Long time lurker and occasional BBC sly guy

[O2BSly]

Hi guys

Long time lurker here, and even longer time admirer of the shaved bald look.

Over the last 10 years I've shaved my head bald around 20 times and LOVED it but unfortunately never managed to maintain the look for more than about a week.

This is a great site and an awesome and decent forum. A pity it doesn't get a lot of new posts these days, but still an excellent source of info and inspiration.

I will be turning 40 later this year and still have a full head of hair with very few grays (I guess I should consider myself lucky LOL). I do have quite nice hair, and I do LIKE my hair, but I absolutely LOVE shaving it all off and having a totally bald and smooth head.

Every time I've shaved by head, I've instantly loved the look and feel, and thought 'Wow this is a great look on me, I feel like the real me'. Even though I was BBC I felt very 'natural' and comfortable having a 100% bald head.

I do hope to make a return to sly one of these days eventually, and sometimes catch myself daydreaming of sly days gone by and possible future headshaves - O2BSly again!

Yours in baldness,
O2BSly

P.S. will hopefully get round to adding avatar image in next few days

[slybeard]

Welcome to the board.  Several here do occasionally transition form hair to no hair.  It is great that you still have the option to have hair.  Mine started disappearing around my mid to late 40's.

Post some photos of both bald and with hair.

[reddog]

I'm just the opposite, I keep trying to grow my hair, but always return to a shaved head!

What I think you should do is try the 30 day challenge. You shave your head every day for 30 days. It will get you used to being bald and create a routine. I often say wearing a shaved head is addictive. I still have mostly a full head of hair, but I absolutely love the look and feel of smooth shaved head.

[O2BSly]

Thanks slybeard and reddog!
Awesome beards.
Call me old school (no disrespect to slybeard) but my personal preference on facial hair with a shiny dome is nicely trimmed goatee.

Yip it is handy that I still have the option of both.
In the 5 years prior to Covid I had maintained a #2 buzzcut most of the time, which made it easy to transition in and out of sly.
I've recently got into the bad habit of a conventional hairstyle and not getting it cut often enough, so currently working on my plan to start buzzing my hair myself again.

Two pics below as requested. As you can see, the current pic is a rather luscious mop LOL although grown out from a #5 on top and #1 fade I got about three months back.

I've given a lot of thought to the 30 day challenge and still intend to do it one day. I reckon I would get hooked, although on the other hand, as much as I enjoyed BBC and the act of shaving, I found it very high maintenance. Lots to shave!

(I'm a bit neurotic about privacy and the internet, so I'm afraid you'll have to settle for smiley face emoji 😊)

[Semi-Sly]

Hair is highly overrated!  Get that dead tissue off of your head!

[O2BSly]

Well that's telling me loud and clear   

[slybeard]

Call me old school (no disrespect to slybeard) but my personal preference on facial hair with a shiny dome is nicely trimmed goatee.

No offense taken.  For many years, I kept a trimmed goatee and connected mustache (circle beard is the proper term for that combo).  But as I got older, my facial hair coverage on my cheeks improved and I switched to a full beard.  I guess now I am making up for lost time (with a full beard).  I think the years I spent without enough coverage for a full beard pushed me into the long full beard style.  I was in my late 40's waiting on that cheek coverage. 

Interestingly, that is about the same time my head hair started thinning and by 50 I was shaving my head.  At that time, I was still considered to have a full head of hair, but I could tell it was not nearly as thick as before.  So I was BBC for about 5 years before nature and MPB caught up and left me with nothing on top.

[Semi-Sly]

Well that's telling me loud and clear   

Well, just think about it for a minute.  You keep scratching that itch, but you never keep it long enough for it to become a new normal for you.
You know you love having your head shaved you know how much you love feeling clean.  We can?t see your face in the photos, but I?ll bet you look dramatically, handsome without the hair to distract from your eyes and your facial features. Give yourself a shot. Keep it perfectly shaved for a minimum of 30 days and then instead of making a reaction that you can make a response as to whether or not you want to grow the hair back, just give it a try and let us know how it goes for 30 days.
Remember, also that just because you are not going bald by nature does not mean that you?re not allowed to choose a clean shaving head as your style. There?s no rule saying that you have to have hair up there.

[Bencito]

Welcome. Your story sounds like mine. I read the forum frequently but I only posted a few times. Besides this great forum, reddit (r bald) and some Facebook groups are a good source of information and inspiration. From what you show, I think the bald look is a good look for you.

I can really relate to your story. I love the bald look on guys and wanted to shave my head bald since I became an adult. I have a full head of hair as well, and people in general do prefer me with hair. I had shaved my head on and off but I got many negative reactions in the past. However, every time I grew my hair out, I wanted to shave my head again. I did this only when I was on vacation and got some great traditional barbershop straight razor head shaves.

Finally in 2020 during the pandemic when the barbershops were shutting down, I got the courage to ask my barber to shave my head and I have kept the bald look since that time. I will reach 5 years in November and I intend on keeping the bald look permanently. I will have updated all my official documents with the bald look next year.

I do occasionally want to grow my hair out for a change or want to have the barbershop experience. However, it goes away when there are a few days of stubble on my head and it drives me crazy.

