Sly Bald Guys Forum
Discussions About Being Bald => 30 Day Rule / Beginners Section => Topic started by: Navigator on December 22, 2012, 09:54:45 PM
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Title just about says it all. So I discovered the forum a couple of days ago, got all psyched up and decided to buzz my hair. I am massively thinning in the front and a weird, irregular shaped bald spot is developing in the crown so I just thought alright, time to bite the bullet and just do it.
Started with a number 2 comb, realized the bald spot still shows up. Went down further - turns out I have all these irregular bumps and ridges all over my skull so it just looked like randomly placed cornrows or something lol. Realized the buzzed look really does not work well for me, I have no choice but to shave it entirely due to the bizarre topography of my skull. Results are below - I really messed it up big time lol. My friend is coming over here stat to do the back for me.
My question is, how am I supposed to be able to shave it with all the ridges and bumps everywhere?? That's gonna be reeeally difficult. I mean, I guess it's nice that my head has character, but this is ridiculous! lol At least my hair grows really fast so it will probably grow back in 2 or 3 months.
Panicking big time here. Any advice or pep talks would be greatly appreciated forevermore. Anybody else with a weird skull?
The smaller, thinner patches of hair are where hairs have grown in the grooves in the head - these are the parts that are gonna be really, really hard to shave.
(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy390%2FNavigator83%2FPicture0247_zpse84764cb.jpg&hash=0553d98ecf2c4a9473b74463a39a3063aeb91d1f)
(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy390%2FNavigator83%2FPicture0246_zpsf70c39e8.jpg&hash=b8e32db3e15a4eefbc82287c935fe3f7e1e05371)
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(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy390%2FNavigator83%2FPicture0244_zpsff1db6c3.jpg&hash=a16e25be30d929b91d5220e51f8448fea92f6f4e)
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Pretty much every newcomer on here stresses over their belief they have a strangely shaped skull, so I'm sure you're just imagining things. It'd be good to see a pic though :0)
Welcome to SBG
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What Bluebriz said
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Pics are up now guys.
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Welcome mate,
As the other guys said, everyone unfoundedly worries about their head shape at the start.
Looking at the pics I don't see any ridges or bumps?
It takes a bit of time to figure out which direction to shave/buzz to ensure you get all the hairs.
Advice for shaving is to go slow for the first little bit and plenty of lather.
I'm sure you'll do fine.
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And I forgot to say that the bald looks great with the beard and glasses IMO.
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Thanks, Lynchy. Obviously the big chucks of hair are the parts I totally messed up lol. It sure is harder than it looks to do this first time by yourself. If you can see, there's smaller, thinner lines of hair as well - those are the parts where hair is growing in I guess it's like a ditch in the skull. Kinda hard to tell in the pics I guess. In the mirror it looks like you can see my brain through my skull or something - that's the kind of look it has closer up, all wrinkly and brain-like. Feels like wrinkly and weird too lol.
I'm sure I'll feel a bit better once my friend turns up and fixes up the back bits, but I'm still not convinced yet that I've done the right thing. Just gotta keep picturing the bald spot and remember why I did this lol.
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EXCELLENT ! Best Christmas present you ever gave yourself ! Keep it sly, bro, cuz you adorn it awesome !
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No worries mate.
Get the razor out on those ridges should fix it right up. If the skin does have a little ridge you can pull it tight with one hand whilst shaving it with the other, if that makes sense?
I'm sure you will grow to love the look.
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Welcome to the forum.
Indeed, for some unknown reasons, sometimes the scalp develops that way and it's not much you can do about it. This article (http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/17/14515569-condition-makes-mans-scalp-look-like-surface-of-brain?lite) was posted here on SBG before.
Regarding shaving, patience is the key, especially now, when you're still "learning" your skull and scalp.
If you finish what you've started: the areas behind your ears and back of the head, I would say that it's a great look.
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My friend's come over now and fixed up the back so I can actually, like, leave the house now lol.
Yep, that is definitely what I have! Just not as extreme as the guy in that article. It's not obvious when I have a full head of hair but I could always feel these weird grooves down the side of my head and wondered if that was normal. I just kinda figured maybe it was just a place where the hair made a part or something and that's why it seemed weird.
