Majorly on the fence

[zacko92]

Hey lads, new here. Im almost 21 and I want to shave my hair off to number 0 really bad but I, like alot of others on here are almost terrified of the looks I will get and the comments from people I already know.

My hair has been falling out like crazy for the past 18 months, starting as a receding hairline but is now a diffuse thinning all over. Depressed is an understatement for how i've felt for the past 9 months. Thinking about it 100% of the time, avoiding uni classes if there is rain, scared of sweating etc. Its controlling my life but its just that I know my friends are gonna pay me out, trouble with ladies and I cant see myself being confident with a bald head, especially at my age.

I know the suggestion will be to shave, just need some reinforcement I guess because my sister tells me to grow it longer, so does my girlfriend, but yeah I dunno.

 Thanks

[stasiu]

hey mate welcome to SBG !

Jump right in and enjoy the words of advice and wisdom and a laugh or two.  If you want to go the Zero Guard route, then do it !  You will feel better and adjust to seeing more glare and less hair on top.  Soon you will be razor shaving the melon.  Growing your hair longer?  What hair?  If it's thinning noticeably, then longer will be it look worse.  You are on the right track with a zero cut.  Good Luck !  Keep us posted with pics !

[zacko92]

G'day stasiu, cheers for the reply. Thats just the thing though, I dont think its quite at the point where its 100% noticeable its thinning, at least to people Ive never met. I've been to a psychologist and he says that he sees nothing wrong with my hair and that its all in my head, which makes me question myself, adding a whole other dimension to the dilemma. But yes I see myself shaving in the near future just to get some freedom back in my life. 

[TV guy]

I may be the world's worst person to reply to this; I love the shaved/buzzed head especially the feel of it. As a performer, I don't have total control over my hair...I have to look as a role demands which usually means - hair - and I do "look" better with some hair.

That said, I think you should definitely NOT grow your hair much longer as that will emphasize whatever hair loss you have and only YOU can decide how "bad" it is. Some guys are perfectly OK and confident with the classic horsehoe fringe while others panic at the slightest thinning at the crown.

I committed to shaving my head at "Cops for Cancer"; I raised quite a bit of money and now I have "NO choice" but to get bald...I even have donors complaining that I still have my hair...The event is eight days away! I better send out after photos as soon after the event as possible LOL.  You could commit to do a similar event in your area; people will admire you for your good deed; you will feel great about helping raise money to fight cancer (giving/volunteering is a good anti-depressant); you will be bald; and nobody would dare criticize you for not putting the petty vanity of hair above fighting cancer. You can then see IF bald is right for you. It'll grow back if you don't like it.  Cheers

[stasiu]

G'day stasiu, cheers for the reply. Thats just the thing though, I dont think its quite at the point where its 100% noticeable its thinning, at least to people Ive never met. I've been to a psychologist and he says that he sees nothing wrong with my hair and that its all in my head, which makes me question myself, adding a whole other dimension to the dilemma. But yes I see myself shaving in the near future just to get some freedom back in my life. 

Experiment with different shorter / buzz cuts while you can.  Hair grows back.  A year from now you will look back and say "why did I needless worry about this hair loss?  It's only hair ... nothing else has fallen out or off ...".

[buddha]

Some guys are perfectly OK and confident with the classic horsehoe fringe while others panic at the slightest thinning at the crown.

Nobody ever died from a horseshoe unless the horse was still wearing it.

[nuts]

People on this forum with shaved heads are probably the worst to ask re shaving.  However from my viewpont growing thinning hair long is possibly the least favoured solution to your worries.  Why not as suggested try a short buzz and see what you think.  If you like the look you can gradually move down to a fully shaved head when you are comfortable to do so.  You  will find that people don't really notice or care and the look is pretty mainstream these days.

Where in Oz are you from - there are quite a few of us on the forum including three from Canberra.  I was walking through the CBD in Sydney recently and the number of bald heads was astonishing.

[buddha]

and nobody would dare criticize you for not putting the petty vanity of hair above fighting cancer. You can then see IF bald is right for you. It'll grow back if you don't like it.  Cheers

Absolute perfection! Kudos.

[Sir Harry]

Welcome! If the thought of shaving is entering your mind, no harm in trying it....if you don't like it you can always grow it back!

[mrzed]

In the big picture of life, shaving your head or buzzing to #0 ... it's a haircut. That's why we endorse the 30 day rule. It may be a shock at first, but people get over it.  Bald or buzzed is a good man's haircut.

Just think of the lady who goes from waist length hair to a 'bob'. She's going to get comments for the first bit. But people (and the lady herself) get used to it. You will too. It's not that bad.

I just met a fellow yesterday at lunch. He has not seen me in probably two years, so my bald head was new to him. He made a cute comments about not recognizing me. Seems like I'm missing something. (He did recognize me!). I did enjoy the conversation.  Bald is my new hair cut/style. I love it.  I'm positive about it.

If you read the posts on SBG, over and over again, the guys say, once they've shaved or buzzed their head, they have a positive response and wonder why they fretted so much over the decision.  Go for it.

[Razor X]

The only way to get off the fence and know for sure which option is right for you is to give shaving a try. If you decide you don't like it, the hair will grow back. If you don't try, you will always wonder.

[Mr Jules]

I know the suggestion will be to shave,

Then shave. 

There's only one way to find out.