Going Bald or Have a Receding Hairline? You Need to Buzz it Off!

Jason Statham (The Transporter, Crank, War, etc…)
Sports the buzz cut due to those unfortunate balding genes. He is also in great shape. (Used to be an Olympic diver) Not to mention a very successful actor. Great role model as far as I'm concerned!

Love the site by the way Rusty! Keep it up!
Jackson

Jackson,

Yeah…I forgot about him! I have a very similar hair line. I guess I kind of look like the guy, but not even close to that bad-ass! I'm a lover (and a smart-ass) not a fighter!

Rusty

i gotta say that i totally agree with you. trimming or shaving can mean the difference of looking my age (27) or looking 35. i have been shaving bald for a few years and i will never go back! women enjoy it and men respect it. after getting used to the bladness, he told me it gives a guy a bit of that "tough" guy look. certainly not what i was going for… but i guess it doesn't hurt being 6'1", naturally muscular, and sprting my tattoos. anyways, to the guys out there trying to hang on to what you've already lost… try it for a month. trimmed or shaved, i doubt you will want to go back to horseshoe effect.

joshua

typo- after getting used to the baldness, my brother told me it gives a guy a bit of that "tough" guy look.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2007 Survey Results released on Female Opinions of Bald Men

97% of women surveyed say bald men can be sexy; 71% oppose bald men getting transplants; a bald man’s confidence is very important to women surveyed.

COON RAPIDS, Minn. (September 17, 2007) The Brotherhood of Bald People Worldwide has released the results of their 2007 survey featuring opinions from women on bald men.

The 23-question survey was presented to women residing in various places within the United States to get their opinions and attitudes toward bald men, their sex appeal, dating, and overall opinions on baldness. Complete survey results are posted on The Brotherhood of Bald People Worldwide’s website at http://www.brotherhoodofbaldpeople.com.

Waliguy,

About 20-30 years ago women really weren't attracted to bald guys. Thank god for people like David Beckham, Andre Agassi, Michael Jordan, and all the other guys that made it socially acceptable!

If I had my choice, I would have a nice head of hair…but being bald isn't an obstacle at all for attracting hot women. Not all women like it, but not all women like tall guys, or blonde guys, or husky guys, etc…it is just another trait like anything else.

Cool site buddy!

Rusty

See Today Show clip on "Bald Men: Is it Hot or Not?" that was aired recently. Panelists, including shaved bald Tiki Barber, come to the conclusion that hot it is.
Google the above title or
See msn video and type in the clip title above, or try this link:
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=a…9112b10be28

Vin,

Yep, but they did emphasize bald guys "who were in shape". Okay bald guys…make sure you stay lean to maximize your attractiveness to women.

Great clip and perfect addition to this post.

Thanks a bunch!

Rusty

HAHAH! Thank you! I tell all my guy friends this. A buzzed head can be so hot.

Oh, and so can those healthy red lips like Frederick Ljunberg has.

Star,

I think the best situation is for a guy to have a thick head of hair, but if he is losing it or it is thinning at all…it is best to buzz it off. Some women don't like this look, but others totally dig it. Either way…it is WAY better than being bald on top with hair on the sides…LOL!

Rusty

I have to agree 100% with Rusty on the thinning, balding front. If you're losing it, shave it off. Embrace your baldness, it's incredibly sexy on the majority of men who do. Clinging to scraps is so unattractive. To me, it's a hang up, a pre occupation that the man who is balding has as if he thinks there is a direct link between having hair and how much of a man he is. Of course we all know it is not. So….say no to transplants, plugs, extensions, chemicals that will surely give you something else to worry about, combovers, Gallagher hair. Bzzzzzzzzz. All done.

Deviantdiva,

It's good to get women's comments on this. You worded this perfectly. Guys that focus on their lack of hair come off as insecure …for sure.

Awesome Comment!

Rusty

QUESTION: I'm starting to lose my hair, but I'm only 19. I've got kind of a big head, so shaving/buzzing my hair might look pretty bad, but I'm also pretty skinny. So, should I try and use products that may or may not work & ride out what hair I have left or should I bulk up & buzz it? I just don't want to buzz it now (when I'm 19) and pretty much never have hair again for 60 years…kinda scary when you think about it.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Matt,

I'm really glad I decided to write this post…hopefully I can help a few younger guys like you cope with it better. I feel for ya buddy! I started to lose my hair around the same age. If you don't have on obvious bald spot, then just opt for a shorter hair style for a while. You could probably sport that for a few more years.

Don't try any of those potions to hold on to what you have. Women have a 6th sense and can tell if a guy doesn't accept himself. As soon as you buzz it off and it feels normal to you, then women will react positively to you.

So my advice…go shorter for now, but buzz it off when it gets really thin. You will get over your hair a few months after that and focus on more important things. I know it is a bit scary, but what if your were a woman with thinning hair? Aren't you glad you have the option of just shaving it off?

Have a great one!

Rusty

I'm 19 and my hair line has definitely begun to recede. Only thing is, I've been planning on it for the last 19 years, since every man besides a few lucky ones in my family have lost most of their hair. I learned that it's best to start buzzing as soon as YOU realize it's going. Most people I talk to realized what was happening much later then I because naturally, I know my body better. Hiding it with long hair and hats is only going to set yourself up for embarrassment, when everyone around you becomes shocked at the instant hair loss when you finally decide to cut it or take off the hat. Buzzing is the way to go so that it's a smooth gradual transition. That way the receding hairline will be less obvious and people will grow comfortable with it as you do.

Plus, if you're worried about the girls, the right one will dig it, and in the end that's all that matters.

Okay, I just read this out of curiosity, but I do have to say – I like the bald look. My husband has a thick head of hair (blonde hair, blue eyes, gorgeous!). Anyway, his hair grows so fast, so one day he decide to just buzz it off. I thought he was so sexy! He kept it bald for me for a long time. I loved it. I like him with hair or without.
Kavitha

Kprice,

Keep spreading the word that "bald is sexy"!

Have a great one!

Rusty

Ive been wanting to buzz my hair for a while now. I do get a clipper cut but a bit of lenght left still. My problem: my scalp sometimes gets dry and flaky. Im afraid if I have little to no hair it might look nasty when my scalp gets this way. Any "bald" maintenance to rectify such a situation? Im anxious to buzz it all off but a bit afraid.

Skeet,

Use lotion just like you use on your skin. I have the exact same problem. I use "Cetaphil" Moisturizing Lotion (fragrance free Non-Comedogenic)…every other day.

Rusty

I have most of my hair but have become addicted to shaving my scalp smooth bald. Women on the streets love to the point that I sometimes wonder if they wouldn't want to become bald themselves. I have known bald women but they are not numerous at least in public. Anyway, my passion is leading me to try cream hair remover on the scalp in order to enjoy the hair sliding of the head. The main reason to try it is that I would have to shave less often and I am hoping there will be little or no shadow since the hair and roots are melted away under the skin. We'll see.

All good advice here however…… I started going bald at 21. It slowly took its course until the last two years it has been flying off my head. I went through a divorce, bankruptcy, dui, and 3 moves, 3 job changes over that time period…… no wonder huh. I am now 34. I shaved my head last week and I cannot get used to it. I have a oddly shaped large head… too big for my body. I am in the gym all the time…. it doesn't help. For some, genetics can't be fought and I look like a freak now. YEA! For some guys the bald look is awesome… for some you look like an alien freak. Zero self-esteem but hey thats life I guess.

Mike,

I still think that you just have to get used to it. Everyone feels weird when they first shave their head. You are used to seeing yourself with hair. Anyway…I hope things improve for you!

Rusty

hey, im kinda worried as im beginning to notice my hairline receding. thing is im 17 and have shoulder lenght hair. the receding hairline isnt noticeable yet, however im noticing it. i dont wanna lose my hair and i was wondering if it is purely genetic and if there isanything, vitamin wise etc, that could help?
cheers

Along with all the other stuff that's been said before, I'll add this…

Keep the hats off your heads!!!

It helps in the beginning when you first start losing it but then it becomes a crutch and can lead to confidence bashing "OMG, you're bald!" moments when a wayward breeze flips it off your melon. The sooner you accept it and are comfortable with it, the sooner others will too. Buzzed worked for me for quite some time, shaved is working even better but is a lot of work…

Good work on the site and keep the tips coming…

Andy,

It is purely a genetic thing. If you are losing it, you may be able to slow it down, but you will eventually lose the hair. It sounds more traumatic than it actually is. You probably will still have your hair for quite a while, so need to worry yet. Note: guys that look good with shoulder length hair usually look good with a shaved head. It is kind of a weird deal, but something I've noticed.

Jeremiah,

Yeah…it is best to "feature" it rather than hide it. One thing about hats in general. Women like it better when men aren't wearing hats when they first meet them. Same deal with sunglasses. This is something I noticed back in college. The guys in the bar wearing baseball caps never seemed to meet as many girls. One of those interesting observations I made along time ago that still holds true today. Good post Jeremiah! It helps these guys to see others who aren't stressed out by losing their hair. Once you accept it, it is actually cool. I love being bald now, but it took me close to 3 years to feel this way. Once I made the mental shift, women found me much more attractive.

Have a great one!

Rusty

Im 20 and kind of terrified ive got a receding hairline, but just cant tell!
it could be that its always been pretty much like it is, in fact when i was at school some of my friends labelled me "fivehead" due to my massive forhead! looking at old photos of myself (age 11) it looks like i had a bit of a RHL even back then, but like i say, I cant be sure (if any recession has occured since then, due to my hairstyle)! My father also had a huge forehead and kept his hair until he died in his seventies, and my mother swears to me that i dont actually have one. Given all these facts, its seems that im completely paranoid, but i just cant shake this terrible feeling! I dont know what to do, given that im not sure whats actually happening, if anything. All I know is that I feel my forehead is too big to shave my long hair off.

oll,

Don't dwell on it. If it happens it will be stressful at first, but you will get over it. I did laugh a bit of the "fivehead" comment

Rusty

I went with your advice and took the plunge last August and went with a #1 guard. I liked it, but then said what the hell and don't even use a guard anymore. I like it much better shorter. Also, you are right I have had much better luck with the ladies with buzzing my hair then when I had a full head of hair. Your also correct with the younger ladies as well!
Another person sporting the buzzed/shaved look is Brian Urlacher from the Bears. Don't be afraid to make the move and buzz it off! You'll be happy you did!!

Jay
Chicago,IL

Jay,

The more bald you get the shorter you need to buzz the hair.

Rusty

Introduced to this post via Google. Read the "fat face/thin face" post as well. Your advice is spot on, Rusty. I taken more valuable info from your site than from a year's subscription of a popular men's fitness magazine.

Incredible stuff…info we some of us may already know, but still benefit from such a great internet "forum" with an awesome "moderator." Thanks, brother.

Craig,

Thanks for the compliment. I think there are great authors in many of the fitness magazines that need to hold back to insure that they don't piss off any subscribers as well as the big supplement companies. Luckily, I don't have to answer to anyone, so I can just call it like I see it. I try to be 90% positive, but go on the occasional rant every now and then.

I think the Internet is a great medium, because we can give opinions out without having to be sponsored and controlled by corporations. Thanks for reading!

Rusty

Love your site bro but you misspelled Fredrik Ljungberg ………yeah I know, I have to get a hobby. Otherwise a smashing site mate. Keep it up.

no offence to any of the guys here or girls, but i'm on the realistic side of things here and think bald is really bad and i think most guys know it otherwise they woudnt fret losing there hair, ealistically woman lie and they do prefer men with hair. its obvious if u have the choice u would take hair over no hair,even the chicks who dig bald guys would take hair over being bald, i decided i would at least make a valiant attempt at baldness's cruel fate and tattoo my head on top, and i gotta say it looks way better and takes that monk look effect away its better than wigs combovers and maintainance free

eddy,

I think the number one choice is to have hair of course. I'm with you there, but if you are losing it…then most of the time it looks best to buzz it off. I honestly don't sweat it and just roll with the genetics.

Rusty

Nice site Rusty, some good comments here. I was an early balder, started losing it to some degree about 16-17 and have been consitently ever since. My Dad, his 3 brothers, his dad, his uncle, my mum's brothers, her dad and pretty much all my cousins have the baldness gene. So it came as no suprise to me, when I started losing it!! Regardless though I was still not happy about it, I tried a few things to "slow down" or "stop" the progress, but in the end I thought; why wouldn't I want to look like the rest of my family? so I "buzzed" it off. Best thing i have EVER done. A bit of effort to buzz it once or twice a week, but my self confidence has grown enormously since doing it.

cheers,
bt.

oh, here's another example for you, do a google image search for Chris Judd (he's an AFL footballer here in Australia), started balding and shaved it off, looks a million dollars now! Have a gander at his Mrs. too!!

Great site. I'm tired of wearing a hat and hiding my baldness. I'm ready to pull off the bald look. So I've been shaving my hair off completely, however, you can still see my hairline. My embarrassing hairline! I shave against the grain but doesn't help. How can I get rid of it? Any help?

i just think basically when your hair goes its over! theres no turning back and u either accept it wear a wig or get a transplant or shave it off.. but even when u shave it off it still looks like u have that monk shade around the sides and believe me girls dont dig that at all.. its a cruel fate for mankind and we who are bald have to accept that only certain women will be attracted to us.. and also the confidence knock you get from baldness also has a negative affect on women too, fter all its confidence that attracts women too and baldness does nothing for that im afraid..

Eddy,

I'm not saying that it is ideal, but seriously…I haven't found it to be an obstacle. Certainly, there are some women that don't like it…but you don't really need every woman to be attracted to you.

I kid you not…my success with women increased after I shaved my head. I didn't notice the ones who didn't like it…I was too busy with the ones who did.

Also. I actually had many women tell me that they normally weren't attracted to bald men, but were attracted to me. So much of this is how you picture yourself.

