Sly Bald Guys Forum
Discussions About Being Bald => To be or not be...Bald => Topic started by: Craig Reed on August 10, 2010, 10:24:11 PM
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I know there has been a lot of talk about this on different threads on here, so please forgive me if this is in the wrong section. As some of you know I have had my own struggle with hairloss that caused me much trouble at the young age of 20. Now 26, I have been shaving my head for 5 years, and don't know why I made such a big deal about it.
I was depressed, lost a lot of my confidence, stayed home a lot, and when I did go out, I was the "hat" guy. I was be scared that someone would ask to see my hat, or take it off of me and expose my thinning hair.
I know many of you can relate to this, but I think it is cool to find out why, and how many of you started shaving your head in the first place. For me, it was because I was going bald anyway. I know many people have full head's of hair who shave their head as well. If you don't mind taking a second to answer this poll, I am hoping to get a sample of 100 to pull from!
http://tinyurl.com/2baawwp
Thanks fellow Sly guys, and those of you who are on the fence, just jump in, the water's fine!
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I answerd your poll, but I spose I'll share my life lessons again. I first learned I was goin bald at 17 when there was a kid behind me that yelled "Hey your going bald!" Ya talk about a mental mind f**k. I kept it short and progressivly kept going shorter and so did my confidence during the next few months and eventually started shaving for 9 months with no guard. And 3 months ago took a razor to my head and haven't looked back since. I still struggle somedays when I think "man would i look better with hair" but thats when I step back and tell myself that I don't have hair anymore and I look better sly.
I just want people to know that if you go bald young like me that its not the end of the world. I'd rather not read another story of a young person like me that gets so spun up in the emotional cycle of hairloss that you go to the point of not wanting to leave your house or even in some cases to the point of suicide. I know I was there, but hairloss isn't as bad as you think. I strongly suggest doing the 30days to any lurkers that come here it is a very life changing experience that the SBG have come up with it. An even tho at 3 months I still have my moments its better than where I was at 3 months ago.
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Kenny,
I was you 5 years ago. I couldn't believe it. I was in shock, and to be honest I never really noticed it, even on myself, until others started pointing it out to me. Like you, I began shaving with clippers, with a 2 attachment, then a 1, then finally no blade. But there is nothing like the freedom of just taking it all off - not to mention you can let it grow back for a day if you want and it still will look good.
I am a daily shaver however! O0
Stick with it, your friends will always give you crap, mine still do after 5 years, but just keep in mind they are doing it because they are your friends. Leave the ones behind who are harsh, or really seem to care, they aren't worth it. I always think to myself, "damn I would look good with hair" but my girlfriend loves the "sly" look and there are plenty of other women out there just like her! Just be confident in yourself, and you will find your way.
It looks good on you and just keep moving forward - a windshield is larger than your rear view mirror because you need to look forward more than you need to look back.
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Ya I know what you mean I get the comments of skinhead or some other random name but its always in a spirit of good fun. 3 months ago I would take offense if someone said something and now I jsut laugh it off because I've accepted the way I look. 3 months ago I would get comments about how I look better with hair now the comments are that they don't remeber what I look like with hair or that I'd look wierd with hair. It's wierd to think that we still picture what we look like with hair sometimes and think man everyone pry thinks id look better with hair when in reality society just remebers us as sly now.
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I shaved mine due to loss of hair and a completely foolish looking comb-over. It is amazing that something as trivial as hair and shaving it, can give one the confidence and happiness they lost for many years.
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I shaved mine due to loss of hair and a completely foolish looking comb-over. It is amazing that something as trivial as hair and shaving it, can give one the confidence and happiness they lost for many years.
Yes or in my case the confidence I never had. For some reason when I look back and think of what I looked like with hair I always wondered why I didnt like the way I look, but somehow me being balds made me appreciate the way I look.
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We all tend to believe that "all eyes are on us" when we go out. Everyone is starting at my bald head, or everyone is looking at me weird. When in reality, everyone has their own things going on, their own insecurities, their own problems, and their own life stuff they are dealing with.
99% of people don't take a second look. And to the 1%, they are probably just jealous that they don't have the confidence to take such measures with their own insecurities.
The truth is, the world doesn't revolve around us individually - and that is hard to accept when you first take such drastic measure from going from hair, to no hair.
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We all tend to believe that "all eyes are on us" when we go out. Everyone is starting at my bald head, or everyone is looking at me weird.
I really never had significant problems w/ the "looked at" thing once I shaved, but I had big problems w/ the combover/receding hairline. I was always watching to see if people were looking at my hairline, or through the hair at the end once I noticed that. I also was very careful where I stood--never in front of a mirror so that the back of my head was also visible. It was very restricting. Once shaved, and I adjusted to the new dude in the mirror, I rather enjoyed and enjoy the looks. Makes my day, actually. I know I look the way I want to present myself--neat, and alert.
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In short, I shave my head simply because I want to.
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In short, I shave my head simply because I want to.
So, for you, it's a play on Descartes, "I think, therefore I am." becomes for the SBG, "I shave, therefore I am." Nice O0
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In short, I shave my head simply because I want to.
So, for you, it's a play on Descartes, "I think, therefore I am." becomes for the SBG, "I shave, therefore I am." Nice O0
Well said - I like it! ;D
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In short, I shave my head simply because I want to.
So, for you, it's a play on Descartes, "I think, therefore I am." becomes for the SBG, "I shave, therefore I am." Nice O0
Well said - I like it! ;D
Well it was Descartes that gave the original, Je pense, donc je suis. So this would be Je me rase, donc je suis. Sly is philosophical.
