Not gone bald yet, but thinking of it, need advice

[cool_guy]

Hi guys, it's so nice to have this forum.  I couldn't ask God for a better gift!
Yeah you can tell that I'm religious already by mentioning God. 
I am 22 years old & I am losing hair.  I have some bald spots & my hair is getting thin.  I want to go bald now so that I can get rid of the bald spots.  Look, I hate going to the barbershop and being told that "hey you have a bald spot here" or "hair doesn't grow in this place".  And another thing, dandruff.  I got to read a few messages here & it seems dandruff goes away after you shave.  That's good news!  I work very hard with my hair but still get dandruff.  I hate it when at that barbershop I get told "you should wash your hair, use shampoo".  Once the lady even wore gloves to cut my hair.  That's not fair to me.  Now, being religious I am happy with God's choice to cause me to lose hair.  But I just don't like it at the barbershop.  I am in university and it's tough to study & at the same time, think ok well what is the barber going to tell me at my next haircut?

So, I would want to go bald for the sake of never going to a barbershop. 
My questions are:  how difficult is it to shave your own hair?  Hoe long does it take to be good at shaving your own hair?  Are there any risks that you could cut yourself & damage your head?  Thank you very much for any suggestions you offer.

[Tyler]

Hey cool_guy, welcome to Sly Bald Guys! 

how difficult is it to shave your own hair?

It's not that difficult bro!  You just need a little practice.  Read up on our shave routines to get a good idea of what to do.  http://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/index.php?topic=923.0

 

Hoe long does it take to be good at shaving your own hair?

  It can be one time or take a couple of weeks.  Either way, give it 30 days and you'll be a pro in that time.

  Are there any risks that you could cut yourself & damage your head?

  You might get some nicks and cuts, but nothing that won't heal in a couple of days.

[Paul]

Welcome to the forum, cool guy. Tyler gave you some great links.  Feel free to post up and ask questions about anything that wasn't covered there.   Glad to have you with us.

[cool_guy]

thank you very much for the warm welcome.  I will look at the great links.

[jusbnme]

Tyler covered very well.  Don't be worried about shaving.  It can be a little scary at first but it's not bad at all.  You'll make it out to be worse in your mind than it really is.  Like Tyler said, you may get a few nicks at first until you get use to it but it's nothing that doesn't heal quickly.  Just make sure to get yourself a good name brand razor like a Gillette Mach 3 or Fusion, a Schick Extreme also seems to work well for some guys here.  The HeadBlade is also a good razor for some people that can get use to it but I wouldn't recommend it for your first time shaving.  Also get a good shaving product.  HeadSlick by Headblade is a good one.  Bald Guyz also have a good shave gel.  Since I've ran out of HeadSlick and Bald Guyz I've been using my old Nivea Sensitive Skin Shave Gel which works really well.  It's got a lot of stuff in it to help protect your noggin while shaving and to calm it once your done.  One last suggestion that may help you out with your first few times.  You can get some regular old baby oil.  It doesn't matter what brand.  You can use generic if you want.  I use one by Johnson&Johnson with aloe & vitamin e in it.  After you wet your head with hot water.  Put a few squirts of the baby oil in your hand and rub that onto your head first before applying the shaving product.  It will help give your dome a protective coating that will help against nicks and help the blade move smoother over your head.  Post up and let us know how it goes and if you need anymore help.  Good luck.   

[Kajun]

cool guy..if your hair is causing you heartache...shave it..the stress and the stuff balding guys deal with is NOT worth it.....i have been shaved for 5 months now...and i can't begin to tell you how much of relief it is... i wore a horseshoe for 12 years if thats any testament to the amount of "hair stressing" i went through....

barbers? oh man..i dreaded each visit..and being in the military...lets say i visited quite often...when i shaved my head i stopped by the barbershop and told the guy.."well..i won't be needing your services anymore" ...i had a smile on my face the whole time....talk about liberating!


anyway welcome to SBG's you found the best place on the net for bald guys!