Rusty

"I know it is a bit scary, but what if your were a woman with thinning hair? Aren't you glad you have the option of just shaving it off?"
wtf!? if i was a baldish chick i would not shave it…. that looks just freaky/nasty on females, seriously

"I have most of my hair but have become addicted to shaving my scalp smooth bald. Women on the streets love to the point that I sometimes wonder if they wouldn't want to become bald themselves. I have known bald women but they are not numerous at least in public. Anyway, my passion is leading me to try cream hair remover on the scalp in order to enjoy the hair sliding of the head. The main reason to try it is that I would have to shave less often and I am hoping there will be little or no shadow since the hair and roots are melted away under the skin. We'll see."

wtf man. u got hair an should be proud. over the weekend (if u have a full head of hair) u shud grow it out and impress/shock every1, loll. i mite do that when im old (40s)

btw i know this kid at school whos even shorter than me, looks 16+ and is going bald in back. either hes balding crazy fast or short hair (he had long the year b4 but buzzed) makes it more obvious… lol
feel sry 4 him u kno

yeah i'm 15 and my hair is falling out, well i think t is if i run my hand through it i usualy get like 3-6 hairs I might just be realy paranoid cause my whole family started lossing thier hair young I think it's the back thats falling out so i can;t realy see it….

yah when i was 15 i remember going to style my shortish hair and being like huh. where did the hair on my right and left forehead go? it started to horseshoe when i was 15 man. now im 18 and im as bad or worse off then frederick ljunberg. i've been rocking long hair because i have extremely blonde hair. not to toot my horn but girls really are attracted to it. its whiter then any hair ive ever seen but it has gold in the sides and a little bit of dirty blonde in the sides too. its really unique hair and its basically my selling point to girls. welll right now my i basically have a long styled comb over and i'm sick of dealing with it. a gust of wind wrecks my day and i'm sick of trying to hide it.

i buzzed my hair short 2 months ago and keep it short twice a week. My friend suggested that i can use nixoin and keep a hairline like The Rock has. Does Nixoin really work in keeping hair.

brian,

Yeah…the best thing to do is to buzz it all off. It will be a big step for you…but you will get used to it over time. Some girls don't like bald, some girls dig it….My advice is to focus on the girls that are attracted to you. My girlfriend is amazing and loves my bald head.

Josh,

I wouldn't mess with any of that stuff. I think the efects are minimal.

Rusty

I'm 26, my hair has been receding since I was about 18 but hasnt really been noticable so i just always had it cut short. Recently it has been getting worse, I was also blessed with a large forehead ha ha, and the hair loss has definatly effected my confidence, I've been thinkin about buzzing it for a while now but just havent had the balls to do it, I know it has to be done but keep bottling out of it.

I keep thinking about how other people will react to it such as work colleagues, friends and family. Not that it will be a bad reaction, but the initial shock. But I think after reading some of the other comments I will go for it. Next time I leave a comment I will be sporting a freshly buzzed head.

All this conversation is a load of bulls***. If bald really was so sexy this webpage wouldn´t even exist, and every guy in the world would go for the buzz cut. However, we gotta tell ourselves something to make us feel more or less confortable with our lack of hair. I bet that for all the guys here, if by some miracle you were able to have the same hair you had when you were 17 or 18, you wouldn´t even think about it twice. you would choose to have a head full of healthy hair. i know this because i'm 21 and i've been balding for 2 years now. i wear it short (number 2) but if i could, i'd rather wear it long like i did 2 years ago.

All this to say: stop blabering this nonsense and be honest, you'd go back if you could. i know i would. lol

Nick,

Give it a shot and tell me how it goes. It takes a bit of guts, but you can do it.

O,

I guess you didn't really read the post.

Quote…"Again…if you aren't balding, you should flaunt your awesome head of hair (consider yourself lucky, thank your parents, etc.)! If you are balding you should seriously consider buzzing all of it off."

A full head of hair is the ideal situation, but if you are balding…then buzzing it off is the best option.

Once your hair is buzzed off, you have less room for "error" when it comes to being in good shape and dressing well. Make sure you stay lean and dress "hip"…then you won't have a problem with women.

Some women like a full head of hair, and some will be attracted to the guy with the buzzed off hair. The most important thing is the "overall package" when it comes to attracting women. I have a shaved head, but stay lean and dress well and I'm comfortable in my own skin…this goes a long ways.

Rusty

I started buzzing my hair for about a year now. I'm 28. A lot of girls (and actually some guys) used to comment on my good looks. That stopped when I got about 26. All i heard was "you look about 32 or 33", or "man, your going bald", etc. So earlier this year I took the plunge and buzzed it off ( i keep it a # 1). Now almost everyone is telling me how much better I look, how good the buzz cut looks, etc. I think it seems to make me look younger. What are the stats on women who like bald men? It seems that being in physically good shape ( lean) and having a good tan are very big pluses for bald guys.

My hair has *slowly* been falling out since I was about 22. It's agony knowing that it's all going to be gone (but not really). I've thought about implants, but am riding on the idea that in a few years the current batch of research will find a cure for baldness. I'm 27 now and it's a little thin in the front now, but I keep it short, about 1/2 inch, so it's not very obvious. I'm always considering buzzing it all of though… I know I'll have to do it in a few years, and my wife is fine with it. I used to be in the military, so I know what I look like with a buzzed head… my head is a decent shape, but my ears stick out like will smith! haha… I figure by the time I'm 30, I'll have no choice but to buzz it, at least while I'm under 40..

JJ Woods,

No need to worry about stats. All you need is one attractive girl at a time, right? You are correct about being bald…just pay extra attention to staying in great shape and a tan helps as well. Also, pay attention to style and clothes. A lot of the Dolce and Gabbana models have the bald and fit look. Good job on deciding to buzz the hair…it is the way to go the majority of the time.

Sam,

There is a break in period of getting used to it and everyone else getting used it, but once that is over…you are golden. The cool thing is that your hair is super short already, so not a big transition. My hair was the length of Matthew McConaughey's hair when I went for the buzz. It was a dramatic change, but needed to be done. It has been 5-6 years, so now people who see me with pictures where I have hair start laughing. They think I look ridiculous with hair. I agree. About your ears sticking out like Will Smith…it seems to work for him…women love that guy!

Rusty

I completely agree with this article and with most of the comments.

I am 21 years old and started losing my hair when I was 19. I used to have a full head of hair and then it seemed like one day it started falling out rapidly. Being a college student and having many friends with full heads of hair, I was terrified of losing it and it seemed like windy/rainy days would lead me to be terrified of going outside without a hat.

I eventually got sick of worrying about something so stupid and about 6 months ago, I took the plunge and buzzed my hair down to a #3. I can't even begin to tell you compliments I received from women. They loved rubbing their hands through it as well! As the summer went along, I started buzzing down to a #2 and then a #1 until one day I decided to "bic" it all the way down. It took some time to get used to but I would not have it any other way. I actually think I look better having a shaved/buzzed head than I did with a full crown of hair.

Currently, I like to keep my hair at about a #1 since it gets pretty cold up in Maine this time of year. However, I did recently bic it again during Halloween and pulled off a great impression of Andre Agassi.

For all of those balding (especially the youngsters like me) don't fret it and at least try shaving it once. Before I tried it, my hairloss frustrated me every day and I thought it was the end of the world. If you shave it, you can't fret about a receding hairline if you don't have a hair! Chances are you won't be disappointed and it looks a helluva lot better than a rug or a silly combover.

Just remember, there are far more important things to worry about in life than dead follicles on your head falling off!

"i decided i would at least make a valiant attempt at baldness's cruel fate and tattoo my head on top"

Umm…. WTF? Valiant? How do women react when they run their fingers through your tattooed bald spot?

I got my first "You're starting to thin out a bit there!" comment when I was 21. But the thinning slowed, and I think I have managed to ride it out ok for another 16 years. I've kept it generally short.

But, the time has come. I did better than my uncle on my mother's side (completely bald on top at 21) and my father (30).

Buzzcut – here I come!

With all due respect I whole heartedly disagree. Bald vs. full head of hair is very case specific. In my case 100% of everyone who has ever met me says I look much better shaved bald. I had thick hear in my 20's with gradual thinning in my 30's. I shaved my head about 5 years ago before it became the rage and was met with universal approval. I am now 43 and wouldnt trade my vin diesel like bald head for the best hair in the world. In fact if I go more than a 48 hours without shaving I start to feel a little self conscious about the 5 oclock shadow. This is my opinion and I am sticking with it.
Nick

Buzzing your hair only makes it look even thinner. Combine that with being young and having large ears or a large nose, you now have a strange looking head.

Also what is with all these articles pointing out Bruce Willis etc. as examples of bald looking good? Those people are rich, movie stars, or professional athletes. All things the average person is not.

i'm 23 and and have been loosing hair like crazy these past few months, and there's only one good thing i've found during my research on the balding thing wich is SCALP EXERCISES. They will make your forehead lean and wrinkless, and make your scalp healthier, i´ve only started doing them 2 weeks ago but i'm realy into them. They take 10 min and you can do them while studying or whatever, you only have to put a skin oil on your forehead so the skin won´t crack from all the exercise. They were invented by Tom Hagerty, check his site out http://www.hairloss-reversible.com/ , he explains the exercises there and they are free, just don't do them for the hair growth effects they have, wich is what the site is about, not beacause they don't work but becasue we're already embracing the buzz. I do think they work just to be clear on that but do not do them becasue of that, realy. Just do them for the healthy scalp and skin and toning up of the facial muscles.

yea you speak the truth and hey i know one other although i dont know if he is going bald or not but Vin Diesel Vin Diese Vin Diesell

i'm wondering when you first shave it off, and you had long hair, how can you tell that girls mean it when they say they like it. sometimes i think they say it just to make me feel good.

Adam,

Good point about recommending that balding guys give the buzzed off look a try. Heck, the hair will grow back.

Deano,

I thought the tattooed head technique was weird as well. I think that would make a guy look like an ex-con. I don't recommend that look at all!

Nick,

You are lucky that you look better with no hair. I feel I could go either way. Now that I haven't had hair for over 6 years, I'm not sure I would want to go back. I love not having to hassle with it and women still find me attractive…so what is the point in having hair?

Jim,

For the current girls that you know, you will never know if they are telling the truth…plus they are used to seeing you with hair…without it you will look quite a bit different, so it will take a little while for them to get used to it. The true test is with people you have never seen before. I knew it was a good look for me after 3-4 months of getting more attention from girls who I had never met when I had hair. I hope that makes sense.

Rusty

Buzzing it off definitely boosts confidence. I've been slowly thinning for years, and kept cutting my hair shorter and shorter as it receeded. But now in my late twenties, I had a difficulty approaching women. I was always thinking about my thin hair and assuming they would not be interested in me because of it. A few weeks ago I finally shaved it off. Immediately my confidence boosted, I stopped thinking about it continually. I noticed a few women checking me out, and I no longer was worried about approaching women because of my hair. So definitely shave it off. Make sure to cut it down to a level where you hardly notice the thining on the top. I cut mine to an 1/8", and figure as time goes on, I'll need to cut it closer.

David

Okay, I'm going to come from the direction of having had my head mostly buzzed for a little over a year now myself (and I'm female) and say that it also feels great not to have all that darned hair there in the first place. (For myself anyway, I don't know about anyone else.)

So, I guess my question for all you guys is, how about women with extreme hair? I know traditionally women have had long, "glorious" locks, but I find it a hassle and just wonder what guys would think if balding women (it does happen y'know) shaved their heads as well. (I'm not putting down long hair on women by any means, I'd love to have my hair down to my elbows again, provided it actually looked good on me, which it doesn't.)

Oh, and I agree, for the most part, with this post. When I told my current boyfriend I liked bald he freaked out and swore he didn't look good that way; but, for how short he keeps his hair anyway, he might as well shave it all off completely.

Rusty, I noticed in your comments you say dont do the military style fade, but thats the only way I can keep my back of my head where you can see the line between thinning area and fuller area, hidden. How can I keep it all even when that will show my hairline in back.

David,

I like buzzing it at a 1/8th inch as well. It gives you the 5 o'clock shadow look on your head. It looks especially cool if you have a bear the exact same length…kind of GQ "Dolce and Gabbana" model look if done properly.

Bonnie,

I guess it would depend upon where you live to a certain extent. If you live in a 'hip' city environment, then it is cool for sure…New York, San Francisco, London, Stockholm, Vancouver, Tokyo, etc.

JC,

I think buzzing it at one length is key regardless of the balding pattern. This creates the GQ look. A fade makes it look outdated, but that is just my opinion.

Rusty

Rusty, What would you use to buzz it to the same length?

I noticed some red spots on the back of my head beneath the hair. I've seen a lot of guys have this. do you know if it's some kind of irritation or a birthmark or some such. it doesn't itch; it's just a red patch of skin.

Im 23 now but I started going bald when I was like 16. I always wore a hat to school, and wore a bandanna under my helmets for sports. It sucked, hiding it totally set me up for embarrassment. I was paranoid that people were going to find out. Luckily it only happened a few times, but people were cool about it. Its just not worth all the worries. Dont hide it, people will get used to it. But I do recommend shaving it gradually. Keep what you can while you can.

interesting article. i started going bald @ 19yo, had very long and thick hair for years, lots of comments on how great they look.
when i started losing them it was like i started losing my personality.

i shaved (at first buzzed close to skin) my head and it stayed like that. i'm lucky, cause i look good being bald (i heard it many times). now i'm 26 and can't imagine having hair.

as far as being lean and bald goes, i'm a powerlifter, so rather muscular guy. some time ago i was very fat – it helped with lifting weights, and i thought i look like big chubby bear – and it's ok for ladies. WRONG! when i looked at pictures taken when i was fat i must admit, that i looked like one of those poor guys with down syndrome (not making fun of them – that's the sad truth) and i wondered why girls where not very attracted to me (duh).

since i lost a lot of fat, and got very lean (abs visible) while staying heavily muscled (thanks testosterone ) i really see the difference in interaction with girls – even when it comes to business.

so guys – get bald and jacked, it'll do you good

very nice site, i will be checking it regularly.

cheers.

Hi guys, I'm 20 and my hairline start receding two years ago, I notice it when I cut my hair of, year ago, (it was shoulder lenght) then, I try some stuff like Alpecin, Vishy for some time and it did't help, it's pretty stress to me, my father have rhl, when he wass in late twenties but it stop and now he is fourty seven, with the same hairline, and he has thicker hair than me. I'm so close to buzz it of, but I worry, whati if my head is big o.0, 'cause I'm not huge, I'm prett muscular, but not huge, my hairline is most like Heath Ledgers (R.I.P) recently… I appreciate any advice… cheers!!!

What looks good and what doesn't is all abstract. There aren't any physical laws that one looks better than the other. It's all just opinion shaped by your world view.

If you look like Evangeline Lilly today that is considered hot and sexy but if she were in the 15th century she would have be viewed as unattractive and poor because a fit, non fat body showed that you worked the field and couldn't afford to eat.

It's the same thing today with balding as compared to even 30 or 40 years ago. Stars in media and sports who have a hand in defining fashion have brought the bald look to being fashionable and sexy.

It all comes down to accepting yourself and having confidence in who you are. I bet money that a confident bald guy will get the girl over the introverted guy with a full head of hair every time.

if your head seems to be big (which in some cases can be true) you've got to make it smaller. oh, wait – you can't do this. ok, so make everything else bigger. you need to gain muscle. grow traps, delts, wide back and your head will look smaller comparing to the rest of your body.

Hey guys. Loved reading every entry on this page hey.. i feel connected with you all because we are all in the same boat.

