If you could give any advice to someone who is balding or thinking of shaving...

[Tyler]

If you could give any advice to someone who is balding or thinking of shaving their head, what would ithat advice be?

[PBurke]

shave it and embrace the slyness. you will not regret it. even if you do, it grows back.

[Robmeister]

I second Paul.....It's not like regretting getting a tatoo.

Go for it.  Give it a bare minimum of 3 weeks for you, the fam, the workplace, etc... to get over the initial adjustment period (i.e. SHOCK).   If then it really doesn't "fit," there's no permanent damage.

Another thing I did that has helped the fam has been 1) start talking about it, 2) start with #4 clipper guard on the entire noggin -- go to #3 -- then #2 --  and so on. 3) I found a website where they will do a bald rendering from any photo you upload to them.  I have printed up bald renderings and showed the wife & kids.  At first they're like "AAAK!" but after leaving the pics around...even taping them up on the wall or whatever...they're getting used to the idea.

Here's the link:    http://headshave.baldlygo.com/

[PigPen]

Robmeister has some great ideas. Personally, I just went for it on a whim and have never looked back. People need to approach it on an individual basis and see what works best for them. However, if I were giving someone advice I would say just do it.

[ar3inc]

My personality tends to make me be rather up front with people, so the first attempt would along the lines of “dude look, you have to come to terms that you’re balding.  Why not regain control in one simple step and HeadBlade that little that is left over?”  If that doesn’t work it most likely transition to something like what Rob wrote it is not a life long decision, but it is always best to know that you tried head before then tried some other way to fight baldness the causes damage later so if you go bald you end up sporting some nasty scars.

[Noner]

In all honesty and not trying to be funny, the best advise is to tell the guy that the lay-days love it.

When a guy hears that he will be more excepted by the lay-days, he is more likely to try it. If tell him he will look better, it won't have the same effect.

[BaldRob]

I always tell balding guys to give it a shot... and as the Robmeister says, give it some time to sink in.  I also throw in how easy a bald head is to take care of!

[David]

I would tell them to go for it.   I would explain if they hate it after, there are ways to get hair back.    I would especially explain all the extra benefits.     

In reality, I'd explain the more you have it, the less it becomes about the look, the more it is about all the extra benefits you never thought of before you did it: ie no hat/bed head, the cold pillow, the easy maintenance(you can establish your own shave schedule, and get up and go on a whim when needed).   The cost.   I know in the grand scheme of things the cost is similar, but is it really?   For those with hair, you go get a haircut usually every 3-6 weeks(once a month was my routine).   For me it was 15 bucks a month, or 180 bucks a year.   After buying an electric razor for 95 dollars to shave my head, even if it only lasted a year, it would cost about 8 bucks a month plus aftershave/gel=20 bucks or so a month, but I get 30 shaves instead of one haircut.   So really it's less than a dollar per shave for one year.   If the razor lasts 2 years than it's less than 50 cents a shave, and so on.

Even if you use a mach 3, and buy extra cartridges(lets say 12 for 20 bucks).    If you replace them say every 5 shaves, and you shave every day.   You would use 6 per month, so really your cost would be 10 dollars, plus another 10-12 for aftershave/gel so 22 bucks a month divided by 30 shaves=less than a dollar for 30 shaves, compared to 15 for one haircut.   No matter how to do it, you get more bang for your buck with shaving.    The only thing thatwould compare is if you cut your own hair at home with clippers, but most people use them for the savings it provides instead of haircuts anyways, so it's no different.   

Also, I would show them sites where people talk about the bald look and how it makes them feel(this one being first), plus sites that say where ladies feel it shows confidence and they like it.   

If the person is worried about what their friends might think, I'd suggest a big headshaving party, where all of you do it, so you don't feel like you are alone in it.     

If the worrying comes from a significant other's opinion, shave gradually going from the higher clipper guards all the way to a zero guard over time.   Take a couple pics at each stage and have them handy for viewing.

[Al Smith]

I agree with most of the previous posts, but would focus on the practicality and self-confidence that comes from making the decision.

I would not really suggest the women stuff at all. Some women like bald blokes, some don't and others don't care - I wouldn't make anything of it especially. You can't do anything about how others think of you anyway, and you'll be mistaken if you suddenly expect offers where you previously had none. Women like personality (apparently, go figure), so a confident bald man will be a more attractive prospect than a self-concious hair victim anyway. Maybe.

And you save minutes on the mornings you don't shave where mere mortals have to use combs and gels. And who has time for that?

[Hawk]

If you could give any advice to someone who is balding or thinking of shaving their head, what would ithat advice be?

Like NIKE's slogan........JUST DO IT.  Quit holding on to those strands and shave it!  LOL!

[PBurke]

living in the mtns there were alot of telemark skiers. ( for those who do not know, it is downhill on cross country skis) they had a saying," Free your heels, Free your mind"  now if you word it a little differently we could say " FREE YOUR SCALP, FREE YOUR MIND/SOUL" i kinda like it. what do you guys think?

[Hawk]

living in the mtns there were alot of telemark skiers. ( for those who do not know, it is downhill on cross country skis) they had a saying," Free your heels, Free your mind"  now if you word it a little differently we could say " FREE YOUR SCALP, FREE YOUR MIND/SOUL" i kinda like it. what do you guys think?

Or you could just carry this picture around and say.........DO YOU WANT TO LOOK LIKE THIS THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?!?!?!?!?!

[Tyler]

living in the mtns there were alot of telemark skiers. ( for those who do not know, it is downhill on cross country skis) they had a saying," Free your heels, Free your mind"  now if you word it a little differently we could say " FREE YOUR SCALP, FREE YOUR MIND/SOUL" i kinda like it. what do you guys think?

That's a great line Paul!  We'll have to use that some day.

[PBurke]

have some ideas to work on this week. might try to use that one in there.

[fcb2001]

Just Shave it, that what i did, and i had corn rows before i shaved my head