[Oto]

I have done everything so far, alternating with self-shaves and barbershop shaves.
In fact I love the ritual of going to a barber and have my head done by someone else. The only trouble is find a barber that does the job well and likes his job.
I'm too lazy to do the job myself everyday and if I stay more than one week without shaving I usually go to a barber, ask for a clean smooth shave then try to keep it at home shaving every other day... but my hair grows backvery fast.
I have a full head of hair - no MPB, but I love to shave it all smooth, let it grow a little and shave it again and again. It's fun!

[jusbnme]

Welcome oto. 

[Tyler]

Welcome Oto!!

[Sgt. Pate]

Welcome aboard bro!

There's no way you'll know how good it feels until you go for it!  Just like Peter stepping out of the boat... ya just gotta do it!  Give it a month to get yourself used to it and I'll bet you don't go back!  It's so good to be free from that bondage!   

There's a few of us who love the Lord here.  Not being the focus or purpose of the site, we respect that and don't go overboard.

God only made a few perfect heads, the rest He covered with hair! 

Welcome to you too Oto!

[xnewyawka]

Oto, welcome to the SBG site, lots of stuff to learn and enjoy here.
I think once you start to shave your head daily you will become hooked.
I thought I would be shaving the noggin every couple of days before I started, ha, no way!.
Once you get used to that smooth, slick feel there is no turning back and I can see why some bro's shave twice in a day; It's because of the dreaded velcro head. I don't know how some guys can let it go for more than a day. Maybe they have much less hair or very fine hair.

Anyway, get yourself some Headblade products (you didn't say what you use), most guys here like the Headblade sport and Headslick shave cream. That is the best combo many have come to find. Lather up, take your time and get used to the feel of the headblade, keeping any pressure toward the back, on the wheels. If you follow this and go slow, you will feel it working, and then getting better at it comes with time. I am getting closer shaves each time because I am more comfortable with the feel of the HB unit. Check out some of the other posts for different opinions on blade combo's and using a regular shaving system (Mach III or Fusion), many here use them and are very happy also.

Good luck, and keep it smooth!   

Joe

[Professor Melon]

 :)Welcome, Cool Guy. Shaving is not hard. Get the Mach III or the Fusion, some thick gel, take a long hot shower, and slowly mow down the fuzz, going first WITH the grain and then AGAINST it. Take your time. Also, invest in some aftershave creme, e.g. Head Lube or Bald Guyz. Let your fingers learn the configurations of your cranium. I almost can do without a mirror. Continue with your face, marking where you want the goat or beard to grow. Once you're 'clean,' run your hand over your pate for the pleasure. All best, Professor Melon

[frostillicus123]

dude if you deceide to keep your hair for the love of god find a better barbar. You pay them for the service not the comments.


but seriously shave the noodle, it's the way to roll

[BigJimW]

My questions are:  how difficult is it to shave your own hair?  Hoe long does it take to be good at shaving your own hair?  Are there any risks that you could cut yourself & damage your head?  Thank you very much for any suggestions you offer.

I can answer this one, as I did it myself as well. Get a good  power trimmer and carefully get it as close as possible. Once you do that, then shave it carefully on your first effort. Your scalp will be "fresh" so be careful.

Once you learn your own particular shaving style, it'll quickly become second nature and you'll be shaving you head just as quick as shaving your face (or other parts of your body.  ). Once your over the initial hair clipping, the rest is a piece of cake.

I suggest getting a HeadBlade to assist in the shave. Best headshaving invention ever ( http://www.headblade.com ). You can buy it at your local Walgreens or CVS, but buying it from the website gets you some free samples of their Headlubes to try out.

And the Bald Guyz Head Wipes I find that is also a good product to keep the dome maintained. Others may have other solutions though. Listen to these guys, they know. 

[Scott]

Cool guy, I just shaved my dome about 4 months ago and I'm 28 and man I gotta tell you I wish I had gone through with it back when I was 22.  I think that when (notice I didn't say if!) you do take the plunge and go sly, you won't regret it, you'll be more confident about your looks and that will show to others.  Shaving your head definitely takes some getting used to and it's awkward the first week or so, but then it's all good and you get better and better at it.  Like anything else in life, practice makes perfect.  As far as techniques go, Tyler pretty much covered it, but feel free to ask us a million questions - we're here for ya bro!