How to deal with being bald?
Until yesterday I used to have long hair. Due to unusually high tempetures I started having problems with the skin on my head. So, to avoid problems. I shaved it clean and it will remain that way until the skin in treated.
Now that I'm bald, I now know what's it's like. It sucks. My old hair suited me perfectly. It was messy just the right amount, perfect length, made me look different than the rest and handsome as hell. Every girl would look at me where ever I went to. Compliments floating over the air, jealous looks from other men etc. etc. It made me feel powerful.
But most importantly, it suited my personality and clothing. It was perfect! But now it's gone. I hate bald me. I will never look back at this bald version of myself.
It feels weird. I don't feel that bad but still it's disheartening.
If you attach so much of your personality and self-worth on your hair, this is probably for the best. Time to do some inner-reflection and figure out something a bit more meaningful to tether yourself to.
Like his/her massive balls for talking about it somewhere.
There was a study done by a university a while back that had hundreds of randomly selected women rate headshots of men from 1 to 10 in various stages of hair, from full thick head of hair to completely smooth bald.
They plotted the results and found that the full head of hair pictures averaged the highest, as you would expect. Then as the baldness increased, the average ratings dropped extremely quickly.
However, once the pictures got to the 100% bald men, the average ratings shot back up nearly identical to the full head of hair pictures.
The conclusion of the researchers: if you care about being perceived as attractive to women as a balding male, you need to commit to one or the other hard. Either get hair transplant surgery, get a high quality hairpiece, or commit to the bald look hardcore and shave it butter smooth.
The worst thing you can do from that perspective is to let the balding hair just kind of grow out all partial/thin.
I guess it's the classic stereotype, the thing the majority of women are attracted to is confidence. So if you're going bald, commit hardcore to the bald look, embrace hats, jewelry, and clothing that emphasizes your head shape and face, experiment with facial hair styles if you can grow it.
Keep your skin clean and your head held high. Lots of sexy bald guys out there, your worth as a person isn't held in your hair.
My balding grandpa dressed like the classic dorky old man; shorts pulled up over his belly, tucked-in baggy polo, socks pulled up to his knees with dad-sandals, and a dirty trucker cap worn crooked on his head with giant yellow-brown glasses. But damn if he wasn't the most confident man I've ever met. Humble, calm, but super hard worker and very driven, also honest as the day is long. Married happily to my grandma for over 40 years until freak cancer took him early.
Hundreds a people from all over the country came to his service, the amount of lives he had positively impacted was incredible. So many people pulled me aside to tell me what a great man my grandpa was, it was powerful.
On the same plot, there is a massive spike in attraction to the partially bald head of Stavros Halkias.
You don’t, so appreciate the time you’ll have hair. Because once it’s truly gone, you’ll look back on this day and cry.
Exactly, Fabio here, is complaining about his hair.
I'd just like to say, as an actually bald person, I think it's okay. It suits me, it's low-maintenance, and it's nice in hot weather.
Thank you butthole spiders! 🕷️🕷️🕷️
wear red and black pajamas everywhere and start drinking earl grey
I find whenever I make a drastic hair change that after a few days, I couldn’t imagine going back to the old style
It's like if you shave a mustache. "Where'd your lip go?!" then 2 days later you look normal again.
Older guy here, went bald in my 20s. Let me say this: while going bald or becoming bald sucks ass, being bald is fine. I had lots of thick hair, and when it started going away and I didn't look like me in the mirror anymore. I figured women would find me less attractive.
What I learned is that it takes a while for your self image to catch up to your reflection in the mirror. One of the shitty things for most people about going bald is that it happens over a long time, and when you're used to one level of baldness, it gets worse. But eventually it levels out.
There are women who aren't attracted to bald guys (and that's fine, attraction is subjective), but it turns out there are women who are especially attracted to bald guys, and that the vast majority of women don't care. Doing things like having a comb-over or wearing a toupee are often a turnoff, but I think it's as much because of the associated lack of confidence than the look itself.
I can sincerely say that I wouldn't want my hair back today. The look suits me and it's easier to deal with.
The only bit that really sucks about being bald is if you don't wear a hat you get skin cancer.
Or if you do it in the cold, you get the mother of all brain freezes after a while.
On the other hand, direct scalp access can come in handy for various medical things, and on a hot day I love splashing cold water on it.
Yeah, true, there's an increased risk, and I'm not as good about it as I should be.
That's exactly it. There was a grieving process for a few months as I came to terms with it, but now I don't think I'd go back if given the chance. I'm a bald guy, I look good bald and can make bald jokes whenever the ice needs breaking.
As someone who suffers a receding hairline since he was 19 and is now 30, shaving my head at 20 was one of the best decisions of my life. It's mostly a confidence issue, as others have already stated. Look at some bald celebrities like Dwayne Johnson, Patrick Stewart, Jason Statham and so forth... They own their look and they look good. If it's only a temporary thing for you, know that hair will grow back soon.
