should I shave?

[Crusher0209]

Well that is good to hear that you are protecting your head. Cold weather sure is moving in through the state now. I am also glad to hear that you are having fun with the new look

[bella]

Well you can generally tell I'm bald even under the hats, unless I wear my heidi hat with the two braids down the ears...

Reactions from those whove seen so far:
1 friend: horror
3 friends: I'm going through a cute phase
ex-husband (now close friend): shock, petting, kept asking if I did it by accident
strangers, 95%: ho hum
strangers, 1%:  WTF
strangers, 1%: "Are you Jewish a/o Lesbian a/o cancer patient?"  (I love how my hair means they can ask me personal questions, all of a sudden)
strangers, 3%: Very cool!

My mom is going to go ape and then be very supportive because she'll be afraid it's the sign of a mental breakdown.  Like, she'll be spending days on the internet researching razors.  Good thing she lives 1,500 miles away    But she will hate it, at least be polite enough to not say so.

The rest of my friends will vary from yelling at me for not conforming to gender standards to being very supportive.  

My dog likes it  Lots of head kisses... eeeww!

[Switchy]

You have the right attitude and long as you like it and such    That is all you need.

[Gary~]

Even tho the hb stuff hasn't come yet I think I have a pretty good routine going, this is day 5 I think:

Wash head w/ gentle exfoliant (I use Aveeno facewash)
Warm up some lather, let it sit for a few
Shave WTG, then check for rough spots
Cold water rinse
Rub down with dimethicone (basically diaper rash) lotion to prevent bumps
Shine up with pomade I had for my hair

My skin is generally very sensitive but I've had almost no bumps so far.  I think us gals have the advantage in improvising with grooming products already on hand than the guys might  

It's already soooo much smoother.  I'm way more confident as I get used to it, I felt a little like an alien at first but now I feel like my normal pretty self with a new hairdo is all

From what I have read razor bumps are caused by ingrowing hairs so dimethicone lotion won't stop those although it can soothe irritated skin apparently. I personally wouldn't be using the pomade if it is for hair. Would you think of spreading it all over your face? If not then why spread it on your scalp just because hair used to be there?

I don't mean any of this in a bossy or negative way -- you are of course free to do what you want to do -- as you will. I am just slightly worried that putting this stuff on will cause you problems that you wouldn't otherwise have.

My dog likes it  Lots of head kisses... eeeww!

That's the great thing about dogs -- as long as you feed them they don't care how you look. What sort of dog is it? How about a pic.

[bella]

Good point about the dimethicone.  I am guessing HB has an antibump product?  Recommendations?  Everything I saw at the drug store seemed aimed for bikini areas and that feels weird to put on my head.

It's not really pomade, it's this hair/skin moisturizer http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=nourish+and+shine&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=3855934011&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1631543071870743447&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_322g7nwg8k_e so it's meant for anywhere on the body, really.  I'd put it pretty much anywhere that needed moisturizer.

I just used "pomade" as shorthand cos "hair skin moisture shine stuff" is a mouthful

Not bossy at all, I need guidance!  After all I would have shaved like 10 times my first day and been in hospital from massive blood loss if I didn't listen to you lot! 

[bella]

And the pup is a Shiba Inu, who has more than enough hair for the both of us:

[Gary~]

Good point about the dimethicone.  I am guessing HB has an antibump product?  Recommendations?  Everything I saw at the drug store seemed aimed for bikini areas and that feels weird to put on my head.

It's not really pomade, it's this hair/skin moisturizer http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=nourish+and+shine&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=3855934011&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1631543071870743447&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_322g7nwg8k_e so it's meant for anywhere on the body, really.  I'd put it pretty much anywhere that needed moisturizer.

I just used "pomade" as shorthand cos "hair skin moisture shine stuff" is a mouthful

Not bossy at all, I need guidance!  After all I would have shaved like 10 times my first day and been in hospital from massive blood loss if I didn't listen to you lot! 