My hairline has been receding since year dot… not goin bald in the back.. but just receding.. through high school etc etc. Im sure quite a few of you can understand how absolutly devastating this can be to someone that young, going through younger life like that. Especially with the girls. It had such an effect on me that i considered minoxonil and all that crap. When i had to do my hair, it was really long and i used hairspray on it, each strand strategically placed to hide my widows peak. I always wore a hat… ALWAYS. This made it worse… id go to dinners with it, supermarket, shower… not really hehe but you get what i mean. It cannot be understated how bad wearing a hat makes you feel, when you meet new people etc girls. Though strangely at the same time it is a security blanket that makes you feel better. For a while my worst nightmare was to have someone come up and pull my hat off infront of everyone, revealing it to everyone and showing me to be bald, weak and unattractive. It wasnt until one day i was with a girl i was seeing that she asked if she could shave my head. I couldnt believe it… i thought…. WHY!?!

…."because i think you would look great".

I couldnt believe that girls could think that shaved heads are sexy. Wouldnt believe it and said "NO WAY!".

Further down the track at 23 yrs old i came to a fork in the road for myself, i thought "I CANNOT LET THIS CONTROL ME, SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE". Luckily this was at a time where i was starting to accept myself for who i am, so i took the plunge. I decided to shave my head to save myself and stop living in fear.

one night i shaved it number 4 all over. And i looked in the mirror, i looked completly different… Then something happened.. I realised how much better it looked. I always worried based on all the hair i had held in my hands over the years that i was balding really bad.. but it still looked thickish at the back and even the widows peak wasnt that bad… anyways i digress. I knew straight away how much better it looked. Years of worrying were finally off my back and i started to realise what that girl was on about, and i tell you… it was like an awakening like i have never felt. Ever. Straight away the way i look at myself and my confidence shot right up, and this was before anyone even saw it!!

The next day i got up, went for a run, did some weights, showered and shaved and looked at myself. I was like another person. really i was. and i went into work. The first thing my boss said…who is a lady was "WOW, i think you can go even shorter, it suits you that well". I smiled and said thanks. Over the next 2 weeks everyone had thier say, no one said anything bad. The guys really seemed to respect it… as over the next 2 weeks…

….

MORE SHAVED HEADS STARTED APPEARING IN THE OFFICE!!!!!

that was unbelievable. Blew me away.

Then the best thing of all happened. I was using the photocopier and i walked up to a co-worker (by now i had bought new clothes etc) and she said something that will stick with me for a while… she just plainly said "you are hot to trot", i was like huh? and she said to me "you are HOT, seriously… im not joking. fantastic".

I havent looked back since, it really does give you a new lease on life not having to worry about it. When people say it will liberate you, i totally understand what they mean. I only wish i did it earlier.

Also wanted to say, of course women prefer hair over bald… EVEN BALD guys would prefer to covered in hair!

One thing never to forget is.. Most people are busy worrying about themselves to bother about you and your baldness. really. think about it.

One thing i notice about this site is the emphasis on how girls will think of you. You Need To Get Past This.

Trust me on this, if you work on yourself, get fit, be a man with goals who looks after yourself and be's the best you can be. You become someone who will inspire those around you with amazing confidence. Believe me, Women read men this way and are attracted to them. Soon you will have women approaching you.

I'm glad I found this site. I've been worried about my receding hairline so bad that I even tried taking taking Finasteride. This messed up my reproductive system and hormones even after just taking it for a week. Wish I would have found this site before that.

Now ill just cut my hair short and the hell with it. Better than being insecure and try to hide it.

Hi there

Just had a read through the article and browse through all the comments on here. I'm impressed with how you guys have discovered the shaved look to be a major improvement over clearly thinning hair.

I'm in the same boat, but I'm a little stuck. I'm 22 and have noticed my hairline has started to recede, particularly my temples over the past 5 years-ish. And it's getting worse, in fact it's rapidly getting worse now! Throughout my teens I had spiky gelled/waxed hair with a fringe sticking up (as well as a nice full mop of hair!). Then after about 19 onwards, I tended to wax my fringe down and let my fringe grow nice n thick n long. But then I hated it and wanted a change so cut it right down and going back to my spiky look. It was then I noticed my receding hairline and I just can't do my hair the same anymore!

My hair is naturally a darkish blonde but my fringe seems to be a lot lighter. My temples have extremely thin little bits of frizzy bright blonde hair and are clearly growing back, looks awful! I want to keep this same sort of style but not sure what to do.

Thing is, shaving it all off would probably not work for me. I'm a tall, skinny/lanky lead naturally, a hard-gainer, but also toned. My head is long and I have a pretty long nose so the 'bald' look wouldnt go down too well. So I guess going bald is down to the shape of the guy, and not necessarily a 'fix' for everyone.

Does anyone have any ideas of any other styles rather than going bald? How about that?

Like many here I started going bald in my teens. I tried propecia and finasteride but they didn't do much for me. I have some friends who had hair transplants but it doesn't look quite right to me, plus it is very painful, expensive and to top it off doesn't always work (pun not intended). Anyway I am now 32 and have stuck to regular though short haircuts but now my hairloss is just too noticeable so I got a buzz cut a number 2 all over. I look and feel much better. It looks much neater and deliberate instead of trying disguise my baldness I feel much happier. I think when you try and hide your baldness the only person you are fooling is yourself. Trying to hide baldness calls much more attention to it that wearing it openly plus making you look stupid. Ask people you trust what they think if you have doubts about shaving your head. As technology is advancing there is always the chance that in the near future a 'cure' will be found. I bet you once that happens shaved heads will become the the next big thing for men and women. That's human nature I guess. Good luck.

I am 19, almost 20, and I have noticed my hairline receding since I was about 18. I always knew that I would eventually go bald, since my dad was bald at the age of 24, and the rest of my family (excluding women) are bald. Everyday is a struggle for me. I wake up, look in the mirror, and hate myself. When I brush my teeth at night, I pull back my hair to see if anymore has left my head. But sometimes I feel okay. Sometimes I say to myself, "who cares." I really want to accept the fact that I will be bald. In fact, the only reason I care is that I fear my friends will make fun of me and that girls will no longer be attracted to me. I feel like if I wasn't going bald, I could be a really attractive guy. I wouldn't really mind so much going bald at age 35, or even 30, because it's expected. But going bald at 19 just seems a little too early. I mean I'm still in college, and girls are really important in college. However, I have been in weight-lifting and bodybuilding since 8th grade, so I am in good shape. So I hope that when I finally build up the guts to shave my head, my good build will help me look more appealing to women. I want to shave my head badly, and just get it over with. I want to know what it's like to go a whole day without thinking about how my hairline looks, and without being paranoid about what other people are thinking. But I am nervous to make the trasition. Some days I want to shave it all off; others, I don't. But anyways, I guess what I wanted to say is thank you for this site, as reading it has really given me a lot of confidence. I realize now that there are tons of other guys going through the same thing, and that makes me feel better. Thanks again.

-Matt

Ray,

Thanks for posting your story. Everything you explained I am going through myself. You have given me confidence that I haven't felt in years, and I am really considering shaving it all off. Thanks again

-Matt

Ray,

I agree that you shouldn't obsess about what women think. Your advice is solid. I still think you should present yourself in the best way possible to "stack the chips" in your favor.

Uncle Bob,

Shave it off and don't look back. It will be a great decision. My girlfriend is extremely beautiful and loves my bald head. Some girls probably don't like bald…no worries…you don't need to impress every girl. Just find the ones that are a good match.

DX,

I'm convinced that everyone thinks that being bald looks better on the "other guy" and not themselves. As long as you are lean, you will look great. It is dramatic and you will have an entirely different look. Not easy at first, but you will love it over the long-term.

Raj,

Even if they found a replacement for hair I would not use it. I am totally sold on being bald now and wouldn't go back. It took quite a few years to get used to it, but now I love the look. You put it perfectly as well. It looks terrible when a guy tries to hide baldness.

Matt,

Do it in stages. Go short, then shorter and finally buzz it off. There is also something to be said for standing out. Even if only 10% of the girls your age are extremely attracted to bald guys, you are at an advantage. The reason for this is that 99% of the guys your age all have hair. You have almost zero competition for those 10% of girls. The reality is this…you can attract over 90% of women with the proper vibe. When you do finally shave your head, aim for a look. Certain clothes look better depending on hair type. I like fitted black clothing like James Bond or Jason Statham from the Transporter. You can really create a cool look being bald if you do it right.

Rusty

hey everyone. I admire everyone on here who has had the courage to buzz their hair however last year i attempted to cut my hair extremely short and it looked terrible. i started to notice my receding hairline when i was about 16 and now im 18 about to go to college and i dont know what to do!! im not fat at all i play soccer year round but i dont see myself looking good with a buzz cut and im scared to do it. I dont know what to do im worried im always going to be unnatractive and ugly because of my hairline. PLEASE HELP

kyle,

Bald soccer players look bad-ass. Girls dig that look. If you have the lean athletic build like a soccer player, you can't go wrong. Give it a shot with #3 or #4 clippers (Justin Timberlake length)…then go shorter if you feel like it. With summer time coming this is a good time to start, because you can get a tan head (which looks a lot better). Just make sure you wear a lot of sunscreen if you are a naturally pale guy like me.

I know this whole thing seems like a big deal right now…you won't have trouble with girls once you get used to the look.

Rusty

thanks rusty! that helps a lot man. im just worried cause my receding line isnt terrible looking but its getting there and ive always had long hair. but i just have to find a way to get over my fear and just buzz it. i hope i make a good decision and everything works out.

hi Rusty,

i've been using a #2 guard, but find that after a week or so it doesn't look as "clean"..if u know what i mean. is there a big difference beteween a #1 and #2? also, my problem is receding hairline…no bald spots. i look forward to your reply.

Mike.

Mike,

I recommend buzzing your hair once per week. It shouldn't take too long and will give you that clean look most of the time. There is a difference between #1 and #2…give the number one a shot during the summer when it is hot. It feels great when you are swimming and in the heat…just use good sunscreen if you are a naturally pale guy like me.

Rusty

Thanks, Rusty. I appreciate the quick response. One more question, what type of clippers do you use? cordless or corded?

many thanks,

Mike

I will be 40 this year and started thinning a few years ago….buzzed it all off 2 weeks ago….feels and looks much better. All guys want hair, but sometimes you gotta be real, if YOU can notice your hair thinning/receding then EVERYONE can too.

I did it and I love it, it took me being drunk to do to it but I'm glad I did….way better thanks to this page I did it! Mad props!

JR,

Good point…some guys think that people may or may not notice. They do notice every time.

Ron,

Whatever it takes For me it took a little while to get used to, but once I did it was great. I would never go back.

Rusty

I've been using a #2 every 10days for the last month and let me tell you, I'm not going back. Come summer time I'll give the # 1 a shot. I no longer fear the clipper….LOL!!
Guys, stay in shape keep, get some sun on your face and you'll be happy with the results. As Rusty said, women will notice you. I'm married and 40yrs old and I've been getting looks…not my imagination either.

Mike.

I was using the #1, but it broke so I decided to use NO guard…much shorter but I like it…makes me look leaner…haha.

hey there. i'm 19 and i'm losing my hair. i have thin, blonde hair that i usually put wax/gel in. i know a lot of people feel confident and stuff after shaving their heads but i really don't think i'd look good. i have a long nose, thin but muscular, and wear glasses. i think that would be the problem. bald guys with glasses? i duno… any thoughts?

Hey guys, great site as I have been thinking about this for a while now. I have lost quite a bit of hair on both temples although i'm sure its working its way into the middle . I usually use wax and mess my hair up which i believe masked it somewhat. After reading the comments on here, i'm not so sure I look as good as I thought. Basically i'm looking to know if there is such a thing as a 'wrong shape of head' for a buzz. I have quite prominent cheek bones which makes me think i could end up having a 'cone head'. Also not sure if i'm just being paranoid, but my ears may stick out too. Please help as my confidence is at an all time low, and i really dont know what to do.

Cheers

Hi Art,

i wear glasses, myself. i had the same issue as yourself, that is, shaved head and glasses. the only thing i can tell you is choose frames that are "flesh tones". it'll look like you're not wearing any glasses. the other solution is contact lenses. i must admit, i like the way i look without glasses, but i work in front of a computer for 8hrs, so i stick to glasses. use the contact lenses when you're out and about!

mike

Okay im 22, and have an uneven hairline..aka thinning on my right temple with my left temple being fairly normal. I hated it. I wore a hat my last two years of college when I used to always spike it. I hated the fact that im REALLY going bald and would wish that one day id wake up and i would look in the mirror to see my hair growing back to an even hairline again. It was worse when my friends used to remember me having a solid head of hair and pver the years…for them to see a confident guy go insecure due to his receeding hairline made matters even worse. Yet realistically I have to deal with it. If I had it my way I'd be perfectly fine with a shaved head. As I've done it before when im really thinking about my hairline..You know those days when someone says a comment about it, look into the mirror too long, or you get a new haircut which makes it more noticible.
Yet theres a catch…My parents and my girlfriend HATE it when I shave my head. My mom always says "kevin I love your hair", "whats wrong with you why did you shave it all off your not going bald" and my dad says i look like i just got out of a concentration camp. Its these comments that bring me down and make me insecure…I love shaving my head..I love not thinking about my predetermined receeding hairline. I still live with my parents and I always end up growing my hair out again just to wear hats when I go out. How do I confront this problem? Everyone in my family gets kind of pissed at my when i shave my head. Making sarcastic comments, jokes, etc and it pisses me off. My dad has the same hairline as me now and hes 51…Im not worried so much as overcoming friends reactions because all my college friends live no where near me and I will not see them in the near future. Prior to my graduation I used to shave my head on the summer and winter breaks, only to grow it out before i went back to college.
I try to talk with my parents about it and say "listen guys i like shaving my head it helps me cope with my baldness and i think it looks better"..but I always get the same reaction "kevin keep your hair you look better, you look like a cancer patient, stop shaving your head you look rediculous"…WTF? im really tan and well built, except when i shave my head i dont usually keep it short enough to get my head tanned up to match the rest of my skin tone, hence the cancer patient comments. Summer is approaching and i have a degree and a new life ahead of me..with my old friends who remember the old kevin with a full head of hair long gone and dispersed, I'm not really afraid to walk out into the world anymore with a shaved head I'm starting to make alot of progress moving foward. I used all kinds of creams, lotions, different hair style products, different hair styles and nothing really looks quiet right with an uneven hairline. I know shaving my head is the only way to go to get rid of this stupid insecurity of mine that has haunted me for the last 2-3 years. In the end tho I do feel like I am "growing"… out of all this. YES it SUCKS and all you youngins like me know how it feels. How you'd love to be able to roll out of bed and not worry about styling your hair just right to hide that receeding hairline. The hours i've spend doing my stupid hair I will never get back, and was it really worth it.. Just to try and fit it with everyone else and their perfect even hairlines?…hell no.

