

As a side note, out of the 900+ people I work with only one said she didn't like it. (As did my sister.) everyone else though (family, friends and co-workers) were either indifferent or said I look good sly.

Ultimately this is your decision and you're the only one who has to be happy with it.

[slymyke]

So I am just trying to decide if i should go bald or not and needed some advice and or opinions on if and why I should go bald.

Not to sound like a total prick or anything bro, but momma nature already made that decision for you, as she did for me. The only choice any of us have in the matter is whether we accept it, own it, and make it look good or just keep on hiding behind those last few hairs and deluding ourselves.
 

That's what I was thinking too.  The choice has already been made, it's just a matter of accepting it and dealing with it the best way possible.  Luckily, it is actually a better look!    Also, I don't understand how being bald can make someone look stupid... (doesn't a balding head with a few bang hanging willy-nilly look kinda silly?)

[Lynchy]

Everyone up there nailed it IMO.

You, like most of us here, don't really have the choice anymore. It is what it is, shaving it all off is liberating.

Try a buzz first and see how you feel, it will always grow back if you don't like it

Oh and Welcome!

[VoodooSyxx]

So I am just trying to decide if i should go bald or not and needed some advice and or opinions on if and why I should go bald.

Not to sound like a total prick or anything bro, but momma nature already made that decision for you, as she did for me. The only choice any of us have in the matter is whether we accept it, own it, and make it look good or just keep on hiding behind those last few hairs and deluding ourselves.
 

That's what I was thinking too.  The choice has already been made, it's just a matter of accepting it and dealing with it the best way possible.  Luckily, it is actually a better look!    Also, I don't understand how being bald can make someone look stupid... (doesn't a balding head with a few bang hanging willy-nilly look kinda silly?)

Exactly! I have yet to see anyone sporting a sly head that looks stupid. The only thing that holding on to that rapidly diminishing hair look does is add a good decade to to a guy's age appearance.  Who really wants that?

[OzSly]

Great advice Brothers   

[Argyle]

I think it is fair to say that many guys on here would have if they could have kept their luscious locks.  And at the point of going sly felt they were choosing from the least worse option (that said I think George Bush was elected on a similar rationale!).  I was the same, wasn't prepared to stick with the hairy toilet seat and so shaved to the bone (in Budapest in November - that was a serious baptism of fire in the temperature department!). However, and there is a however..........

Almost all of the guys who go through the above, find that through shaving, they stop worrying about their hair, concerns about head shape, lumps, bumps etc etc soon pass, and then very swiftly they focus on far more important things.  Their confidence rises, they enjoy life more, people like them more.....repeat to fade!  

If your hair is as depleted as you think it is then I think ultimately you have only two options and for me he best is always to shave.  And I think you will find that the only person who notices, or indeed cares about your perceived flaws is you..... (At least I hope that is the case otherwise I am a proper freak show .

Good luck