How to deal with it?
In general: if it's only for treating a medical issue and therefore temporary, don't worry too much. You're so much more than just your hair! And hair will grow back with enough patience.
Do you have a gel sunscreen you recommend?
As I live in Germany, my product recommendations might not be as helpful for anyone outside the EU. I usually get something for sensitive skin by one of our two biggest drugstore chains, 'Rossmann' or 'dm'. They have their own brands which are basically the same stuff for both, just under different names. One is "sun ozon", the other is "sundance". Weird names, but both have a "sensitive skin SPF 50+ face fluid" that does the job. Sadly it isn't a 100% reef friendly sunscreen. Since it also is similar to other sunscreen in that it makes your skin shiny, this sucks for baldies if you don't want to blind everyone when the sun hits your dome. I usually combat this by applying the sunscreen together with a mattifying moisturizer (there are a lot of good ones for oily/combination skin).
Two general recommendations I can give though: one, avoid special "bald guys" cosmetics. Those are usually way more expensive than others and offer nothing more in return. Good face moisturizers are usually better. Two, witch hazel toners can really make a difference on your scalp. I feel like it helps to keep your skin smooth and bump-free and it will also help to close micro cuts from shaving.
Thank you very much!
Ich besuche Deutschland jeden paar Jahre als ich in Hamburg gearbeitet habe. Ich sollte nächste Mal ein paar Sun ozon Tuben kaufen.
No problem/gern geschehen!
Sun ozon ist die Eigenmarke von Rossmann, bei dm ist es Sundance. Der genaue Name von dem Sun ozon ist "med face Sonnenfluid LSF50 mit Feuchtigkeitseffekt". Hoffe dass hilft 👍🏻
Own it
You put way too much value on your hair. You are the same person as you were before other than losing your confidence
I did some thinking and came to terms with it. I personally believe that everything in this life will come and go and I shall be happy that I had the privilage of experiencing. While I do believe that I am a mentally strong person, this was a kick in the balls. Perhaps I'm not as strong as I thought I was. The only material thing that I value is my hair. While this situation is temporary, the thought of losing my hair just me cry like a baby. Which I think speaks volumes because I can't remember the last time I cried.
I use to have long hair and a ponytail. I started to lose hair, like all men in my family, around ~25 yo. (I swear I don't do roids or testosterone treatment)
I just jumped the gun and shaved i all.
I really enjoy being bald:
wait til you dont have a choice. uhg
Just don't give a flying fuck about anyone else's opinion about you, it works for other things also. Good luck!!
Hey, 40-seomthing here. Been bald since I was 19. Own. It. Go get yourself a nice hat and a mullet wig and give less fucks.
Since you're stuck with baldness until the skin is treated, maybe have fun with it? Get some kids' WASHABLE markers and let your friends' kids draw on it.
Oh, what am I saying? You already have A PERFECT ORB!
Just get yourself between 2 mirrors and contemplate it.
DO NOT CONTEMPLATE THE ORB!
That's what I've been doing! Friends' kids find it hilarious and I do too! Pretty funny how it just reflects the light!
Bringa back Hats! Ive said this many times, but we need to bring Möre headwear into fashion. Hats go hard.
To echo much already said... As a dude that had magnificent curly locks. I wtarted balding at 18 and now have a hairline of an 18th century monk... If you can shave your head do that. I also have eczema...so that's out. So hats and just being cool with it. If you try to hide it .. people know. Just own that shit. Frankly ladies don't seem to mind it... Personality goes a long way. Humor goes further
It's all about attitude and confidence baby. I started losing my hair at 15, had a BALD spot by 18 and by 20 the hair on top was little scraggles. I owned it. People gave me shit for it but that's typical when you're abnormal. You learn to joke back and you'll eventually realize it's a minor issue and it won't stop you from being you, which will be the most attractive part to anyone worth your time.
If you're worried about male pattern hair lose, but don't care about having a libido: Prescription Finnesteride. It a testosterone blocker specifically for the one that causes male pattern baldness. I was hitting stage two, and a long with the HRT I'm taking, I am seeing a lot of clawback on spots I thought would be bald forever.
I only pay like $15 for three months through GoodRX.
HRT is magic for hair loss.
This is a small minority of men or so they say, it’s not a guarantee
Getting older I can only say: looks are overrated. During my time I used to have all kinds of hair styles: metalhead with long hair, medium length, short hair, almost no hair, and right now I have like half a centimeter, because it's so hot weather and I sweat a lot and felt uncomfortable. Last time I cared about "how do girls look at my hair" was probably in my teens but even then I went against the stream, because metalhead long hair was far from being desirable.