BTW right now i ahve my hair about an inch long all over, which wouldnt look to bad if my hair wasnt rediculously thinning on my right side. How do I tell my parents and girlfriends that dispite they like me with hair…that I want to shave it off take it or leave it. Im sick of my girlfriend and mother telling me how good I look when im clearly thinning on my right side. I would just love to be able to shave my head and put an end to this nonsense because its the one thing in my life that has been really fustrating me non-stop. I know if they love me they'll accept it…of course..but isnt it odd that everyone likes my hair longer, which i absolutly dispise and i rather have it shaved. Maybe I haven't given a shaved head a long enough chance for everyone to embrace…i'll have to see…it comes off tomorrow

p.S not to brag but my gf is rediculously hott..id say hottest girl at my college so dont lose hope fellas even if your loosing hair cause she thinkings im a 10 even when my confidence is at an all time low

Going bald definitely sucks. I now have my hair buzzed off and feel much better about it – I don't care what others think of my look. That's the key.

Of course I'm still trying to keep and regrow hair, but if it doesn't work, it doesn't matter.

The best way to beat baldness is to shave it and not care. I guess nobody can turn the clock back. That's life!

I'm 21, two years ago i had shoulder lenght hair, than I cut it of, and then I think it's start to thining and receding, I know few people who use Minoxidil 5% it, take 5 months to start regrow, but it definetly work, on summer I'll buzz it on 2, and start to use minoxidil, wish me luck. Cheers

Hey all!
sorry for the mistakes english's not my native language. I can relate to all that has previously been stated, insecurity, fear that girls wont consider you anymore.
Just wanted to say that scrolling trough your comments gave me loads of courage and i'm really considering shaving it all off. As someone stated, if you can notice, everyone can. I'm really considering going tomorrow to the mall and buying an hair razor. I'm kinda worried about the first reaction i'll get from family and friends, but luckily i'm tall and very broad shouldered so hopefully it'll give me a badass look, i heard girls like badboyish style haha.
Cheers, and wishing all of you balding buddies courage, b/c living in fear of stupid things like wind or rain really sucks.

I'm going through the same thing receding and thinning:(and only 17 recently just shaved my head looks a bit weird probably because I'm not used to it or the number 1 was too much:|lol but reading this made me feel better thanks.

Listen to me live ur life to the fullest hair is really not a necissity u don't really need it shave it with a number one clip you should be okay your a man men get away with being bald okay

It is a great feeling after reading all the comments, knowing that I am not the only one who is going through with this balding phase, I am 21 and just like others on here started balding early around 18. It gets really fustrating i worry about my thinning under bright light and certain lightings that really make it pronounced. Growing up I always shaved my head kept it close and i had a full set of hair wow, i regret that. Now i guess i got to accept that Ima be bald for long time lol but i guess u got to live with it i read somewhere that people all over the world have diseases, cancer, dying, other illnesses that affect their lives more than just balding. So for those who are losing hair just look it as if it is your disease, and were just unlucky to have that. Really enjoyed reading the comments if you look at most black celebs they are mostly all bald, that gives me some motivation.

Im going through much of the same thing as you guys are… 18 and hairline gradually receding. I thought about everything and was in a deep depression for a while over my hairloss. However, after I came across this site I have accepted my hairloss and I'm learning little by little ( wasn't wasy to get to that point) to live my life with a buzz cut. I first did a number two buzz all around and now I am working towards a number 2 cut. Thanks for the advice and comments all y'all are truly saviors for me. Thanks… Ray

btw can anyone give me guidance on getting a great hair trimmer like one of those professional barber ones?

well im 17 years old and losing the hair whcih sucks and the picutres of Frederick Ljunberg arent that bad …. with me the sides gap a lil more if u kno what im talking about and for now i went with long hair which worked and also have bangs whcih looks ok but iwas considering the buzz cut but with taht it would make me look so much older…any recommendations?

and reading every1s comments i want 2 say that i rly feel bad about my hair and that im consdering gettign hair surgery which matthew mcconaguhey did which is a lil pricey…but mayb im just taking this 2 a whole nother level

wow Rusty, I just cam across this post and had no idea it was here! Im one of those guys too! 24 and dealing with it just fine i guess, tho I tend to wear a lot of hats when I go out and sometimes get put on the spot to take it off…. Im shaving it shorter than ever. Like a year ago i tried to grow it and it actually started to when i lived in Fl but as soon as life got stressful it slowed down again. Its weird. I used to be able to get a fade and it still looked decent but now its too thin for that so like you say , I use a one all over to make it look normal. Great post! I really think us bald guys gotta support each other lol

Mike,

I agree…I attracted my beautiful girlfriend as a bald guy who uses a #1 clipper. Some women don't like the bald look, some do…just find the attractive ones that do. They are out there!

JR,

I use no guard from time to time. I love it when I am hitting the beach a lot. It feels great!

art,

I began losing my hair at 17…I was really into my hair back then…it was kind of my identity. I know what you are going through. I know a lot of the young girls and guys like that messy hair look. I'm certain that many of the girls your age are probably all over that look…and that some won't like the shaved head look…but when you meet the girls that do, you will have much less competition to deal with. Once you get used to having a shaved head, you will laugh at pictures when you had hair. People who have only known me bald think I look terrible with hair.

Jimmy,

If you hair is visibly thinning, you will look better with a buzz cut…no doubt. It isn't the easiest thing to go from having a lot of hair to none, so work your way down gradually. I know exactly the doubts that you are having…I went through the exact same thing.

Mike,

I have a friend who is bald with glasses and looks kind of like Moby. He wears funky shirts and is in great shape…it is a really cool look.

Kevin,

Sounds like you are going through the same push and pull that all guys go through when they are losing their hair. My dad and relatives didn't like my shaved head at first. The older generation is all about comb-overs and bad toupee's…I don't think those look good! It is tougher dealing with the girlfriend. Luckily my girlfriend met me long after I shaved my head, so she doesn't know me any other way. She laughs at pictures of me with hair. You should shave your head and keep it that way for a year…everyone will accept it and you will never want to go back. Congrats on having a beautiful girlfriend. I'm lucky that way as well

Going Bald,

Good point…it can take a few years to fully "own" the look. Once it becomes your identity that is when people find it attractive.

Grim,

I don't think minoxidil is super effective, if you are only slightly balding it could probably slow down the inevitable.

phil,

I know your comment was made over a month ago, but hopefully you went for it. You will feel a bit weird at first, but it will grow on you. If you are single it will do something weird…you will get looks from different sorts of girls than you are used to. It is kind of a good change of pace.

Stephen,

If you are a young guy and it thinning too much, then use a #2 or #3. You only need to use a #1 if your hair is exceptionally thin (like me for instance).

Jon,

I remember when certain lighting like being in the bright sun really let people see the baldness through the top of my hair. I hated that! I actually think black men look the best with a bald head. A pale freak like me had the issue of trying to get a bit of color where my hair was. After a few weeks it looked great, but black guys don't have to deal with that. I actually owe Michael Jordan a big "thanks"…he made the bald look "cool". In the late 80's, before he was famous you would never see bald guys of any race…they were all trying to hide their baldness.

Ray,

I have kind of a cheaper hair trimmer. I am not sure if it is worth paying for an expensive one.

tomasz,

Since you are 17, it is just extra tough for you right now. I was losing my hair right around the same time. I was in denial at first, and then realize it was just getting worse. Luckily around the age of 25, I realized that women find different things attractive in a man than perfect hair. Once you get are 21 and go out clubbing in the city, you will realize that the rules of attraction are different than you thought. Being comfortable in your own skin is the best way to be attractive.

Matt,

Yeah…this is one of my posts that gets a lot of direct traffic…a lot of the regular readers haven't ever seen it, since I wrote it so long ago. You have done a great job of staying lean, so being bald will be a good look for you.

Rusty

Hey everyone.. I need help lol Im way to scared to buzz my hair but I feel like its something I have to do because of my receding hairline… It started to recede when I was about 16 and now Im 18, 5 foot 9, 130 pounds and Ive been told I have a "heart shaped" face and everyone says a buzz cut doesnt look good with that kind of shaped face. I dont know what to do and would love any feedback you guys can give

Great page,

Its nice to be reminded so many guys deal with this. I am 23 now and have been going a number 2 but have very dark hair so Im goin no guard oh yes look out. I also find it nice to share a laugh with friends about it, after all no one is perfect and I think bald dudes are kewl.

Lets be honest, Andre agassi must have been stoked when shaving your nut became cool.

Cya all

Hi Guys,

just curious if any of you guys use or have used a Cordless Clipper. What's your impression of it? worth it or stick to electric?

ty

Mike.

hi…im 24 ys old and have been experiancing hair loss for the last year. it never really botherd me at first but now when i look in the mirror i can see how much hair i have lost, which has really affected my confdence. basically my hair isreceding very rapidly and i have lost around1-1.5 inches on the eft and right side of my forehead…after reain this article i think i will shave it off…how ever i dont think the bald look would go for me…id be better with the same amount as ljungberg. my question is if i shave it to this length would it be possible for me to keep that look without losing any more hair…for example using propecia…any help would be greatly appretiated thank you

Hello All, I am 19 and just about to turn 20 next month.

My uncle ( who is bald ) told me that I am going bald, I dont actually see it and its makeing me very depressed, I have really really black hair and I notice my scalp alot but I thought that was because my hair is black and my scalp is white and un-tanned.

My dad is bald, but his brothers are not same as his dad he was not bold either, I have one uncle on my mums side who is but that was after he was 30.

I have 3 older brothers, there hairlines are receeing but other than that there hair is thick.

I am not noticing alot of hair falling out, I shower and dont see much, I see the odd few but thats about it, I do wax my hair and the wax I use is very thick so it pulls about 5-6 hairs out when I use it.

I dont know what to do or what to think, please help

Hey Rusty if you don't mind I would love to address Ross here.

Ross,
Your uncle seems to be a negative person and maybe a tad bit jaded about his own hair loss. I would venture to guess that he has not fully owned his own baldness and may still be doing the 'ol comb over or attempt to conceal his baldness. It sounds like you are just fine, don't listen to negstive people. I bet you have years before you need to worry about losing your hair….until then enjoy it!! Once/If it does happen don't be scared to wear it with pride. Your 20….You will soon find out that the rules of attraction COMPLETELY change when you get a little older. Be confident, be yourself, and don't be a follower……you'll do just fine. Take it from me….I am losing my hair but was able to score a gorgeous (younger) wife….I personally keep it buzzed. Chicks dig it!

Thanks Scott,

Only think im seeing right now is my scalp a little more and my hairline I believe is going to a more mature one now im getting a little older ( im sure you know what I mean ) I am not scared of going bald, just not yet, my hair seems a little thinning but my doctor told me every 5 or 6 years hair dies but it will come back.

I am going in the army soon so it will have to be buzzed off any way.

I do have a picture if you want to see, but im not worried.

Photo :

http://i35.photobucket.com…/Ross_Bradley/

TAKE IT ALL OFF. do you and everyone else a favor. Heres how: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps3S8g6nsCg

I noticed that I was thinning in the temples for the past 3 years, I have really wavy, borderline curly hair and its really thick on the top and back. The waviness makes it difficult to cover up the temples completely with decent hair length although its definitely not long, but also doesn't look completely obvious if styled well enough. When I pull my hair back to look in the mirror I get the sense that if I shaved it the shape would look alot like Flea the bassist of red hot chili peppers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/redhotchilipeppers13_416x300.jpg

He's obviously really famous and is much older then myself (21) so I'm sure he doesn't care at this point in his life.

My profile looks like this:
21 years old, in the fall and winter months my skin is relatively pale but I do tan well. Unfortunately living in New York makes it difficult to have a year round tan and I don't mess around with that fake tan nonsense. 6 foot 3 and in what I think is very good shape. Just very concerned about the size of my forehead and it being so white in these months of the year.

Anything comments would be interesting to hear for as taking a step seems inevitable at some point in time whether it be really soon or somewhere down the line.

Thanks

.

hi guys,

a little trick i picked up to give you the clean look all the time. i use a #2 and was buzzing once a week. i know buzz twice a week and let me tell you it's super quick and clean. give it a try, you'll love it.

Mike.

Few thoughts;

Losing hair sucks only because we're fed through media and advertising that we need hair. We probably worry about losing because we feel out of control, won't fit in socially, and/or that we won't be attractive to woman. Here's the thing, it has no relevance to either. Hair is something we don't need. Some people lose limbs for christ's sake, some people get scarred for life on their face, so quite being a victim about this stuff.

Secondly-Real woman want real men. I'm not saying no hair makes you look like a real man, no no. What i'm saying is that attracting woman is all about ATTITUDE. What you project, what you have to say, how you make them feel. I'm not talking about this PUA junk either, i just mean simplicity. Real men do not worry about losing hair. They buzz it off, out the way, and go about their exciting and dangerous lives, without a single care about how other think about it. Ciao brothers!

Hey guys,

I'm 19 and i've had long owen wilson stlye hair since i was 13. I had a kinda big forehead (looking back now it wasn't even that big) and i grew my hair long to hide it. It was a great look. I was the most confident guy in high school because of it and it became my identity. The first thing a girl would say to me was "wow, you have great hair".

Only problem with this was i had naturally brown, wavy hair. To get the look i would straighten my hair everyday and get blonde highlights all the way through it. Everything was cool until one day about 9 months ago when i was doing my hair it just would not sit right. There was a massive gap in my fringe that would not sit. I pulled my hair back and looked at the hairline i had been hiding for years to see that it had actually started to recede. Over the next couples of month i freaked out gettin lots of really bad cuts and using a lot of hair spray. i spiralled into a depression and started skipping college and putting off nights out with friends. I even stopped playing for the soccer team because they wouldnt let me wear my hat during matches.

I still have it sort of long. Its medium length at the sides with a fringe that covers my forehead. Its only held toghether by hairspray though and one gust of wind messes it all up. It's come to the point where i know i need to take action and make a choice. I'm just trying to get that one push to actually go through with it, even just getting it cut short at first ( I havnt had a hair trimmer near my head for nearly 6 years!) I want to just buzz it off and deal with it but i really dont know if ill suit it. I'm 6ft and pretty lean (im a soccer winger) but not really that muscular. My hair is really thick ,even at the crown, its just receded at the temples. My forehead has always been kinda big so im thinking that with the receded hairline might rule out a buzz cut.

Thanks for letting me rant!

