Permanently SLY!!!

[nuts]

Congratulations on taking the leap into the future.  Already having an excellent beard provides the perfect look and after 30 days you will wonder what all the angst was about.  We all salute you.

[baldjoeg]

AJ Congradulations on taking the plunge. You look great. I really like the bald head and beard combo. I have been sly for a little over 10 years and love it. I would not have it any other way. Enjoy your new look and no more worries about hair loss.
Welcome to SBG.

 

[EarlBald]

Congratulations, AJ.  You look great with the beard and the scraped dome.  Keep it slick!  Welcome to the club.

[greatnessinc]

Pick up a shave brush and some real shaving cream or shave soap, none of that canned stuff. You'll be glad you did.
For the brush you don't need to go with any of the more expensive brushes, the Tweezerman Badger brush runs in the $12 range on Amazon it's a pretty good brush. Also you'll need a brush stand to dry the brush.

[AJ Q-Ball]

mrzed: Thank you!! This is one instance where I'm glad I jumped the gun. I definitely will stick around and post in the conversation.

nuts: Thank you Roger!! For so many years I would not grow a beard. Now I can't imagine myself without it in combination with my bald head.

baldjoeg: Thank you!! As you can tell, I'm biased toward that combo too.  I've really accepted myself as a bald and bearded guy and to me it's pretty cool!

EarlBald: Thank you!! I will keep it slick if I want to keep looking professional. Even with the slightest bit of hair now will not do me justice.

greatnessinc: I appreciate the advice man!! I would imagine that the real shaving cream would be better than what comes in a can.  I bought a 3 in a pack Edge gel at Sam's not too long ago so I'll keep using that for the time being to get my money's worth. After that, I will probably get the real stuff. What shaving cream do you recommend?

[AJ Q-Ball]

I have a question for my fellow sly guys. I've started shaving in the shower and love it! While in shower, should I apply shampoo to my head before or after I shave? I'm currently applying shampoo after I shave. I wouldn't even use shampoo at all if I didn't have a mild case of seb derm. After I get seb derm cleared up, I'll discontinue using shampoo. I know schro had a case of severe seb derm before he shaved. Awhile back that was one reason I held off shaving but after being inspired by his story, that concern disappeared.

Here is my routine thus far:

1) Apply St. Ives Apricot Scrub and wash off
2) Apply baby oil
3) on top of baby oil, I apply Edge shaving gel
4) Shave
5) Shampoo

Thanks for all the support! Because of you all, I look and feel better than I have in a long time!

[reddog]

I also had a bad case of what I think was seb-derm, and by shaving daily, it is completely gone. When I start to grow my hair back, the dermatitis returns within 10 days. I was using the acne shampoo after shaving, but I no longer need to use it!

[g_bald]

I agree about the brush and shaving soap (tried to quote but the quote kept disappearing along with most of what I had typed...) and a stand.

I got my brother one for his birthday and he loves it too. Great shaves come with these items (plus it feels amazing too).

AJ, man, you look great. Really nice look on you and you rock the bald look. I think you'll zip through the 30 days and never look back. I admit I had a bit of anxiety going into work the following Monday but the reaction was positive and I never looked back!

Keep up the good shine, AJ!

[AJ Q-Ball]

I appreciate the input reddog!! Yeah, when I shaved back in December for the concept look, I remember my seb derm diminishing too.  It's gotten better just within two days.

Thank you very much for those kind words g_bald!!  That really means a lot.  I do have a small bit of anxiety already when I go back to work next week.  Everyone has seen me with several days stubble but not clean bald. I was in the process of letting it grow back for winter and looking back, I don't look good with several days stubble.  Sly, on the other hand, is definitely a better look.  I just can't see myself ever going back to the thin hair I had. Why would I want to?  When I went to the mall and Sam's today, I could just feel some good vibes from the service clerks who helped me today.  That gives me extra assurance I've done the right thing.

[nuts]

I was in the supermarket today and passed a young guy with thick black beard and an obviously newly shaved head.  Quite a dramatic contrast.  I congratulated him on his new look and, with a big grin, he agreed it was a winner - much better than worrying about the thin hair he had before.  Another satisfied 'baldy'.  Looked just like you and your bald/beard combo.

[AJ Q-Ball]

Quite a CONTRAST indeed! Wow! Could I have a black bearded twin in the Land Down Under and we just got separated at birth? Interesting.

[g_bald]

Quite a CONTRAST indeed! Wow! Could I have a black bearded twin in the Land Down Under and we just got separated at birth? Interesting.

We sly guys (and gals) are all over, and we aren't hard to find if you look long enough.

[Frontier Guy]

AJ, I shampoo before shaving ... figure it helps break up/remove any skin oil/grime. Just my opinion ...

[AJ Q-Ball]

I agree to that g_bald. They aren't hard to find at all.

Thank you for your input Frontier Guy! That makes sense.  I don't know if it's just me or someone else has experienced this too. Yesterday while going through my new shaving routine in the shower, I felt like my pores became blocked as soon as I put shampoo on my head after shaving. Suddenly after shaving and before I put the shampoo on, they felt really clean.

[g_bald]

I don't know if it's true but a lady friend had told me she uses conditioner before shaving her legs and thought it helped soften the hair a bit. I have never tried it (I figure I don't need shampoo/conditioner anymore lol!) but it might be true. Your mileage may vary.