IMO you should focus less on how do other perceive you (your look) and more on how you feel yourself. Having less (no) hair has so many benefits I can't even think of going back to anything longer than ~inch. Sure I might look dumb, but that feeling of air breeze on my skull is so refreshing I couldn't care less. Another benefit is much easier care. When I had long hair it felt like a chore to use shampoo, conditioner and brush the hair while it felt almost instantly "in need" of the procedure again. Now? Tsssch, I use whatever: shampoo, regular soap or just water, fast rinse and hair are almost immediately fresh feeling and also dry (huge plus imo).
And the most important note. If you ever find/found a partner who is/was with you just because your fabulous hair, I can assure you it is/was not the right one.
Half of looking good is how good you feel about yourself. Your issue might not be the lack of hair, but the lack of self esteem. I'm sure that once you get adjusted to it the looks will come back.
Draw a smiley face on the top of your head in sharpie.
Are you Samson? What kind of magic hair did you have?
Althrough I think a good cut is good for a good first impression. It's not a big deal, they will eventually grow back. You can cure other aspect of your style.
I voluntary shave myself in the summer, and I know very well that I am more handsome with long hair. But I don't care and so do others.
There are some good aspects of a bald head eg. Time efficency when I shower and feeling fresh during the day.
I don't think "bald" is the right expression. You have a shaved head, which is different, right?
Also, shaved heads can go with most kinds of fashion. Your hair is always perfect, no matter the wind or rain.
Finally, if you got self esteem only because of compliments on your hair, now is the perfect time in life to find other ways to love yourself. Deeper ways. :-)
well, for one, sunscreen! Sunburnt heads suck. Hats as well.
It took some getting used to (I've gone through phases of shaving my head and having long hair. Recently, since I work outside in the heat, I hit it with the clippers every few days leaving just < 1mm. You'll probably just get used to your new style which will help the confidence which helps everything else.
Man I have fun with hats but I feel you. Sometimes I'm like bro if I wore my glasses I'd look like the fkn soyjack. But you know what, I couldnt wear hats when I was serving at a bar. I still got a lot of attention. I met my now wife at a sales job where I couldnt wear hats. I bic it down to nothing and people want to rub it cause its shiny and smooth.
I miss my hair, it was shoulder length in highschool. I dyed it often, I styled it like flock of seagulls or edrward scissor hands for fun, I wore a Mohawk for a while. It was great while it lasted and its okay to mourn it, Even if it was only superficial. Its natural to feel like your self image was rocked. You're still you and you're still valid.
People may tease you and you gotta roll with it. When a kid says your bald ask him if he knows where your forehead ends. Whatever the answer correct them and say no its the back of my neck or whatever. It takes me a long time to get ready for bed because I dont know where to stop washing my face. Well if its good enough for that eagle its good enough for me. If you cant find peace you can sure find a hair piece... or save to go get expensive surgical solutions.
Hope you feel better though dude
So it's been less than 24 hours? Ffs, give yourself time to adjust! Come back in a couple weeks and ask again.
I started shaving my head when my hair started thinning in my early 30’s. That was 25 years ago. I used to love my hair, but now I would not go back to having hair if I had the option. It took a few weeks to get used to for me.
I understand your feelings, as living with great hair and liking it and going to bald must suck. Take comfort in fact that it is temporary.
But as a bald man - being comoletely bald is fucking amazing. I can't compare with having good hair - had short haircut all my childhood, decided to grow it longer in my mid teens (wanted to be a bit morr stylish) - and that's about the time I started loosing my hair. So had to go to shorter lenghts so it's not that obvious and went full bald around 17 when I had a visible bald patch anyway. So can't compare but it was the best decision I made - both at the time and for the future. I shave once a week and everything is easy. And I was blessed with a great skull shape so looks good.
Much more salty about me not being able to grow decent facial hair though. That beard and bald look would be sick but oh well. We have to play with cards we were dealt.
figure out how far up before you stop washing your face
I started to go bald at the age of 20, and it was a major kick in the nuts at first. After I finally accepted my fate, i now use a disposable razor in the shower almost every morning, and keep my remaining hair at almost zero length. Some girls dig a bald head, and some girls think its a turnoff. But i have come to enjoy it. It is very low maintenance and it feels great in the summer. More aerodynamic as well lol
I would bet that this isn't the last time that you get unusually hot temperatures. Between this problem possibly returning and male pattern baldness, you'll probably face another time when you're cutting your hair short.
That being said, adapt! Experiment with different facial hair styles, find a cool new hat (but be normal - don't get something awful like a fedora) or sunglasses. Just because your hair has temporarily changed, it doesn't mean that you're a different person
It's the same thing as with a hat: if you're uncomfortable it'll show. Comfort is the only difference between "hat people" and everyone else.