Leo

I also had a hairstyle that covered my hairline so I too had a shocking discovery that I was losing it fast. Although I hadn't noticed my hair receding, my family and friends did. So when I buzzed it all off, most reactions where positive. I noticed that they had all been feeling sad for me and that's worse than being an ugly bald guy.

So balding isn't a whole lot of fun, you look older and less atractive, but some woman can apreciate that you can handle losing your hair. Some woman absolutely love it! Don't be fooled that these woman love a bald head, they love the attitude.

Having a big forehead, being lean or having a big nose are really not relevant. That are things you had before you were balding and you are now noticing yourself.

Leo,
I sympathize with you. 19 is very young to be losing your hair. I'm 40yrs old and began receding in my mid to late 30's. It is shocking at first. I, too tried to mask my receding hair line, but when I saw myself in a picture, I noticed it wasn't working. This was about the time the TV show "Prison break" was on the air. I noticed how cool these guys looked with the buzz cuts. I slowly began cutting my hair shorter and shorter….starting off with a # 4 and then to a # 3 and then to a # 2. I know stick to a #1. I can tell you that the shorter I went the more compliments I've been receiving. A buzz cut will bring out your features and give your face a more proportioned look, if you know what I mean.
My advice is to do as i did. It will be a subtle change.
And when you get to the #2 or # 1 cut, keep yourself in shape. Dress sharply….keep your head held high and walk with confidence! Read some of the posts on this terrific site. A major transformation will take place in your life!

All the best,

Mike.
Mike.

I started receding about 20/21 years old and like many others i had quite funky hairstyle so you couldnt notice, but man it did take alot of hairspray. im 25 now!

Was going on holiday in august this year and decided i was goona buzz it all of after reading this site. had the best holiday i have ever had and the mrs loved it even more. we also get on better coz it takes me 5 mins to get ready to go out now! i see other lads with "mullets" now and think "man they need a haircut" just looks daft!

Just go for it, you're life will change for the better and you wont have to worry about it anymore.

You'll be suprised how many people will support you and how many compliments you will get!

good luck and all the best

G

You can change how you look on the outside with a buzz cut, but the real change has to come from the inside. A buzz cut can be the answer for many… but we find that for those who still suffer with the deep insecurities hair loss can bring, particularly to young sufferers (did you know that 1 in 5 men will suffer in their twenties) our treatment can make that change and liberate them again. Check us out and I urge you to watch the video in our Gallery where the shot of our clients face at the end of his treatment is powerful proof of the impact.

I agree with everything you write here… and from the standpoint of a man, nearly 50 now, who suffered from hair loss since his teens!! I buzz cut before my 20th birthday and have worn it so ever since. As soon as I lost my inhibitions about being bare headed I found that the world treated me pretty much like everyone else… I did go through a couple of years of complete hell till then though and it remains easy for me to tap into those insecurities to bring empathy to my work. With my ¨HeadStyl¨ I now dont know which camp I fall into… bald or hirsute… but I do know that the confidence it brings cannot be achieved by force of will alone.

Everyone always says buzz your hair, and I am very pro in buzzing your hair if your hair is thinning. The thing is there is a difference having a buzzd head with a good hairline and buzzing it with thinning hair or am I just over thinking it? I have buzzed my hair 5 times in the past with a level 3 guard but my hair is too thin in front for that and my current hairline isn't as good as it was. I wantto buzz it with the clippers but I am not tan enough for that. I've noticed guys who are bald or balding look 10x better tan. I guess my question is the same as everyone elses and that can only be answered if I actually man up. The thing is I am 24, 5'5" (I'm very confident due to being shorter all my life, and although I am not too worriedabout going bald it feels like another thing to overcome), and I look in my face that I'm 19 and it just feels weird going bald. How does one just man up and do it? That weird feeling seeing yourself woth hair all your life and then one day you're bald this is you. The hair is gone. It's a weird feeling and making the decision is hard

I do have something to post about the guys having a lack of confidence. I know it's silly because I am insecure about going bald or more accepting the fact. It's more I have a hard time accepting that not having the great full hair I once had is no longer a part of who I am. It's just hard being that person.

Anyways, back to what I was going to say. Men seem to be worried about balding because if women. The thing I know is that women are not as picky as men are on looks. It helps looking like a model with the initial approach, but being witty, well groomed, and well dressed can counter not looking like brad Pitt. liking yourself and not showing any lack of confidence is key. I find humor and good energy works well. If you feel good about yourself and are fun to be around women will enjoy Being around you because you make them feel good too.

Now I'm not the most secure about thinning hair, but it's not about women it's about the change in my self image. Scary… But girls are nothing to be worried about. nobody looks at anyone differently becAuse they lost their hair. Just take good care of what you have though – go to the gym, get tan

As any balding guy will know, buzzing will work for you if you still have a certain amount of hair left. Once the hair gets to around a Norwood 5/6+ then the effect of buzzing, if compared to someone with a full head of hair (who buzzes their hair) is not even comparable. The “shadow” effect will be missing from a balding persons head, this in many instances makes them look a lot older than they actually are.

I agree with Korwinn’s comments above that a tanned head definitely helps if the hairline has been travelling further and further up north. Also guys with light hair can hide it better. Unfortunately for everyone else who is balding and buzzing does not give the desired effect anymore, were in the past left with options which included wearing a hair piece or using some kind of concealer to draw on a “shadow” effect in an attempt to frame their face, which would help them to look younger. If buzzing your hair gives you the effect you are after then great, if not then get in touch as we can help.

Everyone to some degree is concerned about how others perceive them, the vast majority of balding guys will agree that it really knocks ones confidence when they start to lose their hair. The holy grail is finding a way to get that confidence back, so if buzzing your hair gives you that confidence then buzz away

hey, ive been going seriously bald the past few years. im 25 and pretty paranoid about it. i did shave it off very short but as it started to grow back all you could see was this massive horse shoe which made me look a rite dickhead. i reckon i didnt look to bad with the shaven head its just getting used to it. and as i have my hair at a average lenght all i can see is my scalp if i try to gel or style it at all. and i notice people staring at it all the time. though times. but i think shave it off and who cares what they think!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey all

Abolutely fascinating read. This has really made me think hard about getting a buzz. A little about me..

I'm 20, 21 in February and my hairline has been noticeably receding since about 17. I've been able to hide it well, but this is the second year in a row where I seem to notice it 10x more around November/December. More hairs fall out all the time (drier outside in the winter? stress from school? inevitable baldness?) and I'm constantly looking in mirrors, fixing my hair. It's done a real shot to my confidence, when I had been quite the confident guy beforehand. I'm likeable, have secured myself a solid job in the business world for after graduation and I love meeting people. Do I need to keep hair to maintain the image I have formed of myself?

I'm extremely paranoid at almost all times now about my hair, to the point of depression. There are no visible bald spots at the back (i have a double crown) but the hairline has gone quite far back. Girls tell me I have good facial features and that has made me think about doing the shave. Right now I'm rocking quite the mop of hair (and a hat at this current time), and have been reducing the amount of haircuts I get over the past year (so i can grow out hair to hide my temples). At the barber I tell them to keep it longer in the front.

I tan really well in the summer and am quite lean (although havent been working out much this semester, I was in fantastic shape at the end of the summer). I'm only about 5'7", and fine with that as Ive always been short. I got over it in high school but now I need to get over this hair thing – it's killing me. I havent had a buzz since I was 8 and I think I look like an alien there. obviously I look a lot different now but my head is small. Actually itss in proportion to my body, no one comments on it, but when I wear hats I need to tighten them.

I've set a doctors appointment for when I get home from exams but what's she guna tell me? Live with it? I've looked into propecia or maybe some of that stuff to rub on my head and am considering asking her. Are the side effects worth it?

Honestly after reading this I'm becoming more partial to the buzz. I grow decent "rugged looking" facial hair and think this would work with a buzz. My biggest fear is other people's reactions. I go to university with so many of my high school friends and this would be a serious shock to them. I've received a few comments over the past two years but I try to ignore them – I already know my hair is thinning fast.

What length of buzz is right? I dont wanna look like this guy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/images/2006/07/04/redhotchilipeppers13_416x300.jpg as I'm 20 for chrissake! My hair was light blonde as a kid, getting darker and darker and is now light brown. When it grows out it gets wavy and curly at the back and ears.

Im scared shitless of shaving it all off because it's been who I am for the last 10 years. I want it to look as good as possible so if I can be convinced I'd probably do it right before the summer so i could get the tan going. I'm in a business co-op program and am working from Jan-Apr, no hats for me.

On this chart I'm probably between a 2 and 3: http://www.androgeneticalopecia.com/images/norwood01.gif
inching ever closer to 3. What level of shave would be best for me?

I dont think many people notice it yet but that's cuz Im ALWAYS worrying about it, hiding it. I spend way too much time after a shower fixing it up, when I do it it can look pretty good but as someone said above "a gust of wind ruins my day". Rain and intensive light are bad too. Hell, water in general. I wanna stop worrying about this. It's always on my mind. Just glad there are others out there who understand, and, by the sounds of it, have MOVED ON

Cheers
Riv

Hah wow, sorry for the ramble, guess I had a lot of this built up inside me. It's not exactly something I can openly discuss with my buddies without getting chirped.

Riv,

I sympathise with you.

Have you thought about buzzing your hair gradually? Rather than buzz it to a No.1 or 2 cut, start off with say a No.4 cut. That way it won’t be ‘as’ drastic and should help keep the comments/reactions down to a minimum (which is what every guy who’s losing their hair worries about).

Then once you and everyone else has gotten used to your hair being buzzed to a No.4 cut, the next time you can try a No.3 cut (that’s assuming you want it even shorter).

All the best and keep us posted on how it goes

Ian

All right I got one for you. Im 18, going bald, never had a girl friend before, and theres a good size bump on the top of my head towards the back thats always been there for as long as i can remember. Im thinking about getting my hair buzzed just so i can see what it would look like and decide whether i want to suck it up or try some kind of hair loss solution.

Also, I do have a six pack, decent biceps, girls have told me they like my blue eyes, and I want to work on my tan this summer, and "in my opinion" I have a good personality. I wouldnt really care about going bald if it wasn't for that stupid bump on my head.

What does anybody else think of this?

Jordan

We're in the same boat in many ways. I'm also going bald yet still a muscular guy have an attractive face and blue eyes. I'm 23 so I have a few years on you, but I'm just as hesitant. Shaving my head is terrifying to me because similarly I have a mole on my head that will reveal itself to the world.

I just found out that I was going bald. I was in a bit of denial about my receding hairline because I have long hair but I went to visit my father's side of the family for thanksgiving and noticed that every single one of my cousins have a receding hairline. I got a few comments about my long hair from my uncles that were playfully jabbing at the fact that I'll inevitably lose it.

I had never thought about it before. I have so much confidence in my looks, to the point of being vain, but now I'm stuck with the reality: I'm going bald. I am a great looking guy that thrives on attracting women through my long hair. So not only will I have to show a mole on the side of my head, but also shave off a huge part of my identity; pun intended.

No answer for you though Jordan. My only advice (what I'm going to do) is talk to women and be honest. Don't push for pity, but get an idea of how they'll think about the change. My issue is that I don't really think that the same women that I attract with my long hair will be attracted by me shaving my head.

Hey, Andrew, thanks for commenting on my post, I appreciate it. I too have cousins and uncles that are bald and they're all great guys and happily married.

I have actually not felt as bad about it latetly. I'll probably get my hair buzzed within the next week. I'm thinking that the bump on my head won't be as noticeable as I think and that it might just be the shape of my head. I'm just going to expect the worst and hope for the best. I'll probably put a post of what I think of it.

But when my hair finally does fall off, if a girl doesn't want to go out with me because I'm bald or because I have a bump on my head, then she's missing out on a kind, trustworthy, guy and not to mention great abbs.

i buzz mine with no clip on the razor.. puts it right down at about 1/16th inch which has a nice 'i wear it very short' every day look. for special occasions i shave it smooth. that way you have a look and a style so you are not limited to one 'look'. some very important points to consider from someone who didnt like losing his hair…

1. grow some well groomed facial hair. and condition it for cryin out loud! this causes others to look down and on to your face, and not constantly shift their eyes up to your bald head. ask around, it's true.

2. get some tan on your bald head. yes too much sun is bad for you, but the .. i wear a hat all the time look is NOT good ! use some tanning cream or something..when your bald head becomes the same weathered color as your every day face, you look healthy !
and frankly feel that way too. will increase your confidence big time to not look so dang white ! and for you dark skin guys, hey you been sportin that look way before so enjoy.

3. notice how guys with long hair look like a drowned rat when coming up from swimming. notice how guys that are bald look a whole lot better ! yes ! it's true ! girls don't like the big surprise of a guy with nice hair that suddenly looks like a icky guy when all wet. when you are bald, they know exactly what they are getting and will mention it and like that ! yep you heard it here, bald guys look better in water !

4. hair care just got a whole lot less expensive, but you still MUST condition your skin! i have age spots on my head.. and good skin conditioners have helped considerably.

5. wear it proud. take OFF your hat more often! if you insist on keeping your baseball cap on all the time.. it is a definite sign of lack of confidence. leave the hat at home. sometimes its not easy, just do it.

6. people who make your hair loss the butt of their jokes.. are compensating for the fact that they have some MAJOR problems in the .. omg i hope i look good department. ignoring ignorant comments goes a long way in boosting your own self esteem. but if someone says straight out.. at least i'm not bald! say simply.. at least i'm not an asshole! see? all better.

7. this is kinda subtle but deal with it. ok so the girls how like long thick hair will be scared to touch your head. shave it smooth and hold their shy hand and have em touch it. they LOVE it then. but understand this.. they ARE scared to touch a bald head, i don't know why, it just is that way. so help them get over it, and they will like that too.

8. ok this sounds dumb, but bear with me here. some psych peeps say that when you are bald, you bring out something special w the opposite sex because you look like a) a big penis and/or b) a baby. either way they love that !

9. bald women ohhhh yes can be sizzling hot. just goes to show you how losing your hair may be your best excuse for getting in shape, ever. is this france or somethin?

10. just do it. you will never know if you don't try. i have found that it is very very difficult to go through losing your what was nice hair… but you MUST get over that phase quickly! and frankly, my advice is DONT TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE DANG TIME ! as the italians say.. foget about it ! and others will too and see you as a fun person and not a self loathing scary guy.

11. shave your dang face. being well groomed is a must especially for a bald guy ! the short short or no hair look DEMANDS that you look clean cut in other ways as well. this is your best excuse for personal good grooming and better dressing ever !

