I've been shaving my head for well over a year, and I've loved every minute of it. A couple of weeks ago, though, I had an occurrence and I thought I'd share the result.
Said occurrence started with a fairly good nick while shaving my bean. Of course, it bled with determination. Once I finally staunched the bleeding I decided to take a few days off to allow my boo-boo to heal. Well, my hair follicles responded by gleefully growing to about a .5 buzz. My wife really loves it when it's that length because "it feels cool" when she rubs her hand over it. So, I thought, I did kind of miss being a little spoiled at the barber shop. I decided I would sport a buzz for a while. I even went to a local shop where a cute barber cut my hair, messaged my scalp, etc. It was nice, and for a few days, I really liked it. For a few days.
Well, as you can probably guess, all that hair (relatively speaking) was starting to annoy me. Sure, I got some compliments and positive feed back on the new do. But, part of the bald mentality is doing your own thing; feeling good in your own skin. So, this morning, the bathroom light glinting off my razor, my inner bald man re-emerged.
I realized, that after a year of being bald, it had become part of who I am. My self-image had morphed into seeing my self as bald. I cannot see myself ever having hair again.
And that, my brothers and sisters in baldness, is my story.
That's good you gave it a chance, and made (re-affirmed) a decision.
I shaved in March of this year, and like you like the feel/look of a shiny dome. My family likes my hair longer, but they don't have to deal with the thick/curly nature that is actually a huge burden to keep it under control while trying to maintain a professional appearance.
Thanks for sharing!
I had a similar experience this summer. I was on vacation and didn't shave for a couple of days. At first, the stubble felt pretty good, but after about three days, I didn't like how it felt or looked. I went another two days and decided enough was enough, so I headed to the barber for a buzz, thinking I'd try a 1. I decided on the way home that I was going to shave immediately and recapture the smooth feel. That's when I realized I now fully identify as a bald guy - the "morphing" you mentioned has happened to me as well. My company ID and driver's license pictures are me fully bald and when I renew my passport in a few months, that picture will also show me as bald. I'm fully there as a bald man - and happy about it!
Great thread. I've had two periods of grow out since the big shave, but I don't think either lasted longer than a month or so. It's too weird not being bald now. I'm not bald in my passport yet. Hopefully that occurs relatively soon.