Greetings!

[Tuppy]

Hey all! I've been lurking for a few days after the true realization that my patchy, receding hairline was out of control. With the new acquisition of a corporate desk job at Microsoft I knew in a social office setting hair like this wasn't going to cut it.



So I started looking online for any information and/or motivation to do this shaving thing correctly and stick with it. I found Sly Bald Guys and I have to tell ya, I found plenty of motivation here. Today was my first day at my new job. I thought I was going to get stares and look worse as a big guy with a bald head but I was wrong. I shaved yesterday morning and felt great as I did my morning rounds.



It was -1 and very windy here today and I definitely felt the pain cause I forgot to wear a hat LMAO! I don't regret shaving but I discovered that my face wasn't the only part of my head that was sensitive. Probably cause my skin on my head is new to shaving why I get a burning sensation up there for a decent part of the day. But hopefully it won't take long for my skin to get used to the process with the right product and consistency I am guessing. So on that note, what advice can you guys offer a chap like me? Methods, products, gear, etc.? I am open to mostly anything. In this cold the burning is pretty annoying and I've tried a few products to no prevail. Some are better, some not, some trivial cause I either don't like the scent. On top of that I am not incredibly gifted in the wallet so to speak. Keep that in mind.

Thank you for viewing and also for any responses in the future. have a great day and stay warm.

[Quiet_Dan]

Good work mate, it's a real improvement.
As far as hints go, all I do is use a mach3 in the shower using shower gel, some other guys prefer methods that make it a real focus of the morning/evening showering.
And I can't help about how cold it is and needing a hat, I live in Australia

[Sir Harry]

Welcome, Tuppy!

Congratulations on taking the plunge. If you are not a big fan of aftershaves, rubbing your head with an ice cube immediately after shaving will help with any potential irritation. Witch Hazel is another alternative to traditional aftershaves to keep from potential breakouts. Good luck!

[mrzed]

Welcome. Your bald photo looks like a huge improvement over the before.

Yes, witchhazel is a good choice. It does not sting but may help with irritation. Also rubbing your head with Nivea (a number of creams to choose from). I also like doing a sugar scrub. Coconut oil, sugar and essential oils.  It leaves my head feeling very nice and smooth, plus nice fragrance.

And in the early days of shaving, take it easy. Your head is still tender and not used to a super smooth scraping right down to the skin.  Give it a week or two for light shaving.

The Mach 3 or the Schick Hydro 5, Gillette Power etc all multi blade razors work nicely and may be less irritating than single blades, at least as you get started.

Once again, your after photo looks really polished up and smart.  It fits you well.  Blessings on your new job.

[geeman]

Welcome to the brotherhood tuppy, photo looks great, bald suits you, feels great not having to worry doesn't it?

[Cave Dweller]

As the other gentlemen have stated, smooth really made a huge improvement for you. Congratulations on taking the plunge.

I found a basic aftershave balm really helped relieve irritation for the first few weeks until my scalped toughened up to being shaved daily.

Welcome to the board, sir!

[tobler1]

Welcome.  Smooth is definitely better.  I didn't have issues with my skin, so no advice to pass on in that regard.  Enjoy!

[Hingatao]

Well done! Welcome to the club.

[Tuppy]

Thanks guys for all of the comments and advice. Tonight I am in serious pain. Parts of my head burn a little but the back of my neck is on fire.

I can't think, sleep, or keep a straight attitude. Shaving my head tomorrow morning is not looking possible. I don't wanna look bad with that horrible hairline but what can I do? Two days in and I am getting bad results. Any thoughts?

[Quiet_Dan]

yeah with that sort of irritation, I  wouldn't shave tomorrow either. I'm not really up on the best methods to beat it though

[geeman]

As stated, witch hazel, tea tree oil are great for helping with irritation, so is an alum block. A couple of days growth isn't going to turn you into anything bad dude.... Don't sweat it, you've done the difficult bit.... Relax, it will all work out

[Sir Harry]

Also, Bump Patrol, sold in a blue bottle at most drugstores, usually clears up breakouts within three days in most cases. It will get better as your scalp gets used to shaving.

[SlyMike]

I hope it is improving for you as it looks painful, on the plus side you do look great with the shaved head.

[Semi-Sly]

I used to get that a lot.  My dermatologist called it "folliculitis" (which just means inflammation of the hair follicles).  She gave me a steroid foam to put on it to calm it down.  She warned me that the steroid foam could not be used long term inasmuch as it will turn your skin to "paper".   She said that I should either not shave at all or, if I was going to shave, that I should be consistent with it, shaving every three days or so.  She also said that it was very important to keep the skin clean after shaving so that soap and dead sking particles did not find a "home" down in the follicles.  Like a lot of the guys have already mentioned, she also said that Witch Hazel was a good natural cleaning agent that would also sooth the skin.  She said that she was not fond of creamy lotions for this condition because the "creamy stuff" would just gunk up the hair follicles and cause the whole thing to erupt again.

[warhawk]

Hi Tuppy:  Welcome to the sly fraternity.  You got some good advice and I hope that your
head shaving journey is getting better.  Kindly keep us posted.

WARHAWK