I'll try to take a better picture but it's definitely obvious in real life from the back and the top. Even my friend immediately noticed and said that it didn't look normal.
It feels very weird and soft and brain-like too, just kinda squishy and icky lol.
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Welcome Navigator.
Now you've done it! And it really is a good look for your face.
I think it just may take extra time/effort to get the hang of shaving your unique terrain up there. Since you are already there (and I think it really does look good on you), why not commit to the 30-day challenge?
This is referenced elsewhere on this site, which I’ve accumulated over time and modified just a bit. Pick and choose which ones apply to you, but basically my “expanded” 30-day challenge is:
- Take your time shaving initially – go easy on the pressure and the speed. There is no prize for fastest and bloodiest shave!
- Figure out what your answer is when someone asks “Why?” – you don’t have to go into detail about hair loss, but it’s good to have a comeback at the ready. Can be as simple as “I needed a change.”
- Maintain the Sly look for 30 consecutive days - whether you shave daily (my recommendation) or every other day.
- Allows you to get used to the New & Improved you.
- Allows others to get used to the New, Improved and more Confident you.
- Allows your scalp to adjust from being hidden from the world to toughening up to face the world.
- Allows you to develop the skills for head shaving (they're a bit different from face shaving).
- Gives you time to integrate shaving into your daily routine so it becomes “natural” and not something you have to think about or try to remember.
- Post here at SlyGuys with your questions, concerns, and (most assuredly) your SUCCESSES!
Things I think you will find:
- Huge relief (part 1) from hair worries – whether it’s thinning or graying or moving hairlines.
- Huge relief (part 2) from hat worries – where is it?
- Huge relief (part 3) from weather worries – wind which may blow a combover the wrong way, rain which causes thin hair to become stringy.
- Ease of maintaining - you'll always have the same great look.
- Surge of self-confidence (part 1) – which I thought was most surprising.
- Surge of self-confidence (part 2) – freedom to do things which “hair terror” prevented – like swimming or standing in a room underneath a bright light with your scalp glowing through the remaining hairs.
- Reallocation of time previously spent obsessing over hair to more fun endeavors (you can figure out this list on your own).
Also, you may want to experiment with other brands of razors; I found each one works a bit differently; for me some are more prone to nicks than others.
Welcome to the brotherhood.
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Now tell me that looks normal. :o
(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy390%2FNavigator83%2FImage023_zpsba391b99.jpg&hash=1c97c4cd62b0ec0db3f87988fb33a404718a32ba)
(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy390%2FNavigator83%2FImage028_zpsa70d6ef6.jpg&hash=cd92e518f17395c482728821ebca0ea9bb02e202)
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Seems like you have some dimples in your dome!
It's not 100% smooth but doesn't look that bad IMO
How do you feel about it?
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Hmm, I really don't know at this point. It's a lot to take in. Will be interesting to see people's reactions when I go back to work! lol It's obviously not normal, just as I suspected. The good news is, I can't see the back of my head anyway (but I know everyone else can) and at least it will grow back if I can't handle it, though it will still look weird until it's at least a number 3 length, which is what I usually get and I couldn't see anything then. Very, very tempted to grow it back now. Only problem is, that's not really gonna solve the problem because I'm still gonna keep on balding no matter what (and probably very quickly, I've gone from a basic V-shape-just-at-the-temples to Norwood 3 in just 3 years). In fact, according to what I'm reading on my newly discovered condition, it can be sometimes be linked to hair loss. And once my crown goes, the weird skull is gonna become obvious again anyways lol. I just don't know what to do. :-\ Aside from get myself to a doctor and see what this brain-skull means for me.
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Not that I advocate this kind of thing at all, but you can get dermal fillers if it bothers you that much, personally I think it looks kinda cool.
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Welcome, Navigator! I agree with what Slyfive said.....I think it looks great!
