Is your head shaved? If so, do you do it yourself, or does someone do it for you?
I find that if my hair"dresser" does it for me, she never really gets it close enough, and there’s still a little fuzziness. That’s not so bad, but I need to go back every couple of weeks, and that tends to get expensive. Is there a way I can do it myself, and if so, how? Do I just do what I do with my beard and keep going, or is there a different technique?
I just use a standard four blade razor and shave my face and head. Gilette, Schick, whatever. Head gets shaved 1x a week, face 3x a week (I shave Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for work, none on the weekends). I have about 1/8" of hair at the end of the week. I use the regular bathroom mirror, lather my face and head, and use a smaller handheld mirror to do the back of my head. It takes me about 10 minutes to shave both my head and my face. I go against the grain when shaving my head; no “fuzziness” left behind. It all depends on if you want the shaved look or just close cropped with an electric trimmer. If you’re using a clipper, I would highly suggest getting a cordless trimmer instead. They are around 2" wide, which allows it to conform easier to the shape of your head.
It’s easier to do right out of the shower, and you might want to do it on the weekend the first couple of times, because I was bloodier than a drunk Englishman the first couple of times I did it, and giving it a few days will help make the scabs less noticeable.
I was wondering about the blood aspect – I used to know someone that happened to.
Is the scalp more sensitive than the face?
That’s cool! I may need to get one.
Unless you’re careless, or have an oddly-shaped head or bumpy scalp, cuts shouldn’t be a big problem. I shaved my head almost daily for about seven years. I used a Gillette Mach 3, and shaved in the shower with no mirror (I did it completely by feel). I preferred to shave it in the shower because the steam and all that kept my scalp warm and moist, whereas trying to do it at the sink in front of the mirror let my head get cold, which made shaving more difficult and less comfortable.
I used to use an electric razor, going over my scalp every 2-5 days, depending on when I felt like doing it. Never any nicks or cuts, but I did have to charge it a lot, and it was hard to keep clean.
Of course, right now my sister is making me grow my hair for her wedding in June, but still.
I bought a Headblade about, oh, ten years ago. It gave me the worst cut of my life- and scalp wounds bleed forever. On the plus side, I got a nifty t-shirt, which I wore until it disintegrated.
I think the problem was that the model I used didn’t have a swiveling head, and only had one blade. It looks as though they’ve improved it since then.
I currently use a Mach III, and I shave every time I shower. I’ve got a mirror mounted in the shower. I start by rubbing sandalwood oil into my scalp, to soften the hair, and then a shaving brush to apply the soap. It works really well, and gives me an excuse to take long showers.
Headblades are Evil. Avoid at all costs.
I use a Gillette Fusion razor and Edge gel in the shower. I shave my head every morning. The no-fog miror helps, but I usually do most of it by feel. Replace the blades every 14 shaves or so and you’re good to go.
Here’s another question – do you still shampoo? My hairdresser said it’s important to.
I soap. Then I apply some Nivea Revitalizing Lotion on my scalp after it’s dry.
I don’t really find so, at least for me. I was mentioning the blood aspect because you know, practice makes perfect.
And the Headblade worked really well for me except around the crown. It did the top and sides really well, and the back passably, but right around the crown it shaved awfully and cut me.
I haven’t touched a drop of shampoo in over seven years. My scalp is just fine.
Like silenus, I use the Gillette Fusion razor as well. It’s expensive but well worth it to me.
I’m thinking about buying one of those Save-A-blade things that’s supposed to resharpen your razor for up to 200 uses.
I currently have about 1/4" of hair on my head but until recently I was shaving my head smooth every day. I did this for about two years straight. I agree with the shave in the shower crowd. I could do it entirely by feel but I have a suction cup mirror attached to my shower wall for doing my face so I used it to shave the front of my head too. Be careful around the front, I once took the end of my eyebrow off. I have a mole on my head that got cut a few times but not often. I used disposible razors (Gillette 3 blade) because they are lighter and more ergonomic (IMHO). The blades on those can be replaced with the standard replacement blades if you like. Being a geezer, I have a few stray hairs that grow on the edges of my ear and I shaved those while I was shaving my head but that’s where I cut myself the most times. Ear wounds bleed at least as long as scalp wounds.
This thread is making me want to go smooth again, I miss it.
I have my wife shave my head every two weeks or so with a pair of electric clippers I bought for $20 bucks about 5 years ago. I can do the job by myself but it takes 2-3 tries before I’m sure I haven’t missed a spot. Nothing is worse then going to work with a fuzzy patch on the back side of your head on an otherwise smooth dome.
I have gone razor-to-scalp bald before, but it does take a little more time. If I wasn’t wrangling two kids off to school at the same time I’m getting ready I might go back to the R-2-S bald again.
This is all great stuff, thanks guys.
I’m leaning towards clippers, because the idea of dragging a razor across my head sort of gives me the creeps. And this from a guy who used to drag one across his nutsack.
Also, like **Silenus ** (who always beats me to posting), I shave my head with the Gillette Fusion, with either Fusion shaving gel or King of Shaves shaving cream. When I realy want my head smooth, I will shave first against the grain, then again at a 90 degree angle to the grain.
SHAKES, I have heard bad things about those SaveABlade thingies. I probably wouldn’t waste your money.
Finally, I read a tip about shaving your head using aloe gel–supposedly it give a close shave, leaves your scalp shiny and costs less per ounce than shaving gel.
Shiny is a good thing?
I used to use the clippers. Razor is better. I also use the Fusion with shave gel. Shave every other day to keep things nice and clean.
Why shave if you aren’t going to polish it up and show it off? 