Can you guys believe these "Hairlosshelp.com" jerks?

[slymyke]

I finally decided to look at this tread.  I wasn't interested in the title, because I am not interested in Hair Replacement topics.  

Just looking at it VERY BRIEFLY, I think it could be possible that there are people with a lot to gain by making comments and posting threads about products and procedures.  (Kind of like when you read comments posted on line about a restaurant and realize that some of the positive comments are probably written by an owner or a friend of the owner).  

That is the cool thing about being SLY... and about this forum:  You can be SLY for free (for whatever reason you want).  Sure, there are products that can be marketed toward Shaving your head.. but you don't NEED any of them specifically.  You can simply use the products that you already use to shave your face and get good results.   --anything better than these good results is a bonus.  

Just my 2 cents... (whatever that is worth in this economy---  wait, don't figure that out, I may owe each of you thousands of dollars for just sharing my opinion!  lol)

[Undecided]

I have to admit I sit on the fence between the two sites. Like you guys, I certainly don't use finasteride or minoxidil, I'm not interested in hair transplants right now, I don't combover and I don't use toupees. However, if there was a safe treatment that actually worked and that was neither excessively costly or cumbersome, I would be at the front of the queue! So the hairlosshelp site has its uses as it's somewhere I can go to check the latest research every now and then.

Also, unlike you guys, I don't shave my head for no other reason than that I can't be bothered. The required effort simply doesn't justify the end result for me. Of course I can see all your photographs and nice though they are I don't think they are any better or worse than what I would see if hairlosshelp did the same. I'm in a minority but I'm not particularly bothered if a man decides to wet shave his head or wants to sport a combover, I don't see any benefit for one over the other (both are more effort than its worth to me)! I buzz and can do so as infrequently as once a fortnight which is twice as often as I want to care about the state of my head quite frankly!

I think my philosophy has always been that it is nice to have a choice. That's why I'd take the treatment if it was safe, cheap and straightforward. I think we're all entitled to our own opinions on the matter and what I do pick up in this thread is a fairly judgemental attitude to the 'other side,' albeit one that is reciprocated. This site is definitely made up of the more confident bald people but at the same time it is important to remember that a lot of bald people do not identify with your look and choose not to look like you accordingly. That is fine and going on to their sites to 'set them straight' will probably be met with the same derision as would happen here is someone tried to sell finasteride on the forum! It's also important to remember many of us are quite happy in ourselves without needing to wet shave.

[Sir Harry]

Undecided, welcome to the forum.....Whether you become a full time participant on the forum or this winds up being your first and only post, we do appreciate you sharing your point of view. Reading through your post I found it to be very objective and not an attack on one side or the other. What I want to share with you is that, many lurkers think that we want to encourage EVERY man that is losing his hair to just wet shave it bald. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our objective here is to give men who are suffering from some form of hairloss support and to encourage them that going bald is not the end of the world. We have members who simply clippershave or buzzcut and those guys are still happy participants here. As far as the Hairloss website, I think a lot of the posts were in response to the person starting a negative thread against our site, but as I read along, most of the responses to said thread were either pretty positive or taking a "to each his own approach". I will admit as a moderator here, that calling the guys on the other side "jerks" may have been a bit extreme and unnecessary, but I think many of the negative responses may have been just frustration. One thing I like about our forum is that we welcome everyone to participate, hair or no hair, male or female. We have many members from all walks of life who enjoy participating and we hope that you, regardless of what you decide to do about your situation with your hair, will do the same. FWIW, we have many members who are not losing hair shave their head bald by choice. In short, hairloss and the handling of it is indeed an individual choice as you put it. Once again, thanks for stopping by and sharing, and the best of luck to you in your future decisions.

[don]

They say we're insecure about hair loss by shaving it off. What the hell do they think they are! They're the ones trying to cover it with transplants and wigs. If anything they're the ones that are insecure about hairloss. Some people are so clueless.

[Undecided]

The view that wet shaving is a sign of insecurity is nonsense although I wouldn't go as far as to say that it is brave or bold either. It's simply someone trying to look their best and there's nothing wrong or insecure about that!

I take the slightly lazier outlook that I can't achieve a look I derive any pleasure from so I choose to make minimal effort. I guess it makes me a fence sitter because I'm not interested in drugs or razors. I like to take the doing nothing option literally!

Appearances really don't matter much at all to me. I think there is an assumption that people need to think they look good to feel confident but it's not a view I share. I don't think I look good but I have a family, a very good job and I've worked in multiple locations around the world. I really couldn't care less what I look like doing what I do!

[onthefence99]

After reading this thread, I started looking around the hair loss website.  The below post is from the hairlosstalk website and is wrong on soooooooo many levels....

http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2439

---------------

I've noticed a lot of people on this blog and others are still encouraging people to shave their heads and get on with life. I used to find this recommendation extremely distressing when I first started losing my hair, and still do. I would like to make a few points about head shaving for the people who still don't get it:

1) People who recommend shaving your head name the same five or six celebrities that suit the look. I can name hundreds of people who don't suit the look. You probably can too.

