For a little over a year my wife has been suggesting I shave my head. The idea is not unattractive, but I am curious about the mechanics of daily maintenance. So, if anyone out there who is shaved or has an SO that is shaved, do you have any hints and tips for a potential comrade?
I shaved my head once. Yep, slick-bald. With a razor. Unlike your own situation, I did not do so at the SO’s urging. That’s a whole other thread, though.
I liked it, but I’m told by those around me that it was pretty disturbing. As I have fairly pale skin, it was, I’m told, possible to see the lines in my skull where the bones grow together. Of course, it saved time in the morning; no fussing with shampoo, and no combing. Beware of lint, though. Towels and sweatshirts and such seem to leave lint on the ineviable stubble under the slightest provocation. This can be amusing if they are bright colors.
It really felt pretty interesting to feel the air swirl around the dome as i walked.
This month’s Men’s Fitness magazine has a little blurb about shaving one’s head. Unfortunately, I can’t get on their webserver right now, so I can’t tell you if it’s online. Trip to a local newsstand, pick up the magazine and flip through it to find the article. Then take one of the drop cards and subscribe; I like that magazine.
My dear husband has an almost-shaved head. He uses a clippers set for the shortest cut possible and cuts his own hair every week or so. He shaved it with a razor once, but we both liked the very short crew-cut better than the shave. He said his head felt naked, and he looks better with that 1/8 inch of hair. Plus, when it was shaved, his head would get stuck to stuff. (I called him velcro-head until it “grew out” 2 days later.) So, almost-bald might be an option for you, too.
Good luck and tell us how it goes.
Hmm…I was hoping this was about thinning hair, but you sound like you have a choice. I’ll save my advice for a separate thread.
Coming soon to a thread dear you!* The Problems (and Pleasures) of Slowly Going Bald *
I have been shaving my head for a few years now, it was either that or do the comb-over. I use an electric clipper on the shortest setting and when I’m feeling extra randy, I’ll pull out the Braun I use on my face and take it all the way down. The hardest part about shaving the first time is not knowing what shape your head is. Lucky for me I was a cessarian section baby and I have a perfectly round head.
I say GO FOR IT! It’s not for ever and if it really bothers you, you can get a hat.
Wow! What a coincidence. I just did this myself for the first time ever this weekend. I like it. I didn’t “Bic” it, but I used my clippers with no guard. I agree that it’s a little scary not knowing what shape your melon is, but I lucked out and have a nice round one.
A heat wave just hit D.C. and I have to say it is much cooler. The lint thing is a funny phenomenon I must agree. I just started doing this, so as far as maintenance goes this is a rookie response, but I might cut it once a week. Go for it. My girlfriend loves it, and all the women I work with just had to rub it, my head that is, I mean the head above my shoulders. And hey, remember, it's just hair, and if you don't like it, it will grow back.[hijack]
My ex used to shave his balls.
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Men with bald heads rock. I always had a fantasy about Mr. Clean…
Shave your noggin. Your SO might really like it if you shave your balls too.
I’ve been watching this thread with great interest, because been very seriously considering shaving my head fo a while now (I always promised myself that if it started to go, I wouldn’t fight it, I’d exult in it)
But shaving your genitals and underarms is not so benignly reversible. I did it in my foolish youth, and the stubble (as it grew back) drive me crazy! Weeks of scraping, abrading, burning, ugh! Made it hard to go to sleep.
not-quite-offtopic: Do they still sell Solarcaine sunburn spray (benzocaine)? I can’t find it. It’s far superior to lidocaine for numbing skin (though how numb do you want to be ‘down there’ – especially since it’ll get on her too?)
Here is a similar recent thread.
I posted this to it, and it is appropriate here as well.
Take caution, Unkie Stewie…
For about 5 years I wore my hair as close as you can shave it with clippers, maybe 1/10th of an inch long. One day I got ambitious, and went to it with shaving cream and a razor. I have very thick hair, and shaving my scalp did not go well. It took about 1/2 hour, and by the time I finished I had blood running down my head face neck and back. My head was bright red and irritated for 2 days, and it hurt to even rest it on a pillow. In a nutshell, it sucked. I did like it once the redness and pain went away. But nowhere near being worth it.
Thanks for the advice and stories! My current plan is to hand my wife the (just bought) clippers on Friday and have her take it down to stubble-dom. After reviewing the outcome(and seeing how visible the results of Tony Abbott taking a piece of firewood to my head in 1957 are) I may then continue on to slickness. I’ll let you know how things turn out.
I’ve been going bald for many years, so three years ago I took my fate (and pate) into my own hands and shaved it. I used a regular twin-blade razor in the shower. That’s how I keep it shaved: an extra twenty minutes in the shower once a week.
It’s great! I look younger, it’s more comfortable than any hairstyle, I save money on haircuts, dandruff is never a problem…
…and women love it! They walk right up to me and caress my scalp with their hands. Some like it when it’s freshly-shaved and smooth as a cue ball, while others like it a couple of days later when it’s tingly-fuzzy.
Once a complete stranger took my head in her hands and started rubbing. Her eyes glazed over and she seemed to go into a trance. I finally asked, “Do I know you?” That broke her reverie and she said, embarrassed, “Oh, I’m sorry…I just couldn’t help myself!”
It gets conversations going too. I fell on my head when I was six and bear a scar that people always ask me about.
Hey, and Hallowe’en is better, too! I can wear any mask or wig I want without messing up my hair. Or glue latex appliances to my scalp; last year I put on some wounds and stage blood and went as a rotting corpse. This year I’m planning to go as a Blue Man.
I can’t think of any negatives with shaving my head. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.