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The other fellows have given good advice. the 30 day rule, described elsewhere would be a good idea.
looks like your friend did a good job getting the remains down. the bald look is becoming. the wrinkles are the unique you. makes you special. but something you are not used to seeing, thus the 30 day rule.
i always shave the back of my head by feel. just takes a little getting used to.
also, since you don't normally see the back of your head, it will be awhile before you get used to seeing it in photos, specially up close as the ones you posted. 30 day rule.
i still sometimes do a double take when i see a photo of myself from behind, but i'm loving the look from the front and that's what i have to see.
be encouraged. Merry Christmas. May you be blessed with a great reception to your new look from friends and co workers.
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I have seen other gents that have the same type of scalp, and have many more wrinkles in it. However they keep their head shaved and are happy with it. None of us are perfect. The way I look at it is like sly five says and others this is your unigueness . So enjoy it. Take your time to shave it.
Welcome. O0
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Thanks guys for your support. Very tempted to just call in and ask if I can work from home for a couple of months lol. But once you get over the shock factor, yeah I guess it's not actually as bad as I imagine when I'm not looking at it. According the google image result, it could be a LOT more severe so I guess I'm lucky. Already had a dozen facebook likes from people I know but they haven't seen the back yet lol. I guess I'll find out how noticable it is or not once I leave the house and face the outside world. I grew a beard recently (cut it down to a Van Dyke when I lost the hair as the beard just didn't look quite right to me with no hair - yeah, I know we're always most critical of ourselves lol). People say it takes courage to grow a beard in a mostly clean-shaven world. Ha! Try shaving your head, especially when the back of it looks all wrinkly lol.
I'm still not sure whether or not to keep it sly. To be honest, if I had known that's what my head looks like, I would've just gone bald naturally and not shaved it. Which, of course, wouldn't make much difference eventually lol. If my head was normal, that would be a different story. I guess that's the hardest thing. It's hard enough trying to decide whether or not to be BBC when your head is perfectly normal, let alone when it isn't lol.
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You said it my friend and you have a good out look. With your beard and glasses. I think it looks good. You can always wear a cap it you get bothered. But as You said we are all most critical , we beat ourselves up that other people could care less. O:O We have to remember NO ONE is Perfect. Some may think they are but we all know better. You are the one that has to act with self confidance. If something bothers me I make fun of myself. And then it is no fun for others to say anything. They think I am cool for it. O0
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I would recomend that you give it the 30 days and shave your self take you time . Hold the skin taunt and you will not have any problem.
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Hello and welcome Navigator. As others have said, We're not perfect. In my case, I don't have wrinkles, but I have divots all over the head. Kind of looks like I have been beaten with a golf club. I have been BBC for over three years now. At first I had thoughts much like yours. Not once has anyone commented negatively. Most normal people may notice, but will not comment. We all are who we are. If your pleasant to those around you ,you will reap what to soe. Those who might be negative are of no matter! Hang in there and have faith in your common man.
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As others have said, no one's perfect. I have a large red birthmark covering my entire right cheek. Our imperfections are things we sometimes just need to become accustomed to, and they make us who we are.
Ultimately, do what makes you happy, but you do look great sly!
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It's obviously not normal, just as I suspected.
Welcome Navigator to SBG. Your condition does appear to be cutis verticis gyrata, but it's not something that's weird at all. I first saw a guy with a shaved head with the condition when I was returned to New Orleans after Katrina. I worked for the City and we had to live on cruise ships in the river because there weren't any services for water, electricity and sewerage anywhere else immediately after the storm. We, the city workers, first responders, police, etc. all lived on two cruise ships--interesting but another story. There was an officer on our ship, great guy who worked like a Trojan to make sure that we had everything possible to make our lives as comfortable as possible in very bad conditions, good food, clean quarters--and we really got to know him well. He was a great guy, and the ladies in our groups really liked his looks--they found it masculine, sexy and not at all off putting. He had lots of confidence in his work and social interactions. If you do what you do as a person and a man half as well as he did, no one is going to think your somewhat unique look is anything but a positive. The only one who can turn it into a negative is you.
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Ultimately you have go with whatever makes you feel the most comfortable. You've gotten plenty of reassurance here that it looks OK, but you need to take a little time to get used to it and decide how you feel about it. My main concern would be that if might be difficult to keep it shaved clean on a daily basis. In that case, a short buzz cut might be a better option. I would experiment with both to see which you like better.
