Sly Bald Guys Forum
Head Shaving, Grooming & Care => Head Shaving => Topic started by: dalecooper on June 18, 2007, 09:12:52 PM
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Ok so either this is ALOT harder than I thought it would be, or I suck at shaving. Right now, my head is not "slick". If I put my hand on my head, I can't even move it because of the stubble of hair. I used gillette shave gel and headblade... the headblade was pretty awkward to use and wasn't cutting well, hair didn't rinse out of the blades well either (and yes I was holding it the right way). So I started using my mach 3 which was much easier. Anyways... I don't know if it looks so funny cause its pale underneath, or all the hair isn't completely off and its not slick. I have quite a bit of red bumps too... I'm frustrated not only by how it turned out, but how hard the process seemed. I can't imagine doing this every day, it would take FOREVER.
Note: I did not go against the grain...
Any help or advice is much appreciated.
-Joe
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So my head feels alot smoother after baldguyz moisture gel...
I think my scalp is just so pale underneath... I am definitely an extra for american history X right now hahahah. The contrast of where the hairs are and my white scalp looks odd to me.
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Get out and get some sun bro - It will look better. Congrats on going sly. Pretty darn liberating ain't it!
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Ok so either this is ALOT harder than I thought it would be, or I suck at shaving. Right now, my head is not "slick". If I put my hand on my head, I can't even move it because of the stubble of hair. I used gillette shave gel and headblade... the headblade was pretty awkward to use and wasn't cutting well, hair didn't rinse out of the blades well either (and yes I was holding it the right way). So I started using my mach 3 which was much easier. Anyways... I don't know if it looks so funny cause its pale underneath, or all the hair isn't completely off and its not slick. I have quite a bit of red bumps too... I'm frustrated not only by how it turned out, but how hard the process seemed. I can't imagine doing this every day, it would take FOREVER.
Note: I did not go against the grain...
Any help or advice is much appreciated.
-Joe
Hi, Joe.
It's not that hard to do every day. It gets much easier the more experienced you get with handling the razor, and it's also much easier to shave off one days' worth of stubble every morning than it is to remove a lot of hair, like you have to do the first time you shave.
Did you buzz your hair before you started shaving, and if so how short did you go? You should get it as short as possible to make the shaving itself easier. The reason you are not smooth is because you shaved with the grain. To get totally smooth you have to against the grain, though you may experience more irritation if you do. The Headblade is not particularly easy to use at first, especially to someone who's new to shaving. Stick with the Mach III since you found it easier to use (I do as well). Exfoliate and use some Bactine or rubbing alcohol on your scalp to get rid of the bumps.
Most importantly, don't give up just because things got off to a rocky start. Stick with it; I promise things will get better.
Congratulations on going sly.
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So my head feels alot smoother after baldguyz moisture gel...
I think my scalp is just so pale underneath... I am definitely an extra for american history X right now hahahah. The contrast of where the hairs are and my white scalp looks odd to me.
Hang in there. Get some sun on the dome (but be careful not to get TOO MUCH). It will look a lot better once you get a little color and that shouldn't take too long this time of year. It might look a little awkward in the beginning, but you will be rewarded for your persistence. You might be tempted in the next day or two to grow your hair back -- it's not uncommon to have mixed emotions in the beginning. It's important not to give in to the temptation; you need to hang in there to truly get the "sly experience".
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I took it down to a no guard on these old clippers we have.... but it wasn't extremely short....
I'll just have to get used to going with the grain, and then start going against it once my scalp starts getting used to it.
Side note, man it feels crazy as I rub my hand on my head!! haha I definitely do need some sun though, because I've been outside the past couple weeks so my face has gotten some color, now there is a contrast. I just had to go sly and see what it looked like.
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It sounds like you just didn't clip your hair short enough to begin with. It will be easier from here on out as long as you don't wait for more than 2 or 3 days to shave again. After you've shaved a few times, your scalp will start to get used to the razor and toughen up a bit.
