First let me say that the only reason I originally shaved my head is that my hair was thinning out. I took the plunge in May of 2003. Before this I had long hair, believe it or not. I considered hair replacement for a brief period, but the deeper I looked into it the more complicated it was and the less it really offered. Finally I just stood in front of a mirror and covered my hair with my hands and had an epiphany, it looked good. I still hesitated for a few weeks but finally went through with it. Honestly, there are times when I wish that I still had hair so I could do stuff with it, but for the most part I doubt I will ever want hair again.
Shaving one's head is often something that, once you do it you are likely to keep it that way. That's the general rule, I am not sure why, perhaps because it is a hassle growing it back and being unable to do anything with it for weeks or perhaps months.
The Politics of a Shaved Head
There are political implications to shaving one's head that you have no control over. Where an afro is often considered "political hair" which has had implications for those who decide to don it, for a white guy shaving one's head can draw other, darker suspicions. It's not that everyone thinks you're a skinhead Nazi, but some might assume this, and others might assume that you at least do not care if you are mistaken for one. If this is the case, I'm not sure which would be worse, being mistaken for a real skinhead or some dumb knuckle-head who thinks he's one.
There are even groups out there who try to dispel such fears such as S.H.A.R.P. (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). I don't get the opportunity to explain to everyone I come across as to WHY I shaved my head, and I can't dispel people's suspicions or fears, I just have to go along with life and after a while you don't think about it as often. I will say that fortunately it is more common than it was ten or twenty years ago, fewer people still see it as a political statement.
There's a skinhead subculture within the gay leather scene, which has a fetish for a certain "look" which is very popular in the UK and Germany. I don't understand it and I'm not interested in it, but I know some guys who are. It tends to be quite popular among the younger guys I understand.
Cheaper Than Going to a Barber?
First off, let me say I NEVER liked going to the barber, I hated it in fact. Sitting in a chair paying someone to cut my hair, which usually I didn't want cut but needed to because of a job. And depending where you went it could be expensive too.
I use MACH 3 or MACH 3-Turbo razors with Edge Pro-Gel. I can get a pack of 16 razors at Sam's for around $30~, the Pro-Gel is cheap too. I use a razor at least twice, often more. It's hard to say how often I shave, it varies. If I am going somewhere important and I haven't shaven for 3 days I will shave again, if not it can go for nearly a week at times.
So if I did shave every 3 days, which I don't usually, 16 razors used twice would last about 96 days, for $30~. Pretty cheap huh?
Is It A Hassle?
On the other hand it is a hassle at times. You can't just comb and be ready to go in a few seconds, if you're going out and haven't shaven in a while you have to plan out 15-20 minutes to get ready. Shaving my head and face generally takes about 15 minutes in the shower. But then again most people take 10 minutes to shower, and they have to shave anyway, I am able to do both at the same time. I would say it's a trade off that you get use to.
Health Considerations - A Hat Is Your Best Friend
It's true that getting a sunburn on your scalp is a damn awful thing. I am surprised that it has only happened to me one time when I was at an outdoor event all day in summer. The thing is, I tend to be naturally pale and it's hard for me to get a suntan, much less a sunburn. But this is something that you have to be aware of regardless of the season.
Another thing is the cold of winter. A toboggan is essential, some people (often non-Southern) insist you call it a beanie, skullcap or ski cap, whatever, fuck them. As for other types of hats, I've never liked baseball caps before, they wouldn't cut it anyway. You will know the meaning of cold if you forget it on a cold day, and you'll get a headache probably too. I would say that hair protects your head from heat as well as cold; I've found that harsh, direct sunlight on your head (for an extended period) can cause a headache as well as extreme cold.
Another thing a hat can help you with is bugs, this isn't always an issue, but if you are outside exercising and getting sweaty there's nothing worse than biting flies. I discovered this soon after I shaved my head and started walking and jogging on the Silver Comet Trail, which is a very wooded area. Bug spray helps too, just spray it all over your head and neck.
Is It Sexy?
It's a matter of opinion of course. I will say that when I went to a bar with hair I got little attention, but after shaving my head I got more attention than I wanted. Personally I rarely find a guy with a shaved head to be sexy, on some it is.
Speaking of bars, another thing, you might as well get use to drunk people coming up to you and asking if they can "rub your head," I don't mind people doing it but I don't understand why they want to. I've never had a desire to rub a strangers' head. You can say no but this is likely to happen so often that you will get a bad reputation around the bar which can be worse. Usually they just rub your head a little and move on.
A final note about this is that you can actually look younger without hair than with it, it depends a lot on your face. I think this is without a doubt true and especially if your hair is thinning. If it doesn't make you look younger it often does cause you to acquire a sort of "ageless" quality, and over time you don't look older at the rate you would with hair, dealing with things like thinning, receding or gray.
The Mental Side
So it has its pluses and minuses. I can tell you this, there is nothing worse than thinking about your hair thinning all of the time. I don't care who you are, if you're a guy and it's thinning out, it bothers you. I know it does, I don't care if you're the least metro-sexual man in the world. I heard a person put it this way one time; he had a choice, he had to take a razor to his head or to his wrist. I wasn't at that extreme, but it does depress and worry you after a while. After 5+ years of shaving it, those days seem so long ago. It's not for everyone but this post is meant to help you think of the implications of the choice.
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