# Why don't some bald men shave their side hair? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282 "2017-09-13T23:57:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Contemplation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/1 "2017-09-13T23:57:50Z")
Even after the top of their dome is completely smooth and shiny, they still have side hair. What’s the reason behind it? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/2 "2017-09-14T00:00:08Z")
Why should they? It’s just more work. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/3 "2017-09-14T00:09:58Z")
Do you shave your head? Why not? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/4 "2017-09-14T00:10:51Z")
> [@Contemplation](#): > > Even after the top of their dome is completely smooth and shiny, they still have side hair. What’s the reason behind it? Just to annoy you. Why do people ask questions about other people’s fashion choices? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/5 "2017-09-14T00:17:12Z")
Moved to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/6 "2017-09-14T00:23:03Z")
What beowulf said. If you shave it, you have to keep shaving it. If you just trim it, it requires much less maintenance. Losing your hair at the front and on the top while keeping it at the sides and the back is a fairly typical male pattern hair loss. It doesn’t normally progress to total baldness. Unless you have an aesthetic preference for the appearance of total baldness, and are willing to invest time and effort in maintaining that appearance, there’s no particular reason to shave off the remaining hair. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/7 "2017-09-14T00:35:41Z")
Speaking for myself it because: a) I don’t mind how it looks on me even though its basically a huge reverse mohawk b) in my usual hat it doesn’t look like I’m as balding as I am c) Just for some of us — Hi Opal. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/8 "2017-09-14T00:39:38Z")
Seems to me that “all bald” and “hair on the sides” are two different hairstyles. No different than the difference between buzzcut and long locks. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/9 "2017-09-14T01:11:20Z")
Because it grows that way. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/10 "2017-09-14T01:27:39Z")
There’s also a big psychological jump from ‘going bald’ to having no hair at all or put another way (for some people) going from pretending like you’re not going going bald to owning it. And even for people with a full head of hair, shaving it still takes some nerve. It’s a very different look. For about 10 years I kept my hair at varying lengths of really short. From about a quarter of an inch down to ‘clippers, no guard’, but never did pull the trigger on actually shaving it. I don’t know how old the OP is, but I think a lot of it is also age. It’s one thing for a 20 year old to say ‘if I start balding, I’ll shave my head’. It’s very different when that same 20 year old is 45, has had the same haircut (and wife, job, friends, routine etc) for 15 years and he notices that the thin spot on the back of his head is now a bald spot. Will the guy who feels like he missed his chance to try growing a mustache actually shave his head now that he’s balding and in a few years he’ll look like the other half of the guys out there? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/11 "2017-09-14T03:09:36Z")
I have offered to shave my head about every six months or so, and every time my wife has vehemently insisted that I keep the hair I have. She has to look at it every day, and I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Contemplation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/12 "2017-09-14T03:42:50Z")
Depending on how fast your hair grows, I guess that could be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/13 "2017-09-14T04:24:37Z")
I’m not quite bald on top, but I’m getting there. I like the way I look totally shaved, and my missus is OK with it, but it’s just a _fucking pain_ to shave my head every day. It adds too much time to my morning routine; it’s hard to get the back of the head without missing a spot; and any tiny shaving cut on your scalp results in a torrent of blood the likes of which is rarely seen outside a Tarantino movie. So I just try to keep it buzzed close. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/14 "2017-09-14T06:43:59Z")
I’ve buzzed my hair from about 1mm to 3mm for the last couple of decades. Ain’t nothing on top these days. But, yes, there is a huge difference to whipping out the butch clippers every week or so, and shaving my scalp every day or two. I’ve shaved my head, but don’t like it. Plus it gets really cold. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/15 "2017-09-14T08:06:51Z")
The reason I don’t shave mine is because I don’t want to give the impression that I am a guy who shaves his head. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/16 "2017-09-14T08:25:39Z")
I have tried it, but my head is a funny shape. I think I look better with some hair. I’m not terribly vain, but I am disappointed I lost my hair at such a young age (it started to happen at age 30) so there is a certain amount of clinging to it, though I’ve never resorted to a combover or anything. I do wear a lot of caps, though. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/17 "2017-09-14T09:58:04Z")
I’m pretty sure that it’s for the same reason that some men don’t eat Brussels sprouts. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/18 "2017-09-14T11:53:40Z")
Not balding, but if I were, I’d like to think that I’d go with a [chonmage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chonmage). (But then I’d have to move to Texas or another state where I could openly wear a [daishō](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daish%C5%8D)_,_ because if you are going to start looking like a samurai you need to go all the way or not bother in the first place.) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/19 "2017-09-14T12:20:20Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The reason I don’t shave mine is because I don’t want to give the impression that I am a guy who shaves his head. I went from a full head of hair to shaving it all twice daily. A few times I couldn’t help screwing with people who saw me and said, “OMG, you’ve shaved your head!!” I’d make my sad face, wipe away a tear, and in a shaky voice, say, “oh, how I wish”. Horrible, mean thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282/20 "2017-09-14T13:16:10Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > There’s also a big psychological jump from ‘going bald’ to having no hair at all or put another way (for some people) going from pretending like you’re not going going bald to owning it. > > And even for people with a full head of hair, shaving it still takes some nerve. It’s a very different look. For about 10 years I kept my hair at varying lengths of really short. From about a quarter of an inch down to ‘clippers, no guard’, but never did pull the trigger on actually shaving it. > > I don’t know how old the OP is, but I think a lot of it is also age. It’s one thing for a 20 year old to say ‘if I start balding, I’ll shave my head’. It’s very different when that same 20 year old is 45, has had the same haircut (and wife, job, friends, routine etc) for 15 years and he notices that the thin spot on the back of his head is now a bald spot. Will the guy who feels like he missed his chance to try growing a mustache actually shave his head now that he’s balding and in a few years he’ll look like the other half of the guys out there? Plus, there’s an implication to total baldness as a fashion choice. “Skinhead” is not a good description. I knew a fellow who decided at 22 to shave his head back around 1990. He was a plumber. The first job he went to after that, his boss got a call that this middle-age couple was terrified that he was one of these dangerous thugs or something. Full baldness may work as “cool” for a much older man, but for a young fellow it suggests a different lifestyle and world view. For older guys - I guess unless you are into male menopause, or fairly vain, by the time you hit your 40’s taking a major effort to change your (non)hair style is not high on the priority list - especially if you are missing too much to do anything fashionable anyway. I started to go bald at about 23. By 30 I had not much left on top. I decided I was not going through the effort to comb over like my dad. Long hippie hair doesn’t work when there’s a dome sticking out. Shaving just looked weird. So the Caesar look was the norm and the default. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-some-bald-men-shave-their-side-hair/796282.md?page=2)