12. quit your cryin and get on with your life. men who are bald AND confident.. get very very hot girls. the two don't necessarily go together you see.. so.. you MUST become VERY overly confident with your new look. pretend if you must, soon you will realize the truth in these words, and you will become a LOT more confident.

let me say this to those of you who are shy and fearful of losing your hair. i saw a picture slide show thingie once, that showed michael jordan with all different kinds of hair.. all the cool hair you could possibly dream up. and you know what… NONE of it looked right and NONE of it looked good. all those different styles of hair just looked silly. the close buzz cut and shave is a good look. bruce willis with hair? same thing! it just looks silly ! so.. believe in yourself, own it. its not easy, but for you younger guys… there will come a time when you are totally cool with it, get there faster by reading this and realizing that the grace with which you deal with this issue.. is a measure of who you are and how ready you are to take on life's real challenges. join us, it's a strong fraternity. we simply don't give a crap if someone has long luxurious hair, that's their problem and it probably needs washing. ick !

I started losing my hair when i was 14 years old.. now i am 16 and my hair on the front of my head is starting to push back quite a bit.. and everyones saying if you got an athletic build then don't worry.. well i don't really have the kinda build… and i need some suggestions. what should i do??

Hi guys!

I came upon this thread a while back, say 6 months or so, while I was surfing the web looking for baldness cures (yes we've all done it). I had shoulder length hair until about 20mins ago, and I've just buzzed it all off – you cannot imagine the relief I feel. Every day I looked into the mirror at my thinning hair, wondering when it was all gonna fall out – as all of you gents out there know it's a harrowing experience – I mean I was freaking out at some points! I had placed so much stock in my long hair and I thought that it was the only thing that made me attractive to others, but now that it's gone I guess I'll grow as a person and realise that it's all about how I feel about myself and if other people are too shallow or ignorant to accept it then it's their problem. I just wanted to send my gratitude out to all the men who posted on this thread and whose courage inspired me to take the plunge, and I hope that if you're one of those dudes who are having doubts you too will be able to draw the strength from these comments and take the damn plunge. It's worth it and you'll only be a stronger person for doing it! Good luck!

This is the article I have been seeking for years. I am 21 and my hairline began receding since I was 16. I am terrified of buzzing it off in fear of what my head may look like or what my stubble will look like. It is very reassuring to read this article and everyone's comments because this is something that has bothered me for years. I am tired of dwelling on it, it is truly a awful, traumatic experience (especially at such a young age.) I'm a decent looking guy but my curly brown hair was (and still kinda is) really my selling point so I'm worried what my crush may think. I'm really picky and she is what I'm looking for and I don't want to screw it up. I'm probably the worst advocate of this because this experience has severely hurt my self confidence but remember that there are much more important things out there than the amount of hair on your head even though it may not seem like it. Don't let this issue consume your time and thoughts any more.
God bless

Shaved heads are considered cool these days. David Beckham, Michael Jordan, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Andre Agassi, and Bruce Willis have all buzzed off their hair at one time or another. They've all looked great. Of course, if you have a misshapen or blemished scalp, you might need to try something else.

Wow I 'm really glad I read this. Im 21 years old and have been having receding hairline for about a year. I decided to Buzz it of last month and I felt really awkward so I wore a hat all the time. Thing is, I'm not to confident and probably because my scalp has some red spots and dandruff (I definitely need to cure it) Also I noticed my hair grows fast so ater 2 weeks I had to buzz it off again. HOw many times do you buzz your hair?

Rusty,

Im 19 years old and have read many forums about balding and receding hairlines before but none like yours, i love your attitude and outlook on being bald. Personally, im 19 and have been receding since around 18 but really noticed it in the past 7 months or so. It has changed me as a person and it sucks. I find the only time i have the confidence i used to have back is when i where a hat.Not to sound like a cocky ass or anything, but ive always gotten alot of attention from girls and could pretty much have any girl i want. I have a girlfriend who ive been with for 10 months now and im afraid that shes not going to be attracted to me anymore because of my hairline. I just recently buzzed my head but it wasnt the first time, i like the look and i get good feedback from my friends and my gf. However im really worried what the future has to offer. I'm short, and have a pretty big head for my height so i dont know how good shaving it bald would look. Anyways, my hair is all i think about! and i cant take it anymore! looking forward to ur response

Jesse

I've got 3 words for all u guys here… Google his tudio

Sorry that is: google his studio

What does everyone think about this His Studio stuff? Looks good but there isn't a whole lot of information out there….are there any risks? Anyone ever seen this procedure in person?

I just turned 17 and am have been losing my hair for the last year probably. It is really becoming noticeable, and scaring the crap out of me. I used to have tons of comments on my curly hair, and lots of ladies. Now I find that the girls will talk, but not flirt so much. Some girls are nicer, but i'm pretty sure its because they feel sorry for me because i'll never get laid. I know it wont be important when i'm 40, but i want to enjoy my teenage years. My grades have went from mid 80's to mid 60's. I am constantly depressed because I see my future down the shitter. I am worried about shaving my head because it will be too much of a transition for me and I would probably drop out if it looked bad. I will probably try it when i'm working in the middle of nowhere for the summer, but for now i got no f****** idea what to do. advice? just thought i'de post so some of you guys could relate. Thanks!

I am living proof of his studios work, and I can tell you it's life changing . Nuff said!

Woah James, I could have sworn that was my life you were talking about… except I'm coming up for 21. My hairline is stupidly far back now, I had my hair longer but I kept pulling it out because of stress. I too had curly hair and it was fantastic when I was 16/17, but now it's the same thing as you, my grades have dropped cause I'm not in class(because of my hair) and I don't have many pictures because I think I look weird in them.
I think I'm just gonna give it a number 2 all over and just go with the "who the hell cares". It might look very silly, but it will stop me being paranoid about my hair moving and revealing just how far back my hairline is
Also, make sure and be at the gym, and at least get some muscles.

I'm sure it will be better than trying to cover it up, I'll just have to take the plunge and see
And remember when it's short to have fun, and don't give a fuck what anyone thinks.

Here is a question. What if your a young male that had a transplant. How do we shave our heads with a scar in the back. Any advice?

Rob

rob,

this is the reason why i didn't/won't go that route.

anyways, maybe get some laser treatment to lessen the scar? I duno, sorry bro

thanks i guess you can get a scar revision

hey rob,

go to slybaldguys.com, and post on the forum there. the people there are very helpful

alright thanks

Buzzing works well for bigger guys with large craniums and great faces, you need some scale and meat to cover temple veins and such. I'm 29 yrs of age, 5'7" about 120 pounds and have a well-structured youthful face, but I may need to be buzzing sometime within the next five years and will end up looking like a grade-school cancer patient….

I am 17 currently, as of January. I have had thinning hair ever since 8th grade, so that's when i was 15 about. Last year i really noticed it was bad, and had to go with short hair from my long shaggy hair that attracted MANY ladies and girls alike. Come to think of it, i pretty much was the guy a lot of girls wanted, and i give thanks to the hair for that back then. Now, i attract girls though not nearly as much. My hair is just leaving me way too fast now. I just turned 17! And im going through a life altering experience it feels like. I feel i am so much older than i really am because im encountering something that usually happens to men in their early 20's if they're unlucky, and then men in the late 30's if they are average.

I have a big forehead, and boy do i get told that very few times, but it bothers me so much when i get told that, that i feel as if i've been teased about it for days. I hope to go one more year (senior year) with the least amount of hair loss, and then more than likely after senior year be employed etc and in college where i wont care as much how my hair is, because i am "grown" up. Although still very young, i will have to cope.

It is truly painful though, and i know that very few at my age can relate, but those going through this at 19-22, i wish i was you…

But overall we can relate in our own ways. But sometimes that isnt enough.

God, why hasnt a balding break through occurred yet to end this!?

Although, i try to look on the bright side, and think i have a great personality and a woman that truly wants me for that over my hair, then God bring her to me please. Thank you. I hope i look good when im buzzed cut, or bald. I just need this last year acne to go away before i can gather any determination to do it after senior year.

I'm 22 years old, 5'9, skinny (145 lbs max), not tan but no too pale, thin light brown hair that is around 6 inches long and swoops across my face (forehead is getting bigger, but it's not too bad), my lips are facial structure is very similar too Frederick Ljunberg (hair line isn't as bad as his). I have no clue what to do?

my lips and facial structure are very similar too Frederick Ljunberg.*

This article is great..glad to know im not the only one going through this. But I have done a number one all around and I most say it has done wonders. After reading this article, its given me even more confidence!!

hey guys….
i know this is a post abt buzzing… but cud u plz tell me something to do with my hair?? i cant grow it long coz' its shaggy and doesn't look good…. so r there any good styles with very short hair??? agn.. sorry for mentioning this in this post…
-sid

I like this site. I first started losing hair when I was 12/13, I noticed it falling out in the sink before school. I assumed it was cos I wasn't shampooing/showering properly- just as you do at that age. Even further back when I was 9 or 10 I got a hair cut and the lady said "you have thin hair" (it doesn't mean anything at that age). There is baldness in my family but my dad has kept quite a fair bit of his hair, and my maternal grandfather never lost his.

I'm 23 in 2 months time and I still have a normal hairline (some lost at the back though), and general hair loss all over (there are general gaps but I'm using a shampoo that thickens it a little). I keep it short but I've never buzzed it. My barber now says it should stay as it is for some time. I've grown up through those difficult teen years dealing with hair loss. Its progressively getting worse, and I'm thinking about buzzing it completely. I'm only 5"8 but well built at 75kg, a really hairy body (I get it waxed) and a well defined but babyish face. I've not really had a problem with women, apart from the ones who want to make a big deal out of it- generally guys say more about it than girls (which I don't get). I'm confident, funny and intelligent and have a gf (she likes hair but she loves me as I am- her father has never lost his). I do feel like hair is a ticking time bomb, so I'm quite keen to buzz it whilst I have a choice. It will probably suit me.

Buzz it off! I'm 33 6ft 3" thin build, I have always thought I looked like I had a big forehead (since I was a kid) the truth is I've always had a high hairline! Then yesterday I was booked in at the hair dressers for my normal cropped, waxed haircut but I thought I'm going to try something different, canceled my appointment, I got the clippers out, set them to number 3 and went for it! Even if I do say so myself I look cool, most of my mates before were telling I looked 40 old but now I've reset the clock and look younger! I'm going to grow a bit of stubble and keep it tidy, I always take care of my clothes and skin, I love to looked well groomed and now I looked even better groomed!

Inspired by this site, I now look brilliant, i could be a model, before I looked like some ageing dude!

I'm 26 and have a naturally receding hairline. It started at 16 reallly going back across my head. I have in the past year had my crown (top/upper back) of my hair start to totally thin out too. Should I go with the razor? I already do a #1 guard. Also I'm a young doctor

I just did the "buzz Cut" since I'm starting to thin on top. I'll admit it takes a little time to get used to but I like it. I don't have the perfect shaped head but I know for a fact I did not want to sport the bald spot on the back of my noggin. If your thinking of doing it than I say do it now! It may take a while for everyone to accept your new look but you will never have to worry about your hair again.

Sid,

Don't think about it just do it! If I were you I would grab a girl or good friend and check out the local stylist. Take a look at some of the pictures in their male styling books. If they don't have anything you like try the "Buzz cut" with a # 2 clippers. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT LEAVE WITHOUT A HAIRCUT. Give yourself time for your new look. If you don't like it, you can always grow it back. Last piece of advice–if your new look bothers you don't let it show. Girls love confident guys. They will dig you more if this was just a "whim" or your're bold enough to try this new look. My wife did not like my haircut at first but now she loves it.

Bob

Hi guys,

Im 21 years and balding since i was 19. Balding does really take a toll on self confidence alright. BTW, i have a very boyish face without much facial hair. I have always thought about buzzing my hair but not been too sure about it coz of my boyish face, also my face is not oval like the pics i saw above but actually round. I dont know if i should go ahead and give buzzing a try. Any suggestions??

Hey guys,

I'm 28 years old, been thinning for about 5 years now but it's started to get really noticable in front. I've been wearing a hat most of the time for the last few years and am just getting sick of it. I was feeling really depressed about it when I stumbled on this thread. I'm pretty pale and not in the greatest shape right now, though I used to be really athletic. I haven't had trouble getting girls over the years but have had a few negative reactions when my hat is inevitably removed and a few embarrasing moments amongst coworkers and friends.

I think I'm finally ready to do the buzz cut and just accept. I was really considering surgery/medications etc. but am not going to do it know. Instead I'm going to buzz it and start working out again, get tan and get a new wardrobe. I do think dressing snazzy and looking lean are kind of key with the buzzed look.

Reading all the posts tonight has really helped me a lot. It's time for me to stop caring so much about one aspect of myself and work on improving on other aspects of myself. I've always obsessed about my hair, even when I had it, and I'm looking forward to not stressing out about other things. Good luck to the rest of you guys in the Bald Brotherhood! I'll leave a quote from Yul Brenner that is sampled on one of my favorite albums:

"And in a funny way, the shaving of my head, has been a liberation for me. I has maybe, simplified things for me, and gotten rid of, a lot of stupid vanities really."

Hey guys,

This is an awesome site by the way and has really given me great advice, and made me worry a little less about my thinning hair. I am 24, and started panicking recenty due to the front and sides of my hair thinning. I am not exaggerating here, but I have been so worried about going bald, I have been having panic attacks and been sleeping for like 1 hour per night for the last 2 weeks.

Here is my dillema…and I would appreciate brutal honesty with your advice. I would love to go real real short, or completely shaven, but I am ginger…..I am dreading cutting it absolutley shorts, but being left wth a orange glow to my head!….or if I take it completly off, will I look stupid as I am so pale due to me being a red head? I know I am in trouble right!?

Thanks in advance

Danny

Who are we fooling guys?!

If you are going bald, then there is no way to make the situation any better. Getting muscles/tan/facial hair/dressed/etc is preferred even if you aren't going bald, and therefore doesn't fix the problem. Buzzing/Shaving it constantly simply means you are trying hard to hide it as well. Yes, it is way better than the comb-over, but it doesn't fix the problem. Some men look better when they are buzzed/shaved, but not all people especially if they once had a nice hair or a stupid head shape. Having or lacking the confidence is something unrelated to hair, so please don't mix them. If you have confidence problem and you started going bald, then now you have two problems each should be dealt with alone, and buzzing wont fix both of them. Also, if someone likes you after being bald/balding, then it is not because they like the fact that you are looking good without hair, rather than because they liked something else you already had (and not got after buzzing/shaving). Finally, if there was a cure for baldness, no body will try to justify how going bald is not that bad. Actually they will expect you to cure it as it a really bad thing.

I would not only wish that I am not going bald, I would also wish that nobody else will ever experience it, even those I hate the most. This wish is coming from someone having lots of difficult family and life problems, and not only hair loss

To the poster above. Yes that is somewhat true, but we need to make it work right? So why not do those things, tan, lift etc.