Long hair, short hair, no hair; if you feel good people can tell, and you'll ascribe those feelings to how you look.
I'm the opposite, the longer my hair gets the dirtier I feel, until I finally crop it short, or if I'm really wanting that "clean fresh start" feeling, shave it off entirely.
Anyway, lucky for you, you don't have to get used to it! Just wait it out and you'll be back to your old self before you know it.
Good post!
As a long time balding man, shave it all off with clippers, then go at it with a razor ever few days. Never look back. It's a good look. I love it.
Plus my scalp looks like a chopping block with the number of times I've busted my head on something and I think the scars look sort of cool. 😎
My mom used to say "it's just hair, you can shave your head and it grows back" whenever we did something extreme with our hair.
First - you probably look better than you think, and remember it will grow back, it's probably good you give your scalp some air. As it grows back, set up a routine to keep everything healthy up there!
Rock it. Feel free, enjoy the summer with no hair in your way. You will quickly handle whatever is going on. Hair grows about 6" a year so it doesn't really take as long as it seems to grow it back.
If you were getting bald (which you might not) you'd have 2 options:
I'm generally for team 2. I'd hate medicating (which from internet opinion has various long-lasting unwanted side effects) for the rest of my life for such stupid thing.
I must confess, I have the benefit that I don't look that bad. Also, being fit becomes much more required when bald, 😅, you have to compensate your older look; and side effects from exercise are virtually all positive. So I'll take it.
accepting your baldness will always look better than being all
about it.
though that doesnt seem to be the issue here.
I really didn't want to go the medicine route years back. Like OP Im a guy who always kept it long. I decided to give the basic regimen a try and went with a keeps like service because dermatologists are by far the worst doctors I've had to work with.
And although it thinned, the thinning totally stalled, to a point where it's a little noticable but on a good day isn't at all.
I haven't cut my hair in years and despite it being annoying to take care of sometimes, I get to look in the mirror and see the version of myself that I like to see which makes the little bit of medication worth it imo.
I always hated the "just shave it and own it, bro" attitude because damn my hair is part of my identity, I love having it. I'll put some effort into keeping it.
Polish your head so it's really shiny to the point of blinding people on a sunny day. At least get some laughs out of it. Sorry you're unhappy with the outcome. The good news is it'll grow back.
Problems with skin can be treated even without shaving. You don't need to keep it shaved if you don't feel good in it. Ask women, they're used to treating their skin problems without shaving their hair off.
What issues were you having?
it's time to get into wigs
Shave it. I did when mine started going and the maintenance is super easy. I'd never go back.
I started that like 10 years ago, unfortunately I have a funky shaped head so it doesn't look as good as it may on others but I do enjoy the maintenance on it. I can definitely tell these days it won't grow back like it used to (much thinner on the top, edging back on the top sides). However being able to use a hair trimmer once a week myself is cheap, and less things to do while getting ready in the morning.
I can understand since society seems to put value on hair but not worrying about it (some confidence) goes a long way. I barely think about it nowadays.
Wear a Lex Luthor suit. Or a Charlie Brown suit.
Ah damn, thats ass. I have long thick curly hair that goes down to my mid-back and this heat is also causing a scalp condition of mine to flair up. I just can't shave it though, don't have the willpower. I will stay itchy thanks
Don't try to half cope, everyone will smell the desperation. Gotta embrace it and stay all the way bald. Other men seem to notice and care more about it than women honestly.
Just think of yourself as Rob Halford for the time being.
All the men on my mom's side of the family have been bald for as long as I can remember so I knew I was doomed when my hair started thinning in my early twenties. Now that I've been shaving it for years, I don't miss it one bit. It's so much less of a hassle than keeping it clean and straight and cut neatly.
It's just hair. You can either own it or wear a hat while you wait a few months until it grows back -- and then be grateful that it still does.
I think he
ought to become your role model now. You know how many girls went crazy for that dude (and his shaved look)?
You’ll get used to it. Find a few nice hats you like. It has more to do with temperature control than vanity. I find I get cold easier.
When I started shaving i went all the way smooth....didnt jive with me. Let it grow and used clippers the next week, set to the closest and that worked great...
You could not ask me to have hair again.
Give yourself a minute...it grows back.
You could always try having some fun with wigs. Lots of options there, from realistic to completely outlandish. You could even try cutting & styling one if you wanted it to look similar.
There is a Seinfeld episode about this.
“YOU’RE BALD!” 🗣️
Depends on how good you look bald I guess. Either way, good to accessorize
You’ll get used to it soon, so distract yourself away from the hairstyle. I feel that way everytime I cut my hair
The best thing you can do is accept the inevitable. If it's that important, get over it the same way you would an ex or the death of a loved one. In my case that means round up some friends and go get so drunk that you need to be carried home.
Wig?