Yes, maintenance was a big factor for not adopting the bald look earlier. When I shaved my head in the past, it would take 30 to 40 minutes and that was too long. In 2020, I did some research and discovered electric shavers, and this was a game changer. I used to use the Remington Balder Pro and now use the Andis Profoil Shaver. It only takes a few minutes to shave my whole head bald. While it is not as smooth as a razor, it is easier and faster. It is important to use an after shave balm to soothe the scalp afterwards. I now find that it is easier to have a shaved head than having hair, and that is one of the reasons why I decided to keep my head shaved.

During the 30 day challenge, it is important to keep in mind why you want to shave your head. I kept telling myself that it was truly what I wanted, and that got me through the initial period. I did this during the pandemic, and it made the transition easier.

[O2BSly]

Thanks guys

@slybeard - making up for lost time very well!

@Semi-Sly - I've thought about it for many minutes. You are right, I do need to give myself a shot, it's just a matter of getting my momentum going again.
Totally open to the concept of completely shaving away a full head of hair as a hairstyle choice, no questions on that point!

@Bencito - I remember reading your posts a while back and thinking I could also relate to your story.

I've been through the 'reactions of others' phase before, so not overly concerned about doing that again, but at the same time somehow feel I need to ease back into it (cue for all of you to chime in with a chorus of No you don't!    )

My missus wasn't a fan of the bald look, but I'm not worried, she was coming around and will get used to it eventually  I definitely subscribe to the philosophy of forgiveness rather than permission.

Thanks for the tip on electric shavers, I'll bear that in mind. Yeah, I think maintenance can definitely be a stumbling block for BBC guys. Even after only one day of regrowth and a practised routine, I wasn't able to do a proper shave in less than 20 minutes. I get what you saying on doing a quick shave for maintenance of the look, but those shaves are not very satisfying.
Bit of a personal fussy preference, but I don t like the noise of the foil shavers around my ears, but guess  I could get used it    - for the same reason I don't like using an eletric toothbrush. Also a bit rough on the skin as you've noted, but I do appreciate the advice and will certainly consider it.

[Bencito]

@O2BSly Have fun with this experience! From your reply, it appears that a smooth shave is important to you. I can understand that. I do a razor head shave (with a Mach 3) when I have time as a reward for the glass smooth feeling. Many guys get more proficient with the razor for head shaving once they find their best tool and method, and I am sure you have looked into them (headblade, Defender razor). I am not proficient with razors, and that is why I stick to electric shavers.

I think change adds excitement to life, and this includes going bald or vice versa for us who are committed to the bald look. All the best and keep us updated. I do hope you will stay bald longer in the future!

[O2BSly]

Thanks Bencito! Will do!

Yip - also a fan of the Mach3

Definitely interested in going with the shaved bald look on a more long-term basis.

On the other hand, as a BBC guy, it's quite fun to grow it out to a #3 or #4 buzzcut length and then mow it all down with no-guard clippers and finish off with a razor shave to restore the perfect bald dome.
That said, I also quite like the idea of being too happily hooked on bald to grow it back.

[slybeard]

I think maintenance can definitely be a stumbling block for BBC guys. Even after only one day of regrowth and a practised routine, I wasn't able to do a proper shave in less than 20 minutes.

I remember my first shaves also taking 20 minutes or more.  However, with daily shaving I was quickly able to reduce that time.  Within a couple of months, I was able reduce it to less than 5 minutes.  I shave in the shower using an anti fog mirror and a good cartridge razor.  Clean-up is super easy in the shower, and no mess.

[jason_greets]

Hello and welcome!

Your story is very similar to mine, except that I only started to shave my head bald about 20 months ago when I was 39 during one hot boring summer.

I also enjoy the feeling of a freshly shaved head and I feel somehow "cleaner" than with my limp hair. I prefer the look myself too. If I don't shave daily, it starts to feel like sandpaper.

I can still grow out my hair, but I hated going to the barber every month and deciding on a haircut and paying tips on top of that. Not to mention styling my hair to go to work or wear a baseball cap.

I recently try to grow out a little mohawk, but I missed just having a smooth dome and I came back to it.

I just think the bald look looks more masculine and it suits me better.

Enjoy this forum.

[jason_greets]

Thanks slybeard and reddog!
Awesome beards.
Call me old school (no disrespect to slybeard) but my personal preference on facial hair with a shiny dome is nicely trimmed goatee.

Yip it is handy that I still have the option of both.
In the 5 years prior to Covid I had maintained a #2 buzzcut most of the time, which made it easy to transition in and out of sly.
I've recently got into the bad habit of a conventional hairstyle and not getting it cut often enough, so currently working on my plan to start buzzing my hair myself again.

Two pics below as requested. As you can see, the current pic is a rather luscious mop LOL although grown out from a #5 on top and #1 fade I got about three months back.

I've given a lot of thought to the 30 day challenge and still intend to do it one day. I reckon I would get hooked, although on the other hand, as much as I enjoyed BBC and the act of shaving, I found it very high maintenance. Lots to shave!

(I'm a bit neurotic about privacy and the internet, so I'm afraid you'll have to settle for smiley face emoji 😊)

I prefer having a regular moustache with a bald head or beard.  I would grow the latter if I could, but all I can grow is a chinstrap and moustache.

I didn't hear about the 30-day rule until after I already got used to it. For me it started as a 7 day test to see how I would feel, but I ended up liking it so much I've kept it shaved bald ever since, except for a 2 month period to try out a mohawk.