I agree with Cameron on that last one. Is your head a good shape? Rounder is better. Some people have a ridge on the top and so you'd look "jurrasic". Post a pic of what you look like now and then we could all vote.
I never went shiny, but stubble and while I liked it after like a week it started to look not as cool. So it was, "honey can you trim it again"?
You seem to be really nervous about this so I would have it done professionaly first. Don't just go to a barber either. Ask what they think before you do. Tell them to be honest.
Are you gonna go out and buy a little two-seater sports car next?
I'm mostly bald on top and always keep my hair to a "#2" guard on the clippers. I figured that since it's so short and nothing on top, there wouldn't be much of a change to go all the way...
I went from "clean-cut" to "serial killer" in about 5 minutes... be warned! Like someone else said, make note of any funky bumps on your head, they're amplified sans-hair....
It depends on the woman. Like others have said, a lot of women find bald men in hollywood attractive, but in real life they never considered dating a guy that actually shaves their head. It's so mainstream now that it's not really that different anymore.
It is pretty easy to use, but I've gotta tell you that the first time or two will be an adjustment in regards to getting used to making sure you're placing pressure on the back pad and not the blade itself (another reason you can get cut).
I have cut myself a couple times due to using a new blade (HINT- put rinse a new blade with cold water before shaving) and if there was a bump or ingrown hair, I was extra careful with the headblade. The only other thing I use after shaving my head is an aftershave/astringent to clean the pores (another HINT- post-shave, rinse your scalp with cold water to get that shiny look). As mentioned before I do recommend HeadSlick for shaving as it has aloe and other moisturizing agents for a smoother shave.
I hope this info helps and that you show us the results when you're done taking the plunge!
Five years ago, my hair was about three feet long. One year ago, I shaved it all off.
Will never go back; shaved is way easier to maintain and I like it more.
Mach Turbo, one blade per shave, shave every three days. Takes about ten minutes and like everyone else has said, the "growing pains" don't last that long - you get used to the shaving aspect pretty quick.
I have been poking around my hair to make sure that this is the right thing to do.
I have a slight problem....
I have two huge (what look like) pimples towards the lowest point of my back head. I don't know what they are called -- I am sure all of you know what they are -- but they look like round bubbles of skin (a white pimple). Always knew they were there because I could feel them when scratching my head.
I am going to a dermatologist next week to see if they can be removed. Perhaps they can be burned off. Not sure if anything can be done with them.
At this point, that is the only thing from preventing me to take the plunge. I would have shaved the head today if not for the fact that I am very concerned about these two bumps that will certainly be amplified with the loss of hair.
Rafael,
You look quite good bald.
I would go the same route in growing a beard or goutee. In fact, I have altready started. Probably going to reduce it to a pencil-thin beard across my entire lower face.
Have already ordered $50 of HEADBLADE products from the razor to the blades to the HEADSLICK shaving lotion and after shave.
I am ready to do this no doubt. I just am very concerned about the two obscurities on my lower back head. Perhaps I shouldn't worry about this at all?
By the way, thanks for all the help and encouragement here.
If you have a back head the bumps are the least of your worries
Do they feel like pimples? Do they hurt? I'm guessing they are cysts, which I understand can develop randomly. I guess it doesn't hurt to have them checked out.
Thanks for the compliment. As for your 'back head bumps', I had a couple of them myself, and using an astringent post-shave and after about a week they went away.
As for the facial hair, IMO, you've gotta have something to make you look distinctive. As as a gym buddy once said when he shaved his head with no facial hair, "I liked like a walking penis
."
I had the barber shave me down with the clippers as far as he could go.
I got home and attempted to shave my head using the headband shaver. What a mistake! I nick'd the hell out of my head and took a chunk of skin out of my ear (which took forever to stop bleeding).
I am not too thrilled with the headband shaver. Even though I led with the blade part and put very little pressure on the device, it managed to nick me in a few places.
Besides, I can't get my hair totally slick'd down. It still has the gray outline where my hair once was. Is there any way to totally eliminate the shadow and be totally slick'd?
This will obviously take time for me to learn how to maintain my new dome. Despite the fact that I was nervous as shit about doing this, I think I look pretty damn good and those that have seen me today seem to agree.
Nobody laughed.
I would post a picture for you but I want to wait a day or two. I am going to the tanning salon for the new spray tan that lasts 5-7 days. I think this will look a lot better with color. Once I do that I will post a picture for all of you to see.
Ron - is this for you or is this for the benefit of other people? Is this an ego thing or something you feel will make you feel better (about yourself as well as physically)? Big changes like this usually have an underlying purpose, not merely, "I think I'd like to look different."
But, though I've never shaved my head, I would always be wary of the shape of my head. You said it best yourself:
But, I suppose, how does one know unless one tries? I might consider getting a crewcut first, and checking my head for lumps and folds at the base of my head and anything asymmetrical that would look truly lobsided if further revealed.
Welcome to the club Ron!!! All us "shaved heads" have meetings on Wednesday nights, and you get to learn a secret hand-shake. Your membership card should arrive in a couple of weeks. Now about your dues.... j/k
On a serious note, I have been shaving my head for a couple of years now and I love it. I did it because I noticed that I had started to get a bit of a bald spot on the back of my head. Nothing major, in fact I asked my friends and co-workers if they could notice it and they ll said no. (yeah I know they could have lied to spare my feelings, but I don't think that was the case.)
Anywho, I asked the stylist I went to what I could do, she mentioned Rogain (sp?). I think Rogain is like crack for men. Once you start you have to use it forever. So, I told her to buzz me. I used a Num. 2 guard for a couple of months, but if you don't maintain it often it looks rather scruffy. So I decided to shave it skin close, and have been doing it ever since. I use a Schick Xtreme 3 and Edge Active Care Gel.
As for the grey outline of your hair when you shave, it goes away once you get some sun on your dome. You still notice it when you are shaving, but in public at talking distance you really cant see it. In pictures I don't see it at all.
Also, if you want a really close shave, go against the grain. I know you shouldn't do this but if you're careful, it's not that big a deal. I shave my head every 2 days and it stays real close. I know it seems like a lot of up keep but it really isn't. I am at the point where it takes me about 10 minutes to shave my head.
I also wash my head with a shampoo with a conditioner in it. You don't want to have a dry scalp. You can also use lotion, but if you sweat, you head gets oily. The good thing is you can always pop into the mens room and splash some water on your head. Low maintenance.
As far as head shape goes I am lucky cuz, I got this really round head. A few scars from when I was growing up and the Lee Majors series The Fall Guy convinced me that I was going to be a stunt man. (But that's a different thread.) Overall, I'm happy because people say I have this Chow Yun Fat, Crouching Tiger thing going which is weird because I am Hispanic, and not Asian. But I am so light, I don't look it, and I know Payne is not a Hispanic sur name... but I digress.
Again welcome to the club and hope to see some pics of you.
I had shaved my head 4 times in the past, right down to the wood. I'm sure if you haven't experience it already you will, but:
WATCH OUT WHEN YOU PUT YOUR TEE-SHIRTS ON!! First time you try to run a shirt over the stubble of your head you'll get whiplash. The stuff's like velcro. No joke.
Anyways, way to be. Taking a chance on a change isn't ever easy but it can be great.
I'll close with a horror story. Shaved my head in march. The day after, I went skiing in 50 degress weather, with only a bandana on my head. This equaled a VERY sunburnt face and a lilly white head. Learn from this.