I have always been a shy kid, started balding in HS, and wow was I insecure, and I still am. I am a soph in college, and wear a hat everyday of my life, 24/7. Friends haven't even seen me without a hat. Balding is the worst thing that can happen to us, but we need to accept it and move on. ( even though I can't). I refuse to get a job, because I know I would look wierd, at age 20 and a huge receding hairline!!

About a month ago, I started to try and change things around. Ive been going out fishing and golfing all the time..by myself…yes sounds loner, but I need to tan my head, and what better way to do it than those 2 activities? I also have started to workout again, I have the body, headshape where I think I can pull off the look in the long run, im just not ready quite yet, but I am prepping myself.

For you guys like me, in college, balding.

Go out and have fun. Do things that make you smile. If you aren't getting the girls you want, don't stress. Its college, all those girls are sluttin it up right now. Take advatatne, go to the gym, study hard, get the job/future you want, and everything will fall into place then.

When you are succesful in life, people aren't going to care if your bald/ing, but if we keep sulking and don't do anything about it, we will be miserable for a long time. We only have one life, accept it and move on.

BTW, ditch the hair products. Get a nice shampoo, and save your money for a nice wardrobe. I would rather have some nice clothes than spending hundreds on hair products that barely work.

Good luck guys, I know what all you guys are going through. Its rough, and only WE know what its really like to be balding. fuk the haters, live your life!!!!

Right now, I try to do things that make me happy, stay away from negative friends.

I'm 25 years old i had full hair of hair, im married to the most gorgeous blond, i started to loose hair at age of 21 right after my wedding. i didnt know what to do with my self, i kept looking at in in the mirror, kept taking pics of the back of my head to see what other people see and it was starting to get in the way of my life, then David Beckham comes to US with short hair and i thought it looked really nice on him, so i decided to try it, i buzzed everything off, at first it felt so weird but after few weeks in the sun my scalp got tan and it looks good. and i feel very comfortable with my self and seriously i never even think about it, just buzzing it every few days.
So guys dont be scared just do it and move on with your life.

I would like to add to your forum from a woman's perspective! This applies to both younger men and older gentlemen!
I think hair is nice.
I also think bald is nice!
Luckily men can buzz their hair.
Women who lose their hair have a much harder time dealing with it then men do.
Women are less noticeable in society when it comes to hair loss, as women today have better wigs,
Some that are permanently affixed until they need maintaining, and others they remove at night!
However, for a woman to shave her head, people right away think the word "cancer", and when men shave their heads, most people think its just a man thing!
So even though its traumatic to anyone to lose their hair just remember that a head full of hair doesn't guarantee that a woman will like you, find you attractive or think your better then a man without hair.
For us I think its more than just the outside package as we want men who will protect us, care for us, and will understand our emotional needs.
Yes there has to be an attraction but trust me if it only came to hair we would never find a soul mate!
Men tend to be more visual I believe in the first few minutes of meeting a person, and yes we women may look but we are looking at numerous things about a man.
Is he confident without being cocky?
Is he working and self sufficient?
Is he heading places other than the gym or hair stylist?
We think along different roads in many ways whether we are younger or older when it comes to a partner.
I think that the more a woman is mature the more that we look deeper.
Is he kind or does he think with his fist?
I think the majority of women would say what we find attractive is a confident and caring man who is comfortable in his own skin no matter if he has hair or not?
Trust me I've dated some men considered to be hot by social standards to quickly find them ugly!
They were so arrogant about their looks over anything that they could contribute to the world, that ugliness took suddenly too seat to any good looks they have!
No woman, let alone any man wants to feel that a beautiful person is doing them a favor by being with them!
You want a person who is accepting of you even if you have flaws!

On the other hand a man who is just average but has a heart and takes care of his friends, family, and cares about others!
I think he stands in a woman's heart over any man who thinks more about himself and acts like the only thing that matters about his being is his looks!

Yes, it would be nice if we lived in a perfect world but not all of us can be perfect and besides isn't it better to be an individual than a person who has to look like the latest fashion trend?
So be confident men!
You'll find us women who look at you aren't looking as much at your hair as you may think.
Hair is only a part of a man!
A man who is confident and accepting is much more attractive to any woman!

I want to do the shaved look so bad due to receding hairline, I think it looks really cool and I know a lot of guys who do great with women that have the look…my problem is my head shape. I don't have the greek god looking square jaw like most guys who pull off the bald look have. My head is HUGE, it's so wide in the back – and instead of gradual curves it has hard corners, and lumps. It's rough yo!

Thing about this is I'm in pretty good shape, have good looks otherwise, I've done fine with girls thus far in life, and I don't want to stop or "trade down" because of friggin huge receding hairline noggin. Maybe hair transplants are my only option but I need at least $10K for that, might have to rob someone to pay for it.

I did it on Friday. Handed my last assignment in and knew I needed a haircut. I'd been planning on buzzing it for a while. 7pm and the barbers was closing, so I persuaded him to give me a buzz cut. I asked him what number he suggested 2, I said do a 1. He was like that's really short, I'm like "how short?" Then he buzzed the side of my head and said "that short", so I was like go on with it. It feels really good but I need to get used to it. I'm always used to looking at my hair in the mirror as the first thing to look at that I've generally ignored my other features. Most people say it looks good, my Dad says I'm Gandhi, the girlfriend needs to get used it and my cousins (female) are divided, no one says it looks bad, just they want to get used to it.

hi need help. going bald….. what can i do to prevent it?

I`m 24 now. I had a lot of hair until 22. For 2 years, i have been seeing a lot of hair loss. If i simply apply some oil or gel over my hair and rub it on, about 50-100 strands of hair fall off. I`m getting sick by that. I can even figure out now that i`m having male pattern baldness, though only very slightly. I read from many sources that Over Masturbation in young males can be an added factor to hair loss and hence balding, apart from genetics. I realized a few months ago that supplying enough nutrients such as proteins in the form of cheese or milk might help in the formation of keratin that is responsible for nice thick hair. I`ve cut down on masturbation now and started exercising so that i can channel my energy for something much better. If you look up for DHT – the chemical responsible for balding (Excessive amount of testosterone will convert into DHT), you would find some informative articles. The idea is to cut down on masturbation, and use the testosterone for better stuff like body building, etc.

To the younger folks…Alright, let's get heavy!

Take a step back, and look at what a minor issue balding is. Then take another step back. Put it in perspective of health, life, the universe.

I think it's human nature to worry. Recognize that if you are feeling intense anxiety about balding, it is truly misguided. It's a bummer, whatever, and get on with enjoying your life. Project enthusiasm and confidence, and that is how people will perceive you. This is true in a very real way.

The best thing you can do is just focus on the many positives. Buzz your head, don't, whatever. When you look in the mirror, don't even bother looking at your hairline. You know what's up there. So does anyone else within moments of meeting you.

Seriously, just take a deep breath and laugh about it.

and now, I leave you with a little Wayne Coyne quote.

"Try to be happy within the context of the life we are actually living. Happiness is not a situation to be longed for or a convergence of lucky happenstance. Through the power of our own minds, we can help ourselves. This I believe."

Im only 17 and have had a full head of hair for a real long time. I just realized when i pull my hair back it is receding in the classic m shape just like my dads. I'm freaking out because i love my hair. I dont want to shave it off because then everyone can tell its receding ( right now you cant tell at all because of my long hair) can i stop the receding?? Help!1

I'm 42, and have been thinning in the back for the last couple of years. I've tried to avoid ever having to look at it, only seeing it in some photos here and there and being upset…in my own fantasy world in my head I figure it's not so bad, but today I went into a Target dressing room to try some pants on and was surrounded by mirrors on every side. AGH! I could clearly see the thinning in the back. I thought it looked horrible and it depressed me. The strange thing is, it looks fine in the front and top. My wife is a hairdresser and has been cutting my hair for the past twenty years. My style the last couple of years is sort of Ryan Seacrest with the flip thing in the front, coming forward on the sides, etc and it looks cool – at least from the front.

I mentioned to her about buzzing it all and she said 'no way,' you're crazy, etc. I'm not sure what I should do…I just hate the fact that people that see me from the back notice my thinning and can see my scalp. It's not like a natural circular bald patch, it's like strands of hair on either side in the back. About 2 1/2 years ago I let my hair grow out long and it seemed ok…I'm wondering if I should just let it grow out again and when I comb it back it covers the thinning parts in the back. Aghh…why do people have to go bald!!! Of course my dad is bald, but his brother has his hair (as did his dad). Most people are shocked when they find out I'm 42 – most still think I'm in my early 30's or younger. I've got a youthful look, but the thinning in the back has seriously hurt my self-esteem.

@23yo

I kind of disagree with the the above statements, because shaving can make it look better which then does make the situation better which can boost your confidence..also how he says confidence and balding is too different aspects but not all have always been lacking confidence some attained it fine til nature hit.

@rick

your absolutely right. I know exactly what your saying you cannot let it keep you down. Everybody has a flaw take it and go and live life the best way what don't kill you only makes you stronger. embrace the beauty of baldness some wish they were thats why they shave even with a full set of hair. Too bad for them!lol

@silk40dd

Amen. Very good to know from a womans view. Half of men will eventually bald later in life better to get it out of the way and wont be a shock to their significant other when it hits. Very right we don't live in a perfect world some things are gonna suck but its how we deal with.

Well… VERY interesting .. Although, it must be HELL for the youngsters just starting to notice a slight bit of thinning and/or receding.

I actually don't know exactly when I started thinning, or when my hair line started receding, believe me I tried to figure all this out, but when I did notice (my Mum pointed it out to me after I asked her to tell me the truth) 3 years ago that my hair was thinning/receding, it really was a Titanic hitting the iceburg and sinking feeling… I went through hell. I had just met a woman, we had fallen inlove with eachother, and I'd just gained confidence in my life to start doing the things I always wanted, and I had this amazing look, long wavy hair, classical greek appearance, then I saw I may be going bald… It truely was hell. I went through 2 years of crying, screaming, self decieving that I could make it grow back, trying everything I could, reading everything about hair regrowth i could, pushing my gf away, depression, suicidal, being a paranoiac nuisance to my friends… My gf's first reaction to my thinning, "I don't care! You are still the same person I love with or without hair! You still have an attractive face dammit!" I wish I had listened to her. I put her through hell too.

I have come to terms with it now, though, I am not really the same person I was. The depression had hit me so hard, it has changed parts of me. My gf is still with me, and still loves me, and still finds me attractive, though admits I looked a little more attractive with my long hair back in the day. Also, from the stress I put myself through from OVER-REACTING (and for the people who are shocked at any signs of thinning, I must stress, it IS an over-reaction), I have lost some of the charm I previously had, the passion for life, and it shows on my face now. I still have the same features, but it is taking a while to reach the states of happiness and equilibrium that I could easily attain before I went through the self sabotage through over reacting. I find the days where I am feeling very comfortable within my own skin, regardless of how my hair is, I get women gawping at me. yet the days I feel uncomfortable in my own skin, i get not so good response from the outside world.

e.g, recently walking along the canal with a friend, I walked past a beautiful blonde woman, she clocked me from a distance, and as she walked past, staired deliberately and smiled. I aknowledged her, but I like being loyal so i dont flirt. On the way back, some younger females in a boat started shouting abuse at me and my friend, and made coments about my hair, and how ugly I was. I felt shit. But that blonde woman walked past again, smiling at me. I felt a realisation that, people are people, who cares what they think?…

I am at the stage now it is slightly visible to see the thinning, and obvious temple receding. I keep it short just above a number 4 and can let it grow into a messy style that just about covers it, and I am enjoying it, because I appreciate I still have a fair amount of hair left to do something with, so for people over reacting, you need to calm, you need to think, seriously, 1. It's not that bad at the moment, accept it may all disapear one day..that could be 5 years in the future, could be 30 years in the future, but I wish I hadnt wasted those 2 years FLIPPING OUT over something so inconsiquential, ESPECIALLY when I had people that really loved me for who I was, and I had a lot going for me. 2. You still have some hair to style, if it is a little noticeable, get it short, but dont shave it yet. I know quite a few guys that have a little bit of thinning, early stages of receding, its not that bad and they still style it, and still look good, because they are comfortable with it and accept it and work with it.

Couple of examples…

I recently met up with an old school friend. I was shocked to see he was even more further in the norwood scale then me, a little island had broken away from his temples, and it was thin ontop, but he had shaved it to a no 3. I never thought of him as a very attractive guy. In the club, girls kept coming up to him, trying to get him to dance. He explained that, because he does not give a shit what people think of him anymore, and because he is doing to the best of his ability what he wants to do in his life, women are attracted to him. He has an average to under average face, tho very nice eyes I realised. I found out he has a beautiful gf, who loves him dearly. he is quite successful now, a wedding photographer, and doesnt care what people think of him.

2. A really good looking friend (more associate) that I went out with that same night tried his HARDEST to get laid. FAILED. Because??? He was a moron, insecure underneath, just after sex. Most women arnt stupid. And guess what?? He had a full head of hair.

I totally agree with the original author, if it is really thinning, that's when the clippers need to come out. But my advice, until then, enjoy your hair while it is there.

Advice to others and myself… Focus on attaining inner harmony.

Thanks for this by the way, i felt uplifted reading this. : )

oh bye the way, I'm 27 yrs old

Just a quick testamonial here, I just turned 25 this week, my hairs got thinner and thinner on top and back with a receding hairline since maybe 4 yrs but I always kept them short fairly short on the sides and longer on the top to create an illusion and styled them whenever I wasn't wearing a cap. I never really liked my hairs but always managed to have a cap on my head which was giving me this baseball player look (I am a baseball player as well so it helped). But I had been thinking to buzz it off since a while now and decided to "make the move" yesterday. Surprisingly, it didn't look bad at first even if my head's still a little pale and I felt an immediate boost of confidence just looking at myself in the mirror even if it makes me look older than I really am which is weird.

Today, for the first time of my life, I'm thinking of going out this weekend, assuming myself with no cap on! I don't know if I feel confident because I desperately want to get more confident but I will at least try to take advantage of this sudden boost and see what happens. I always been a confident looking guy but I know this was only half true. Plus, in the area I'm from, it's not necessarely a common behavior to approach and talk to women you don't know for no reason so imagine if you lack lets say half of the confidence you should have.

I always did Ok with women but not more, I know I'm not Brad Pitt but I feel I have a relatively well shaped body and a good looking face so I truly hope I will know be able to do well instead of just OK as I am now thinking that at 25, shortly it'll be a good time to settle down a bit and start a family in the next 2 to 3 years.

I tried to boost myself up writting this testamonial and would gladly take any advice of guys with more experience that went through a similar situation have to give me

Cheers everyone,

Matt
Trois-Rivieres, Qc

what happens when you keep cutting your hair line does it grown faster?

