Introduction

[ilikeike92]

Hey, I have been lurking for a few days and finally decided to plunge in. 

[reddog]

Welcome! First, I can tell you that showing up at the new job with a shaved head would be just fine. The people won't know it is a new style, and they won't know you any other way.

Why not try a flattop or buzzcut now. It will give you time to get used to short hair, and maybe get some color on your head so it will look good when you shave. Good luck with your decision!

[slybeard]

Do it.  Yes, it will look like a stranger in the mirror, that is why we recommend guys give the new look at least 30 days to adjust to the new look.  Some guys do seem to do better with starting with a buzz cut or flat top, others, like I did, go all in at once.

I also had a lot of the same concerns, but soon learned the no one at work really cared.

Post a before and after photo for us.

[Semi-Sly]

Doing this before you start your new job is the perfect timing!  New job new year new you!

Everyone at work will know you just as you are the day you show up so no one‘s going to even notice that you’ve shaved your head! 

And, Shaving your head will give you a rush of testosterone a new found confidence that you won’t believe which would be a great asset for starting a new job !

Just do it and post the before and after photos for us here on the board.  We will give your our honest opinions.

[ilikeike92]

Thanks for the feedback.

[Dragon]

You do not need to look any particular way or be anyone other than yourself.  choose a look YOU are happy with and enjoy it

[ANASFIL]

I would suggest you go for the bald look, it will look kind of strange in the beginning, but you will not regret it.
I started shaving with a full head of hair, and the positive things I discovered about the bald look, made me go for a permanent solution with scalp laser hair removal.

[ilikeike92]

Thank you. It is inevitable that I will. The itch is too strong.

[Razorhead]

@ilikeike92  Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you are about to start an interesting journey. Enjoy it. I was like you when I was younger. A bit lost on masculine identity, not effeminate, just neutral. It?s perfectly fine to be that way.  Finding yourself is part of life. I had longer hair at the time. I didn?t care for it because I was terrible at styling it and using hair product was annoying. I always liked short hair. Eventually I worked up the nerve to just cut it. Eventually I learned how to find a good barber, how to ask the barber for what kind of cut I wanted or I would bring a picture to get what I wanted. I would talk to the barber about hair cutting so I could learn the different clipper lengths.

I think I?ve had every type of short haircut. Flattops, buzzcuts, clippershaves, recons, Ivy League, skin fades, HnT. I learned that short hair is fun because it was easy to go from one style to another in a short period of time because my hair never got longer than 3/4 of an inch or maybe an inch in the very front. My hair was different every 3 or 4 months. I?d get a certain haircut, keep it a few months and then adjust it. It was fun because it was always different. Eventually I just shaved it all off. Once you go short and start getting buzzcuts you get curious to go shorter and then shave.

What did I learn during my journey? It gave me a lot of self confidence, I don?t have to stick to one haircut and I can have fun with it. Change can be fun.

You have 3 months before your new job. I say chop your hair off and have fun with it.

Boris Sanchez on CNN has a great haircut. It?s a high bald fade with some length on top. I say take a picture of that haircut to a barber and get that as your haircut. It?s easy to adjust on the next haircut.

[Magoo]

@ilikeike92  welcome , all the above are great suggestions. In my opinion and how I first shaved is by gradually getting shorter haircuts . By doing this the change will not be as shocking. Some people can go straight bald and not flinch, but most cannot. It does take awhile to adjust at any rate.

[Laser Man]

@ilikeike92  Welcome! You shouldn't worry about a shaved head coming across as "badass" and off-putting at your new job.  The days when a shaved head were confined to skinheads are long gone and a shaved head is acceptable in most if not all business settings.  Also, your new coworkers don't know you, so whichever way you show up, you'll be new to them.  And if they are decent people, they will judge you by how you work and act rather than by your hairstyle.

Since you have a fairly long time window until you start your new job, you can try the fully-shaved look now and if you don't like it, let your hair grow back.  By March, it will be a reasonable length again.  In fact, if you are concerned about how your coworkers will react to your shaved head, you should try it now.  If you like it, you will have time to fully adjust to being bald and will go into your new job with more confidence.

[buddha]

Will I feel like a fake--perhaps trying to look like the "badass" that I am not?
Will I fit in on day one of my new job?

In a lot of the pictures and statues of the Buddha he was bald, same thing with Mahatma Gandhi. Badasses in their own way but not the stereotypical badasses.
On day one of the new job possibly very few if any will ever see you with anything but a shaved head so fitting in is totally up to you. Once you're in there you may find that you are more hesitant to shave because everybody's used to seeing you with hair.

[ilikeike92]

Thank you for the thoughtful and kind responses. T

[reddog]

Good luck, and keep an open mind. It will be a bit of a shock, but that will quickly pass.

After my first headshave, I thought to myself, well I'm bald and there is nothing you can do about it, so just enjoy it! It was only supposed to be a one time thing, but after the shock wore off later that day, my girlfriend told me she wanted me to keep it shaved because she loved it. I never thought I would keep it, but 10 years later I still love sporting my baldie haircut!

[ilikeike92]

Thank you, I am halfway convinced that it is not a big deal