Hey guys, it's officially been 10 days since I went sly and I'm loving it. For the record, I'm 19. I say that only because I hope it will help to motivate other young guys to go sly if they have any noticeable MPB. ANY thinning or receding looks bad on a really young guy. On a 30+ guy it's usually accepted but even minor thinning/receding at 19 looks terrible to peers. Do it, you'll feel better.
Without further adieu:
ADVANTAGES
-No more sweating in 20 degree weather
-Look older -- IMO going sly has kind of an 'age-normalizing' effect. If you're 20 it'll make you look 30 (usually). If you're 40 it'll make you look 30 (usually). I know in the fountain of youth thread you guys are singing the praises of looking 10 years younger, but I love looking 10 years older. People immediately react to me different (more respect) and I don't get ID'd at the bars anymore, which brings me to:
-You look sharp as hell. Tried it out at the club on Saturday night and got great reactions from all the new people I met. Unless your head is covered with razor bumps, it's really hard not to look well-groomed with a slick head and a nice outfit.
-headrub, obviously
-NO MORE CONSTANTLY FIXING YOUR HAIR IN THE RAIN OR WIND. Oh my god I can't believe I dealt with this for 2 years. Any guy with thin hair knows that the wind wreaks sheer havoc. Go sly and all you'll feel is a cool breeze.
-10 minute showers become 2 minute showers
There's a ton more but those are the main ones (for now)
DISADVANTAGES
-The first week of questions. Everyone who knew you before will comment and ask why you did it. The comments are fine and usually good but I'm sick of answering the question. Think of a creative/funny way to respond to them.
-Close family/friends reaction. In my experience, people who knew you for a long time before you went sly will tend to react somewhat negatively but they will always get used to it (or they'll abandon you because of your haircut, saving you a hefty divorce when you go bald naturally anyway
). The only three reactions I got that WEREN'T overwhelmingly positive were my mom, dad, and girlfriend. My mom said I looked like Billy Corgan (I don't take that as an insult) and said she'd buy me a hat but she said I had a good head shape. My dad looked totally shocked and said "Well you have to have a perfect shaped head for that!" and was used to it by the ride to work. The worst by far was my girlfriend who came in and said "eeeeeee" and then told me I looked like Lex Luthor. It took her a while but she's used to it and now loves rubbing it with lotion before bed when she stays over. People will get over it. PEOPLE YOU'VE NEVER MET WILL MUCH PREFER YOU SLY, THESE PEOPLE ARE JUST USED TO SEEING YOU WITH HAIR.
-Much harder to get on t-shirts, why didn't anyone tell me it gets stuck on your head!
any questions and I'll be happy to answer
Overall sly gets the two thumbs up gold seal of approval from me. It took no time to get used to and now I can't imagine myself with hair.