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I actually kinda like it already, definitely gonna stick it out for the week. My sister comes out here in 2 weeks, I want to surprise her :)
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congrats dcooper and welcome to the sly fraternity. gr8 advice/tips from razor & wpruitt....
keep it SLY,
WARHWAWK O0
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Welcome to the bald brotherhood, dale. The more practice you get with shaving your dome, the easier it will become. After 4 years, my slickdome can pretty much shave itself....hehehehe.
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Pics to come tommorow...
I must say, I don't think there is any turning back. This has been the final step in one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. I seriously don't even care what people think of it, I'm so stress free compared to when I was trying to cover up my hair. LIBERATION!!!!!!!!!!!! My sunroof will now permanently stay open ;D
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Congrats Dale. It is a big step, but I'm sure you won't regret it. You'll also be surprised at how quickly you get up-to-speed with shaving. Everyone seems to be different, so you have to experiment and find what works for you. I'm right at the end of my second month. I feel more confident than ever and it's starting to feel like a "second-nature" thing to do my morning shave. Try not to get to frustrated, you will get it.
Just keep comin back to all of the other brothers if you need help or advice. We're there for ya!!! 8)
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Congratulations Dale taking the plunge. As the other bros have said; IT DOES get easier with time and experience. Keep hanging in there and enjoying that freedom. Way to go O0
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I agree with all of the above.
It does get easier and yes, your scalp will toughen up slightly to take the blade better.
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Congratulations!
It does get easier. I used to nick myself at first, but found slowing down a bit helped a lot. I now am doing it everyday with a Mach 111 razor. I use an electric sometimes but does not get as slick as the razor. The slick clean look and feel is the way to go!
Good luck.
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Congratulations!! Welcome!
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Hey Dale,
Congratulations on your liberation!!
Keep up with it like the guys have said. You will have plenty of support here , these guys are great.
I will be joining the ranks of the liberated very soon too.
NY
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Phew, I just went against the grain... NOW THAT is a shave hahah. This is an entirely different feeling, smooth all over. I used the headblade for the top of my head, and mach 3 with a fresh blade for everything else.... I don't feel comfortable with the headblade on the sides of my head, it seems to grab my skin more.
Put on some coppertone gradual summer tan ($5 on sale at walgreens, was marked full price on the shelf). I'm going to have to get some headslick, an exfoliator and possibly the headlube.
I'll post some pictures that I took the other day as soon I get them on my pc.
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Phew, I just went against the grain... NOW THAT is a shave hahah. This is an entirely different feeling, smooth all over. I used the headblade for the top of my head, and mach 3 with a fresh blade for everything else.
OK, now do that every day for the next week and I guarantee you will be hooked for life. ^-^
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I'll second that, although I was hooked the first day!
I felt really bad about calling my barber and telling him that I was going to skip my appointment on June 16th... I told him that I was going to give the sly look the rest of the summer, but I already know I'm not going back to having hair on the head
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I'll probably just be echoing what the others guys have said but it will get easier the more you shave. You'll get into a routine and it won't be nothing to it. As far as the HB goes it does take some getting use to. The Mach 3 works pretty well. I'm actually using that right now since I ran out of Schick cartridges. A few things I could suggest is maybe trying a different shave gel/cream. I gave the gillette stuff a try when I first started shaving and wasn't too impressed. I would recommend HeadSlick by HeadBlade. I was using Bald Guyz shave gel but found it wouldn't stay as lathered or slick as I'd like. I don't use the HB razor itself but I do like the other products from HB. You should be able to find it in most of your local stores. Another thing that may help on irritation is to shower shave. The hot water and steam will help keep your hairs soft. Also take your time at first until you get into a good routine. Going slow can help eliminate the irritation. One thing I've learned over the years is that you don't have to use short quick strokes with a regular razor, such as the Mach 3, like they always tell you in directions. I take a full stroke against the grain from front to back to start out with. I may need to hit the spot towards the end again but it helps cut way down on irritation if you don't constantly stroke over the same spot. Once again though, to be able to go a full stroke you need a good shave gel/cream like HeadSlick.
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Dale, congrats on goin' Sly! Like the others said, it will get easier with time. Just like learning how to ride a bike, swim, or any other new task.