Minimum appropriate age to go sly

[Razor X]

This topic has come again in recent posts, as it does from time to time.  I'm not a parent so it's a little hard for me to know how I'd react to a son who wanted to shave his head.  The recent post about the 7-year-old seemed way too young to me, although in all likelihood that boy is probably sporting a buzz cut and not a razor shaved head.

I really don't think I'd have an problem at all with a 15 or 16 year old son who wanted to shave his head.  It is, after all, just a haircut.  I might even be willing to allow it at a slightly younger age, if the young man was mature enough to realize that hair does not grow back overnight, and if he didn't like the shaved head he would have to live with it until it grew back out -- and it could take quite a while to reach its previous length.

I really don't know what the appropriate cut-off age is, or if there even is one.  Maybe these decisions just need to be made on a case by case basis.  I'm interested in hearing the opinions of others, particularly those of you who are parents.

[Mike E. P.]

At fourteen or fifteen I might allow my son to shave his head. After all, if he didn't like it, hair grows back quickly. Any younger and I would be concerned that people would think he was sick. I would probably prefer him to get a buzz, but it's only a haircut. There are a lot of things I would go to battle over with a teenager, but hair is definitely not one of them.

My mother always had the barber give my brother and me crew cuts. I think a buzz cut is okay for any age boy. Lots of kids in my school sport really tight buzz cuts.

[gwsmallwood]

My 2 cents.  I have a son who is almost 2.  I also shaved my head in high school for sports because I didn't like the feel of matted hair under my helmets. 

No razor shaving until they have a need for it to shave their face too.  High school they get to choose.  Before that, case by case.  I think it comes down to the reason (sports, thinking it would look better, wanting the join the skin heads, etc) and the emotional maturity of the kid to deal with the results, even if that's only for a few months.

[mrzed]

My conversation with the mom who said that her 7 year old shaved his head was quite brief.  She was at lunch while on a tour at my office.  There was not time to go into any great detail, and it's unlikely I'll meet her again to clarify any part of the story.

It is quite likely that she was really talking about a buzz. I find it hard to imagine that a 7 year old would be responsible enough to do a razor shave. But I could see mom or dad giving a no guard buzz weekly.  Perhaps dad buzzes his head, too.

[Tyler]

My brother and I would use clippers without a guard to shave our heads when were about 7 years old.  Where we lived it was super hot and we played sports, so our parents let us.  If I had a son, I wouldn't let them use a razor until high school.

[Sir Harry]

I have mentioned a few times about when I clippershaved in eighth grade. But I remember in sixth grade I had two African American classmates show up with bald heads. One had a shaved head as punishment, the other had allegedly shaved his in support of a cousin with cancer.  Both were sly for yearbook pictures, but there was hardly any teasing because they were two of the bigger guys in class.That said, I think the minimum age should be when a guy has the mental toughness to handle whatever may come with wearing a shaved head.