The "pomade" looks like pretty good stuff. I'm afraid that I don't know anything much about bumps other than what I have read today online as I've never had one. You say in an earlier post though that you are shaving WTG so I reckon that it would be unlikely that you would get bumps as the hair follicle wouldn't be cut low enough under this circumstance to curl around and "ingrow" assuming that you are unlucky enough to be susceptible to this.

I've got pretty oily skin so I personally don't use any moisturisers or stuff like that but if I found my scalp drying out I certainly would.

Nice dog too.

[bella]

The HB stuff just came!  I haven't even opened the package yet but I'm excited to see how it goes

[Crusher0209]

Good to hear remember take it slow and take it easy and little to no pressure. Have fun with it and I hope it goes alright for you

[bella]

So....

Best shave yet!  I'm shocked at how smooth it feels.  Wonderful.  Results in new avatar pic.

But I ended up not using the HB after fumbling around like an idiot for ten minutes.  I used my usual razor and got much better results.  I think I'm just getting more adept. 

Re: the razor, I think it's a case of me being really used to shaving diverse areas of the body for years and years using the current razor (whatever the latest Gillette for Girls version is), I'm way more comfortable with it. 

New area of body + completely new razor format = hot mess.

No nicks or anything yet tho.  Just felt like the HB was doing absolutely nothing, WTG or ATG.  I'll keep it for later, as I get more used to it, but I'll stick with the familiar for now.

Bonus pic:

[Crusher0209]

Glad to here that you are finally adapting to your new shaving routine well it certainly looks like you did a great job glad to hear that you are having so much fun with it

[Gary~]

So....

Best shave yet!  I'm shocked at how smooth it feels.  Wonderful.  Results in new avatar pic.

But I ended up not using the HB after fumbling around like an idiot for ten minutes.  I used my usual razor and got much better results.  I think I'm just getting more adept. 

Re: the razor, I think it's a case of me being really used to shaving diverse areas of the body for years and years using the current razor (whatever the latest Gillette for Girls version is), I'm way more comfortable with it. 

New area of body + completely new razor format = hot mess.

No nicks or anything yet tho.  Just felt like the HB was doing absolutely nothing, WTG or ATG.  I'll keep it for later, as I get more used to it, but I'll stick with the familiar for now.

The other razor that might be worthy of your consideration is the Rolling Razor:
As you can see from the pic it has 3 blades on each cartridge but as the head is not flat but convex only one blade is in use at a time and I think that the heads don't pivot.

They are pretty cheap and there are good deals on cartridges with free shipping [even overseas]. Website: http://www.rollingrazor.com/home/vt
Have a look at this video that runs for only 1:39.   It looks so easy. If I wasn't already happy with HB I would be using this I reckon.

[Lynchy]

So....

Best shave yet!  I'm shocked at how smooth it feels.  Wonderful.  Results in new avatar pic.


 Just felt like the HB was doing absolutely nothing, WTG or ATG.  I'll keep it for later, as I get more used :

It feels great doesn't it! Glad you are keeping up the look!

Did you have the blade in backwards? I just can't fathom how it wouldn't cut lol, mine can take off skin :p

Anyway use whatever works for you!

[Beardman]

So....

Best shave yet!  I'm shocked at how smooth it feels.  Wonderful.  Results in new avatar pic.


 Just felt like the HB was doing absolutely nothing, WTG or ATG.  I'll keep it for later, as I get more used :

It feels great doesn't it! Glad you are keeping up the look!

Did you have the blade in backwards? I just can't fathom how it wouldn't cut lol, mine can take off skin :p

Anyway use whatever works for you!

That is a very valid point. If it was doing nothing at all you probably had it in backwards. you want the blades facing away from the glider/wheels, if that makes sense, because you are pushing the razor across your head. The ATX and convention razors have it facing towards the wheels/handle because you are pulling the razor across your head.

Either way, you are still going to want to use whatever you are most comfortable with for the best results.

[bella]

Nope, just checked, the blade is in correctly. 

I think I was so afraid of putting any pressure on after hearing how gently i need to go with the HB that I probably wasnt even letting it touch my head.  When I've got a few more days under my belt I'll give it another go.