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G'day mate, welcome to the family. Even with the wrinkles I think you look fine.
I myself have the divots all over my head too like Papa Don, I also have scars and nasty little crater too. Until recently no one had even commented on them... Thats 6 months with no one other then me and my mother and sister (who initially helped me shave my head) noticing. Even then my boss when he noticed, never said anything negative about it, just sort of made the comment in passing and we moved on.
I believe it really does just create some character, and I like the way my bald head looks, even with all the imperfections.
Just take some time to get to work out how to shave your head effectively, work nice and slowly at first, and pull the wrinkles in tight if you can, so as to avoid accidently cutting one, because that's probably going to be the spot it happens. But I bet that if you give yourself 30 days you'll have learned how best to shave your head and you'll have even stopped fussing about how the wrinkles look, as you said, you can't even see them so don't worry :D
If anyone has anything to say about them you could always make comment about how your brain is so big that it broke through your skull or something like that, it's all about you being confident, and then other people will leave the topic be.
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Thanks for all your support guys. It's really appreciated. :)
Well, I've now been outside and been to work. Pretty sure I made an old lady on the bus a bit nervous. I think she thought I was a well dressed thug or something lol (well it kinda looks like somebody smashed me in the back of the head with a broken bottle or something, after all!). I will need to learn to smile more often so I don't creep people out lol.
My opening line to my coworkers was "So I went out and got myself a hip post-apocalyptic haircut and nothing even happened dammit!" That broke the shock a little lol. I fielded stares and dropped mouths every time someone new saw it but of course it only lasts a few minutes of curiousity and then everybody goes back to the far more important job of worrying what other people think of them. ;) Most people seem to think I lost a bet or did it on a dare lol. If only - then I might have some money to show for it. :P I've been compared to Bryan Cranston (in Breaking Bad, of course) and Lex Luther lol.
It's gonna take a while to grow back anyway of course so I guess this is a good opportunity to kinda do a practise run on what the best thing to do is when I do permanently go bald, probably within the next few years at the rate I'm going (and yes, in my frantic googling on my condition, it seems hair loss is common so that could be why I'm losing my hair in the first place). I'm not quite sure I'm ready to be sly permanently yet but it is something that will definitely happen sooner or later whether I like it or not lol. So I may as well prepare now.
Razor X - yep, this terrain is definitely gonna be hard to shave clean. My intention originally was to do a buzz cut to see how it looks but turns out, as happens with my newly uncovered condition, the hair grows thickly in all those little cracks and bumps and it looks really uneven, or at least it did when I buzzed it, which is why I had to go completely sly. It looked terrible lol. Maybe starting from sly will allow it to even out, who knows. So I think the best action at this point is to just let it grow back and keep an eye on its progress so I know what to look out for next time. It might be that I will be able to keep a short buzz cut in future by having just enough length to cover or even out the bumps, or perhaps having a barber try to even it out somehow once it's long enough. Then once my hair really starts falling out bigtime, I'll know the best way to cut it to minimize the contours. Or if I like it better than my old haircut, I can just stop at the point where it looks best.
Otherwise, if it turns out there is no way to effectively minimize both the balding and the bumps, at least I have a lucrative career ahead of me as a disfigured movie villian. >:D At last, my dreams of world domination will come true...
I do miss the beard I just spent 2 months growing so I'd like to grow it back out around the Van Dyke eventually, much like you did recently. Mustache and chin are the weakest part for me and the cheeks and underside fill in much better so I think it will be a better result than hacking it all off and starting from scratch.
In the meantime, I'm renting out all the movies and TV shows I can find with bald people in them...Breaking Bad, Major Payne, etc. And paying attention to just how many bald guys are out there. It helps to normalize the sudden hair loss.
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Also, just out of my own morbid curiousity, how old do you guys think I look without hair? I think it makes me make older because well, a. I'm bald! and b. my head is suddenly a lot wrinklier lol.
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Really, most people think they look younger once they go sly. I'd peg you at probably mid 30s.
