Remembering the first time

[Razor X]

Remember what it was like the first time you shaved your head?

I just realized that in about another week, it will be the fifth anniversary of the first time I shaved my head.  I had decided some time before that I would shave my head once my hair loss got to a certain point, but I had no idea that it was going to happen when it did.

I had gone to the barber a few days earlier.  I had been thinking about going shorter from a #1 1/2 to a #1 and had chickened out.  Later I regretted not going with the shorter cut so I bought a pair of clippers and tried to cut it shorter myself.  It was then that I discovered that a #1 from a barber is shorter than using a #1 guard on a clippers at home.  I couldn't cut my hair any shorter than it already was.  I decided to take a chance and try cutting my hair without the guard, only to find after the first swipe, that this was WAY shorter than what I'd wanted.  I had no choice but to continue and was left with nothing but "sandpaper" all over my head.  Afterwards, I stared in the miror for a good long time, and when it finally dawned on me how very close I was to total baldness, I could not resist the urge to shave it smooth.  I was really nervous, but knew it only meant an extra day or two of regrowing time, and I figured I'd regret it later if I didn't try it.  I'll never forget how it felt the first time I ran my head over my scalp and felt nothing but smooth, bald skin.   

I felt very self-conscious about my new look and knew I wasn't ready to be a full-time baldie, so I let it grow back right away.  A couple of months later, a very elderly barber gave me a shorter haircut than I'd wanted, and I used that as an opportunity to shave again.  I kept it for a couple of weeks that time.  After that, I shaved on a few more occasions, but never kept it very long.  It was almost two years after that initial shave before I made the commitment to keep the bald look for a while.   I kept it shaved for six months, and by that time I'd thinned out so much I wasn't able to grow back much of anything, so I've been completely bald ever since.

[RichardN.]

It's good to know that I'm not the only guy that was nervous when I first shaved my head.  I did the same thing at the barbershop that you did.  I wanted it really, really short but like you, I chickened out.  Last summer I decided to go for it & headed for the bathroom for my razor.  I was a bit hesitant but I went for it.  It felt really weird when I first felt it.  I let it grow back & haven't been able to shave since.  I'd like to though.  Any advice on how I can force myself to shave again?

Thanks,

Rich

[Razor X]

It's good to know that I'm not the only guy that was nervous when I first shaved my head.  I did the same thing at the barbershop that you did.  I wanted it really, really short but like you, I chickened out.  Last summer I decided to go for it & headed for the bathroom for my razor.  I was a bit hesitant but I went for it.  It felt really weird when I first felt it.  I let it grow back & haven't been able to shave since.  I'd like to though.  Any advice on how I can force myself to shave again?

Thanks,

Rich

You've done it before, so you know you can do it.  If you want to do it badly enough, you will.  In my experience, you'll know no peace until you do it.  It just becomes an obsession.  The only cure is to just give in and let it happen.

[SLYinKC]

Well it's only been less than 6 weeks for me.  So remembering the first time is not that much of a stretch of my memory.  What does stand out in my memory is how long it took to get me to the point of actually picking up a razor for the first time.  I was a wanna-be-Sly for years before I actually made up my mind to do it.  I probably had at least 3 years of being really unhappy with my hair and my appearance.  I just spent that time trying to do short haircuts and thinking that somehow it was possible to hide the hair loss.  Then everytime I'd see someone sporting a SLY look I'd always think "Man, I wish I could just shave it all off".  I always thought that it looked better on others but somehow didn't think it would for me.  For all the guys still on the fence "JUST GO AHEAD AND DO IT!!!".   

[skinhead002]

I had always wanted to be a completely bald man since I first saw my heros Yul Brynner and Telly Savalas back in the early/mid 1960s.  Since I pretty much always wore high and tight crewcuts/flat tops, it was an easy jump.  I was on active duty at the time in 1983 and I recall needing my weekly tightening up.  I finally got my Wahl clippers and went right up the middle of my butch wax. Ten minutes later I was a complete skinhead.  I always had a clipper shave down to the stubble anyway when we deployed to the field, so it wasn't a big jump.  I do recall the first couple of times after I started shaving daily that when I went to scratch my noggin it was different because I expected to feel my crewcut stubble and that was gone.

[skinhead002]

Forgot to add that when I showed up at work the next day, a lot of my buddies mentioned they were wondering when I was finally just going to do it.

[danyroo]

I remember it very well .. it's was like 10 years ago.. I lost all my hair on the top of my head in a week.. it was bad.. I would lay in my bed at night and in the morning.. My pillow and surronding was just hair.. arround 4inches wide circle.. it was as soft as a baby's but..

I had long hair at the time. so I decided to buy a clipper and buzz it off. it was even worst.. I finally met with a dermatologist.. she informed me I had Alopecia..(the immune system attacking the hair follicles).. ok wtf do I do..

I received 99 injections of cortizone on the area.......... HF.. it finally grew back.. but now I was used to the buzz look..
not to long afterwards It came back but at a diff area.. I said no more injections for me.. buzzed it with no guard.. it wasn't to bad.. then one day out of the blue.. I said why not.. and shaved it off.

[herronm]

It was in the back seat of a 67 Chevy Impala on a warm Summer night....  Wait.  Sorry, wrong memory.

[PigPen]

It was in the back seat of a 67 Chevy Impala on a warm Summer night....  Wait.  Sorry, wrong memory.

I was waiting for someone to do that.....surprised it took so long.

[Razor X]

It was in the back seat of a 67 Chevy Impala on a warm Summer night....  Wait.  Sorry, wrong memory.

I was waiting for someone to do that.....surprised it took so long.

And we're all surprised that you weren't the one to do it!!

[fcb2001]

It was spring 2004, i had very long hair, then i started to recede, so i decided that i would shave my head,, for about 6 weeks, i had a barber cut me to a #1 or #2 shave, so i would get use to having short hair, then in June of 2004, i had my head bic'd for the first time, i dont like barber clippers at all, so for the rest of my life i will use shaving cream and a mach 3 or headblade so i would remain slick, that day was liberation for me, receding hairlines run in my mother's side of the faimly, one of my uncles wears a toupee, and he had three failed hair transplants, and i didnt want to do what my uncle did, so i deceided to go bald, i thought people would give me a hard time for decided to go sly because iam a Canadian, but i received very positive compliments saying that I look better sly, and i love being smooth, i feel a lot different if iam not smooth

[Tyler]

I was getting ready to go hunting in Idaho and decided that I didn't want to have crusty hair like I did the previous year.  Haven't grown it back since.

[Sgt. Pate]

I sure do! I was with not one but two... OH!  You said shaving your head!  DISREGARD!