I have to disagree with you ** Mangetout** about the conscious choice statement. I believe that most hair cuts keep the hair the same length. I think you have to make a conscious choice to let one side grow longer.
I am going bald and as more hair fell out; it became obvious that I either combed it over from the thick sides or just had it cut short. I gave up my ponytail when I was 30 and now my hair stays pretty short. When I get down to a few wispy hairs left on top it will be time to shave. I’m not looking forward to it because I don’t think my skull is shaped right to be considered “good looking”, but I’m not worried about it.
Sure, but for most people with a side-parting, they are already combing over even before they go bald - it’s just that they go from combing hair over hair to hair over skin, but gradually; no hairdresser is going to cut the hair in such a way as to leave a strip of skin showing.
Now that my hair has thinned and receded somewhat, I keep it too short to require a parting, but when this started to happen, I had to actually tell the hairdresser not to leave it long and comb it over; it’s just automatic; baldness (for most people) creeps up slowly, so does the combover.
The thing with toupees is that they require a lot of care and feeding, and you have to be really careful to keep them in place - every day. I have a friend who got a very good one done, but sometimes he forgets to blend it in properly in the back, so it screams I AM TOUPEE! And that defeats the purpose of spending the cash.
I’m a middle-aged woman who freaked out a couple of months ago when I realized I could see scalp when I combed my hair. I bought Rograine for Women, and it has definitely worked. It’s about $15 for a month’s supply. The directions say to apply it twice a day, but I frequently forget the 2nd application. I currently have a lot of new hair that’s about 2" long, but it fills in the thinness. I don’t know yet how well I’ll be satisfied in the long run.
If Rogaine for Men works as well as the womeen’s version, men should be very happy with it.
I’m not totally bald but the top has really gotten thin over the years. I’ve just gotten my regular haircut so there are a few strands covering the bare spot but I have told my barber not to make it a blatant combover. I thought about shaving it but my wife says she will not let me back in the house if I do.
Tho I’m greying, I don’t seem to be losing much if any, and at 42 that should be a pretty good sign. As someone said above, I cannot perfectly predict how I will act if it becomes necessary.
A guy I run with - about 35 - has the bald spot in back and receding in front, with considerable greying. He keeps it “nice and tight.” I agree with those who suggest that is an inconspicuous option. Also far less maintenance than either combing over or shaving.
One time my barber told me it is REALLY hard to do a combover.
I look at it this way. How often have you looked at a guy who was either bald or balding and said, “Why would that guy go out of the way to make himself look foolish? Who does he think he is fooling? What does that say about his insecurity, etc.?”
Now how often do you think such things about a guy with a combover.
IMO, most of us guys aren’t all that good looking that minimizing scalp exposure is going to make all that much difference.
i have wondered about this also. It seems to me that there is only one hairstyle that will always be out of style, the combover. I think of all the hair styles of the past, afros, big hair, brush forward, brush back, pony-tail they all come and go but the combover is forever gone.
As a male with dwindling hair I strive not to combover. My father-in law is balding and his hort hair looks great and is easy to take care of.
When I was in Army basic training my hair was 1/8 inch long, or short as the case may be. It was wonderful, just wash and let dry, no messing with cobs or brushes, forget about bed head, no problem.
i say make the combover criminal and we will all be better off.
I’ve got to say I’ve never seen a combover or toupe that worked. My dermatologist had a toupee that was undetectable except for being just a little too perfect (one of his nurses was a friend of mine and she confirmed my suspicions). At worst they’re mesmerising, I remember staring at the particularily bad one a co-worker had. My eyes were drawn to it, like a cat tracking a plump rat. If either of the fellows had just let things be, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed they were balding.
That said, I will extend my sympathy to those who’re losing their hair. I had some of mine come out after a surgery and I about passed out from the horror of it. Was it Gallagher who likened it to having your breasts slowly slide down your chest and onto the floor? Pretty accurate IMHO.