2) Most people's heads are funny shapes. Therefore, their shaved head looks terrible.

3) The shaved head is the look of choice for neo-Nazis.

4) It involves a lot of work to maintain a shaved head, including an extra 15 minutes shaving every single day.

5) Men who are not fit look terrible with a shaved head, so an extra hour of your life has to be given up to the gym. You also have to cut out all the foods you like for 'the look.'

6) You'll increase your chance of skin cancer with a shaved head. Better to cover up with a HT, hat or wig.

7) You didn't like going bald, so you'll hate being 100% bald.

I think I've made my point!

[DanO]

I'll just pick up on a few of the points.

1) That's your personal opinion, not a fact.

2) That's your personal opinion, not a fact.  However if most people have funny shaped heads, surely that would make it normal?

3) When was this written, the 1970s?  Jeez.

Started to loose the will to live after that, but skipping ahead to point 7

7) How would you know?  My experience obviously differs from the original post author (as someone who has actually shaved their head), but being totally shaved is much better than balding.  That's personal opinion too - but one based on actually trying it.

[Marshal S.]

This is three years old.  I think if that person feels this way, they have a right to their opinion.  Please hope they don't want to say it here.

[Baldstu]

I would suggest that accept the changes , ie hair loss, as an attribute of your wondeful self , all of us are changing . I made the change voluntarily to become bald by choice .

[slymyke]

The guy who wrote those 7 points of why not to shave your head went on to write:

"I'm seriously considering artificial implants. Whilst they are not available in the US, fortunately I live in the free world where they are! I think what I'll do is have a very generous real hair transplant at the front, where things need to look natural, and then when the rest of my head thins out more I'll get implants if I don't have the doner hair to finish the job."


Wow, that sounds
1- expensive
2- scary
3 -highly probable to not look right
4 -questionable
5 -totally self-absorbed
6 -high maintenance (many return vists)
7 -over the top

*** just my opinion.

[g_bald]

I came to SBG because there were tons of folks out there in the same predicament and I wanted to have a place where people were friendly, encouraging and open-minded. That all, and more, is part of why I keep coming back.

The negatives can come from any place, any time. I don't like the idea of selling someone on a procedure or medication that *may* help. There are no guarantees in life (except those two...) and, although it's fine to mention such things, encouraging others to undergo such treatments (without knowing the individual) is a little questionable.

The same could be said for encouraging someone to shave their heads, but these's a catch: shaving is temporary. Drugs and surgeries can have permanent effects on the body, the mind and the psyche. Having a smooth dome can be, without doing any work at all, grown to a buzz in a few weeks (depending on how short you like it). So, encouraging someone to try a wet shave is one thing, encouraging someone to invest in drugs, rugs and plugs is quite another. Unless, of course, you're in the pay of the companies who provide these services/products.

I encourage people to shave because for me, it honestly just feels right. I fought it (not via drugs but by simple denial) for a long time, the buzz cuts getting shorter and shorter. I found I liked the look and so, when I encourage someone else, I am coming from the standpoint of trying something new, and fresh...and above all, not permanent!

It does take a special kind of person to wear the sly look, I agree. I hope to aspire to some of the true greats one day who have made others proud by owning the sly look !!

[Baldstu]

Quite xtraordinary slymke is,nt it

[onthefence99]

I'm new to being sly, I have only been doing it a month or so.   If you ask me would I rather have a full head of hair....

If the only reason was visual aesthetics, than yes.... maybe, BUT

Taking into account all factors, including maintenance, cost, freedom.... I think I would honestly prefer being shaved.  I love being sly, and the lifestyle advantages.  I used to wear a hat all the time.  I only wear one now for sun protection on occasion.  I'm truly happy with bald head, and what those insecure people on the other forum don't get, is true aesthetics is more than a visual depiction.    It's personality and the way you carry yourself.  I'm comfortable in my skin being sly, I would bet anything they would be hard pressed to find so,done comfortable in their skin, when it's covered in a hairpiece.

[Mike E. P.]

I'm new to being sly, I have only been doing it a month or so.   If you ask me would I rather have a full head of hair....

If the only reason was visual aesthetics, than yes.... maybe, BUT

Taking into account all factors, including maintenance, cost, freedom.... I think I would honestly prefer being shaved.  I love being sly, and the lifestyle advantages.  I used to wear a hat all the time.  I only wear one now for sun protection on occasion.  I'm truly happy with bald head, and what those insecure people on the other forum don't get, is true aesthetics is more than a visual depiction.    It's personality and the way you carry yourself.  I'm comfortable in my skin being sly, I would bet anything they would be hard pressed to find so,done comfortable in their skin, when it's covered in a hairpiece.

I would definitely be extremely self conscious walking around with a toup.  Not sure how anyone would prefer that to being bald.   I'm happy with the bald head, too.  I deliberately don't wear hats indoors  because I don't want to project the image that I am insecure or embarrassed by my bald head.

[Baldstu]

Please not a toupe , it looks riduculous