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If I were to let my hair grow out, it would be thin, but not overly "bad". But, I figured, why wait? I am obviously going bald anyways, so I might as well get used to it sooner than later.
I agree that I was worried about more looks when I was thinning with hair, than I am being bald. People are so used to it now, professional athletes, actors, etc all have shaved heads and it is becoming more expected by people when one is beginning to lose their hair.
And boy does it cut down on the "getting ready for work" time!
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And boy does it cut down on the "getting ready for work" time!
Less is more, less hair, more time for you, and "more" better :D appearance.
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Agreed!
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And boy does it cut down on the "getting ready for work" time!
Less is more, less hair, more time for you, and "more" better :D appearance.
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Definetly on the better apperance. When I thinned out I had a pretty aggressive case as it seemd to thin out at lightning speed that I never had time to even think about conceling it. Maybe it was just more noticeable as I had very straight hair, but needless to say I think if someones thinning out they need to take the razor to it. It's pretty obvious, atleast to me, when someone has thinning hair even if not that much versus someone with a full head of hair.
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Like I answered in your poll......I was going bald anyway. Already shaved my head with clippers just cause I liked the look....so deciding to take the next step wasn't much of an issue. Plus now theres no hair to sweep up and clippers to clean!!
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In short, I shave my head simply because I want to.
Me too!
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Thanks everyone for helping me with my poll questions. It is always cool to hear others stories, and backgrounds with hairloss. The self confidence issues I had when I started losing my hair could have rivaled anyones. I just wish I knew then what I know now.
Thanks everyone!
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I shaved my head in anticipation of global warming. I figured it'd be cooler... ::) :D ;D
kidding!!
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One thing I don't see much mentioned here is simply how good it feels. It feels good to get ready to shave, it feels good to shave, it feels good when I'm done shaving. The process. The ritual if you will. There's something very comforting about it.
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My story is a little different. I shaved my head for a part I was playing in a church program a little over a month ago. I could have used a bald wig but decided to go all out. I discovered I liked the look and feel and decided to keep it. I don't foresee going back.
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The one thing that is most common with the BBN crowd here is they all share the same base story each with personal twist. the way i look at things being a BBC myself even thou nature forced the choice. i am most happy with myself now then when i had hair.
Pro's
- Less $ spent on hair care (shampoos,conditioners,hair gel,sprays,coloring)
- Less time Spent making said hair Go where you want it (brushing, combing)
- Less time cleaning said hair (wash, rinse, repeat)
- More Time Being less of who you look like and more time with who you are
- Better Confidence in who you are, translates to Better public image of you
- Being able to share your experience with others who have been thru it (SBG and other forums Positive)
- More time in the shaving isles of places looking for a better scrape products
(Head Slick, King of Shaves Oil, Secret Shave, Head-blade & Compatible parts
- I could keep going
Con's
- More time in the shaving isles of places looking the next best product.
- Possible Burn,Bumps, other shaving related skin conditions with the wrong routine.
Can't Really see a big down side that is worth mentioning
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I noticed it around age 27 that my receeding hairline was starting. As I got into my early 30's I was hearing the "you need Rogaine" or hearing the "Hey Combover" jokes and crap like that. It was embarrasing but what was I to do. Finally after seeing sly guy celebrities, I decided it was time and I have not looked back since. I get more compliments about how good I look bald than I did with hair. I decided one day to see what I looked like with hair and I let it grow for one week. My wife said I looked funny and my daughter said hey Daddy did you forget to shave today in regards to my head. I knew I made the right decision and there is no going back. I am a Sly Guy for life
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I shave my head because I have a bad receding hair line, plus there is a huge bald spot on the crown on my head. There is hair on the top of my head but it's really thin and the grin from the receding hairline.
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Hair started to thin at the top pretty rapidly, after alot of self pity i decided that the best way to deal with my situation was to take control.
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Hair started to thin at the top pretty rapidly, after alot of self pity i decided that the best way to deal with my situation was to take control.
You look great bald. One thing I need to work on is tanning my head. I live here in Seattle, and when its summer, I tan very fast, and get pretty dark (girlfriend hates it because she is fair skinned and just burns lol) but when it gets to fall, I quickly lose the tan, and hate the way my head looks without some decent color on it.
Considering tanning in a tanning bed, but have tried Jergens Natural Glow to see how that will work...
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Hair started to thin at the top pretty rapidly, after alot of self pity i decided that the best way to deal with my situation was to take control.
You look great bald. One thing I need to work on is tanning my head. I live here in Seattle, and when its summer, I tan very fast, and get pretty dark (girlfriend hates it because she is fair skinned and just burns lol) but when it gets to fall, I quickly lose the tan, and hate the way my head looks without some decent color on it.
Considering tanning in a tanning bed, but have tried Jergens Natural Glow to see how that will work...
Let us know how the tanning lotion works out. May try it myself.
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I shaved my head purely because I liked the look. Agreed, i was receding a little at the temples, but not enough to make me shave because of it. I just felt I wanted a different hairstyle and saw other guys with shaved heads and decided I liked it and to have the same.
I guess that's why I can't always understand the sitting on the fence thing and the worries other guys have before they shave. I didnt even think about what others might say in response, I just shaved coz that's how I wanted my hair. 8)
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I shaved my head because of male pattern baldness, and a thining and receeding hairline,