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Also, just out of my own morbid curiousity, how old do you guys think I look without hair? I think it makes me make older because well, a. I'm bald! and b. my head is suddenly a lot wrinklier lol.
Is this a trick question?
We've seen the photos "making of" and "after" but no "before".
IMO you look great sly.
I saw a couple of men with scalp wrinkles: one was sporting a #1 buzz and the other the sly look.
If you like your new look and the wrinkles are the only issue then I would say keep it.
So, back to age, judging by the photos that you've posted I would say that you are in the 25 - 30 years age range.
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anndrei makes a good call on your age, but, looking at things in the background of your photo, i'm going to vote for older. looks like you have a traditional tv, and a vcr player. 25-30 people would have a flat screen and blu-ray players. lol.
yes, you do look pretty young in the shaved photo.
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Hmm, interesting, so pretty much the same. Must all be in my head then. Most people think I am 30-something with hair (though some thought that when I was still mid-20s :o). I'm 29 for the record so not really that far off anymore anyway.
And, yes, Mr Zed, I do have a VCR and a CRT TV. I'm just old school. I proudly do not own an i-anything. Like Miniver Cheevy, I was born too late. Pretty sure I should have been born 20 or 30 years earlier. :P
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Hmm, interesting, so pretty much the same. Must all be in my head then. Most people think I am 30-something with hair (though some thought that when I was still mid-20s :o). I'm 29 for the record so not really that far off anymore anyway.
And, yes, Mr Zed, I do have a VCR and a CRT TV. I'm just old school. I proudly do not own an i-anything. Like Miniver Cheevy, I was born too late. Pretty sure I should have been born 20 or 30 years earlier. :P
You aren't the only one ;D . I could have been in Gunsmoke, Rawhide, and been a star.
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Navigator, this only means that your new style is not making you look older, but the contrary.
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I'm 29 for the record so not really that far off anymore anyway.
And, yes, Mr Zed, I do have a VCR and a CRT TV. I'm just old school. I proudly do not own an i-anything. Like Miniver Cheevy, I was born too late. Pretty sure I should have been born 20 or 30 years earlier. :P
So the background needs to shave it's head to look younger. Lol. The background is deceiving!
You look good at 29!
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Firstly, your skull looks interesting -- not strange or funny. Secondly, for all those that have said that no-one is perfect I have only one word -- WRONG.
Everyone is perfect, just as they are -- especially when slick. A great late english philosopher and spiritual master by the name of Douglas E Harding [known as the "man with no head" because of the way he taught people to perceive the world] discovered that he and by extension we generally imagine ourselves from about 3 feet away looking back at ourselves. Which is weird -- why not 30 feet or 3 miles or 3 mm? And why looking back at ourselves from the front?
In other words, we look at ourselves in our minds in the third person as if we were objects [people] in the world. Now, people other than me are objects in the world to me but not to themselves. Perceiving yourself as the first person, singular means that you do not even perceive your own head let alone any interesting aspects of it that are available in the third person perspective.
For many, many people this "discovery" is very liberating -- freedom from our own judgements about ourselves. What a waste of time and energy. I highly advise you and any others interested to go to http://headless.org/ to get the idea and maybe look at a quick instructive video or two. Completely based on reason, experience and the results of our own "experiments" of which there are many. Go to here http://headless.org/experiments/pointing.htm for one of the most important experiments -- it only takes about a minute.
Also, some razors are more flexible than others. Schick extrem 3 is quite flexible and might make it easier. But, what about one of those electric razors with 2 or 3 longitudinal ridges on the head. I reckon the razor ridge might fit into your skull ridges and do a pretty good job.
Anyway, from the third person perspective it looks good but from the first person perspective [your perspective, internally] it looks completely clear, transparent and open. How could it possibly be better? Congratulations.
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Everyone is perfect, just as they are
Great point of view. I stand corrected. 8)
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I have the same condition.
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Not that it makes a real difference, but those crenelations in your scalp could be something called CVG.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutis_verticis_gyrata
Steve
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Not that it makes a real difference, but those crenelations in your scalp could be something called CVG.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutis_verticis_gyrata
Steve
Many guys have this,is pretty common