I am 34 years old and have only so called Ivy League hair cut (parted to one side) and have been losing my hair for a long, long time time. I have both a receding hairline and a thinning crown, so I feel everyone’s pain. I started realizing how much more noticeable the receding line was just after a haircut and when I got a hair caught I always thought I a shaggy mess. I don’t often wear hats so if my hair got wet (swimming, raining when running, sweating) it looked ten times worse.

That was until I buzzed it off a few days ago…

Although it has only been a few days so far excited with my decision, so far the only disappoint I have I think I did go with 3 I was a little chicken. My biggest concern is my receding lines don’t match exactly, but for some reason I don’t care about that. I have a great feeling about my hair a first in a long time, next time I am going to a little shorter, number 2 or if I man up number one.

It feel better with self-confidence because there is no hiding any all bald stops are in the open for everyone, “take it or leave it”. There is good feeling for me knowing I am not hiding anything, I am not you never have to question”Does someone think I am going bald?” You only have few other options as in my opinion is to, TRY to cover it up or spend crazy amounts of money TRYING to fix it. If you or concerned take a look around look at everyone else, many others are going bald, it sucks but we have to get over it.

Well said.

Speaking from personal experience, I think all us guys with thinning/receding hair should really go for the buzz cut. It might not turn you into Fredrik Ljungberg/Kelly Slater/Vin Diesel/Billy Zane/(We could go on forever here) but it will stop you from constantly thinking about your receding hairline and open you up to a whole new group of women who could find you attractive. I've just turned 23, and after nearly a year of knowing that my hair was going I finally manned up and buzzed my hair down to a number 2. It looks better and feels so, so much better than battling against the odds to pull off a normal haircut. It isn't ideal to be balding at this age but hey, we can always buzz our hair off and carry on enjoying our lives. Good luck guys!

Yeah, I've read all of this….
I buzzed my head tuesday, June 1st because of a bad haircut.
yeah, haircut was wack, so I said what the heck!, grabbed the #2 guard and went all over.
Yeah, before I used to be uncomfortable with short hair, but I don't pay too much attention to my cut because it ends up stressing me.
In the end, I'm finishing my last day's of high school.
-p.s i look better in longer hair, thus I'll have it in a month.

-update-

Yeah, I got my hair cut all over again
today…well an hour ago.
and well, i didn't want it cut all over with a number 2…but yeah, guy didn't understand me when i said a taper with a 2, "just sides and back" unfortunate for me, I dislike this cut and will have to wait a reset-ed month.

My mom doesnt like the shaved head look, and crys when I come back from the hair dresser, this is normal right guys? I must be looking to much like a badass or something for her to take! was just wonding if anyone else has this problem!

I'm only 27 years and have a bald spot on the top back portion of my head that has grown to about the size of a baseball…there is still some scattered hairs covering the area but not near enough to cover that portion of my scalp and prevent my shiney white skin from showing through…The strangest thing about my bald spot is that i have no family history of balding what so ever…It depresses me that my own father had I full head of hair and I don't…my 80+ year old paternal and maternal grandfathers both had most all their hair…Had anyone else experienced balding without any family history? I've went to the doctor and had all kinds of blood work and tests done and they say i am perfectly healthy…can something as simple as stress really lead to balding? I also have concerns about a vaccination i got while i was in the military…I recieved the 6-shot anthrax vaccination in 2002-2003…I didn't have any sign of hair loss until after i had recieved that vaccination…Has anyone heard of anyone else experiencing hair loss after recieveing this vaccination? Right now i pretty much just wear a hat to cover my bald spot…and i am afraid that whatever damage has been done is permanent and i'm just gonna have to live with it…we've sent a men to the moon, probes to mars, and can clone any living thing from a single cell…but we have yet to cure balding???? WTF! I am beginning to think they probably know how to cure a lot of things but are not letting the info out because they are making SOOO much MONEY on unfortunate people like us…

yeah i just got an haircut and my barber didn't do an good job on my head to.My problem is i got an receding hairline and i usually get my hair cut really low and after add some hair dye that make my hair looks ok.But this time around i went to get my haircut low and my barber push my hair line back which right now does not look good.Right now i am thinking about cutting my own hair lower or just buzz it all off.Also by the way i am only 24 and losing my hair i feel you guy's pain about losing hair so young.

When I met my husband he buzzed his head. When we got engaged I started doing it for him. When we got married he tried to grow it out again, and honestly, he looked like a pussy. This summer he's back to buzzing it. It makes him look bad ass.

I envy all of you that can buzz or shave you head without looking completely ridiculous. My hair is thin enough that its easy to notice at first glance. Buzzing it only makes it even more noticeably thinner and I look like Shrek completely bald. The situation really sucks.

Am an african dud that hav been trying 2 battle my bald situation and i tell u guys that it's not that easy.Over here drugs that could keep our remaining hair from falling off completly is no even available.So i try 2 trim my hair as l low as possible cos i don't want to leave home looking like i don't have a mirror.I guess it's cool 2 buzz

hey, i have read this article and went for a complete buzz … but now I have some growth .. and it looks good. Although, almost everybody praised the new look it wasn't an issue to adopt it. But as I have very lean body and a fair complexion I can't decide what length of buzzed hair should I opt for… I personally like a little growth , when hair are like little thorns. So, can you give me an idea…?!!!

I too am thinning and have receeded and my horror is I have a small Hair Transplant and now have a 8cm scar (better then ear to ear) but now I am sick of playing the hair game and tired of lotions and potions plus do not fancy another Hair Transplant (thirty grand plus its a long road people so you gotta be one determined guy as getting cut up back there is no fun and the successful ones all is well and good but you go to those other blog sites and see many many guys with ten thousand dollar comb overs and bald as on the backs of their heads). I am going to go to Thailand and shave my head (holiday and change my look plus get a tan)

In respect to people saying oh no will a women ever look at me I am too young… It is all in the way you hold yourself and confidence… I know everyone says it its so cliche but its the bald truth of it all. Lifes too short and this is the card you have been dealt and remember there ARE women out there hot women nice and gorgeous blonde brunette asian hispanic that will go out with you and remember you only need ONE (in the end). Not sure about you but I like those odds

I know hair would be wonderful and bare in mind there are some huge technological advances that will make hair more accessible to us in the future without being so cut up but for mine I was thinking about it and I never have women wooing over me with hair so what is the difference and the ones I do get are never superficial and that is exactly the type of woman I want to be with and trust me if you have ever dated a hot shallow type before you will understand what I mean in beauty is only skin deep

Shave it and get on with living because one day everything will be gone anyway

Hi guys, for all the young guys out there listen up. I am 22 years of age and i am a naturally confident guy with above average looks.I have been going bald since i was 16. I shaved it at 17 and got on ok, i got a bit of dissing from the guys in school that made me upset for a bit.

I went to college at 18 and stupidly decided to grow the hair and cover up the balding areas. This was a nightmare because i was constanly checking my hair in the mirror and felt insecure when i went up to girls because i always taught they were looking at my hair. I live in Ireland and it is always very windy, so i bought my best friend: a hat. I always wore it pretty much all the time when i was outside, another stupid mistake.

Im now finished college and got my degree, i shaved it all off for the final time and boy am i glad. My friends say I am back to my usual cocky and confident self and they also say i look younger because of it. I now have girls coming up to me in a club and talking to me.

So guys if you are balding at a young age, get a number 2 or 3 all over, you wont regret it. I will never go back to growing it long, i look cleaner, younger, slick and confident. What i realise is, girls love confidence so shave the head, hit the gym, get a new wardrobe and be a truelad.

It was thanks to all your comments on this page that made me take the leap. Would love to hear from some of ye.

Cheers,

Fran.

I just finished reading this entire page and almost 3 years of comments: THANK YOU. What a therapeutic read to know I'm not alone. Here's my quick story:

I'm 28, started losing my hair slowly since 18. It's always (for a decade) affected my confidence. I never thought about having short hair since my family always said I looked better with Luke Skywalker type shaggy hair. I have what I perceive as huge ears that stick out prominently. I've been embarrassed by them more than my hair loss, and for longer.

Last night I was out at a kareoke night at the hotel bar where I'm staying (traveling for work). I struck up a conversation with a group of people and was enjoying chatting up a cute brunette in the group, about 24yo. I went up to sing, and when I came back they were all asking "Hey man how old are you?" When I said "28" the guy was like "Yes! I win! I can't believe you thought he was 38! (To the cute brunette)"

Four crown and cokes later, I took my electric razor I use for my face (Braun) and used the trimmer to cut all of my hair off. (effectively "no guard"). I'd been wanting to shave off my hair for a long time – I've always thought it made me look older than I really am. I was pretty shocked at myself, and how I looked. I thought my ears looked huge. I worried about what my clients might think. And then I passed out.

Today, I found this site and your comments really gave me the confidence to look at myself in a new way. I feel already as though I am more my own man now, and I realize how silly and effeminate it is to try and manipulate little strands of dead cells to try and look like I'm someone I'm not. It forced me to accept that I am a handsome freaking guy with a good head shape (although it is pretty big) and hey, I've got some huge ears. Take them or leave them.

The "cold-turkey no guard" was pretty shocking. I think I will try to grow it out to a 1 or 2. (I'm a II or IIIv on the scale) But I can already feel as though I am freeing myself from stupid insecurities. Would I like my 17yo hair back? Sure! Do I need it? I'm not so sure I do anymore, and that's freaking fantastic. I'm going to get in better shape, buy better clothes, and build myself into a better man, regardless of hair or not.

Great read and page. Thanks!!
I have been thinning for 15 years but had thick enough hair everywhere except the hairlins so that keeping the sides trimmed neatly and using Toppik I had a relatively full head of hair and noone knew what my regime was. Just over the past 60 days the frontal growth has left me and the crown is also starting to show. With dark hair that is a eyesore.

I am trying to muster the balls to head into the barber and buzz as I know it is the correct action at this point. I guess I will start with a two all over and see how I react. I really would prefer a buzz #1 but I don't handle change well and especially when it comes to losing my hair. However I cannot wait for the day that I adjust to the buzz cut (once I get my butt into the barbers chair and actualy get it done) and wake up each day maintenance free no matter what the weather, wind, rain, etc.

Wish me luck as I have dealt with anxiety over this for a few years and cannot wait for freedom and to put those fears and thoughts to much better use.

Question = If a #1 buzz is not too appealing due to the amount of hairloss will a no guard buzz make the look better?

Thanks.

Let it be, by either shaving it everynight under a hot shower before bed… Or let it be bald naturally
It's society that is fucked up.

FYI, I am 29 and have been receding since 18. I buzzed my hair off (#1 – no guard) and I can honestly say that the younger women have flocked to me–and even the older. I would say I'm a very great looking guy, minus the hair. I have thin hair on top and thicker hair on sides, with a receding horeshoe shape. I'm one of the types of guys that surprises the hell out of you when he takes his hat off. But…

I used to spend countless hours per week trying to make my hair perfect, using different techniques and hair products (primarily hairspray) to keep my hair looking good–trying to avoid gusts of wind, always being self-conscious. It was after a long struggle of constant aggravation that I decided I would try a new look. Especially when I noticed that women I knew had the hots for some very famous bald/buzzed men. So, I embraced the buzzed hair, and not to brag, but landed more hookups than I could have imagined after doing it. I never quite expected my life to change as much as it did, but damn I am happy.

I also pulled a different class of women–it was an upgrade. The buzzed receding line definitely can make you appear (tougher), and knowing that it does is also a confidence booster. It can be a very intimidating look if done well, and many of my female friends have even mentioned how that is a turn on. I will never try to grow my hair back out after the life changing buzz off of my hair.

Guys, like me… I once struggled–I've even considered hair implants… Try doing the buzz, let it happen for a while, then when people get used to you with a buzzed head, they will never even remember you when you had hair (probably because you always wore a hat or found a good way to cover the spots).

Later,
R

I am only 17 going on 18 in Oct. im already losing my hair thanks to my lame genetics , anyways i would really appreciate the word of a women or man to help me make the decision. i already have a number 4 all the way around but should i just go for the 1 or 2?? please coment me back im in a pickle and need help :/ i also feel really self conscience about it please reply help me out!

honestly reading these comments gave me the motivation to just buzz my head completely (no guard). i really cant say how happy i am. for most of my life i always had shorter hair, but the past 2 years that i have noticed i was really losing it on top and on the back top part of my head. it never really changed my social life but when i was alone by a mirror i would definitely spend time looking at it. so i did the typical cut it a #2 all over……then it got worse so i did a #1….then that even started showing through.

so i just did a no guard zero all over and to the guy who asked if a #1 is not appealing should you go for a zero?? DO IT. the hairloss def shows less and it looks good on me. i may have some traits that help though. im tanned with athletic build and good facial bone structure. but if purely just looking at the back of my head, doing a zero def helps. im def doing the buzzed head for good.

i started losing my hair at 23, and didnt have a girlfriend at the time, my mate always got ashape up and a number 1 so i thought id go along and join him in the barbers,as soon as it was done i thought god i look like a thug, i went 2 a 21st that nite and the female attention was unreal got told i look like a model,never had that before.scince ive shaved my head iv dated a millionaires daughter and my last girl friend was so beautiful i couldnt belive my look! im 25nw im only 5`6 but i would never try 2 grow my hair back now the girls love it!! go for it.

Thank You C.
I am trying to get to that point (no guard) as I agree it is a cleaner look than a #1 if you have bare spots. I think it would free me from this preoccupation of worrying about my hair or lack of. I am in decent shape with a fairly good looking face but can fell some bumps my skull that has me a little nervous. Reading your post helps and hopefully I can take the plunge soon.

Just shaved my head today after reading all the comments yesterday. Went with a 1/4" (#2?) for now, it looks pretty good I feel so much better. I feel liberated now that I don't have to wear my hat everywhere now.

Thanks guys

hi Guys,

I posted here about a year or 2 ago. I see that many guys are confused as to how much to buzz. I can tell you that I've been buzzing for well over 2yrs, now and the rule of thumb is this: The more hair you've lost…the shorter you go. It's that simple. Buzzing it real short gives the illusion that you have hair. I'm happy to see the success stories that some guys have had with women after buzzing their hair. I experienced the same success. I believe it has to do with 2 things….1) increased confidence, 2) creating a more proportioned look (receding hair lines and/or bald spots stand out more when your hair is longer).
keep up the good work, guys and if anyone has any questions/concerns…feel free to send me a message.

peace out.

Mike R

I recently shaved my head and have noticed that a good tan helps you appearance if you are going bald

Going the buzz is great if you have a decent shaped melon. I'm 55 and still have a good head of hair but my double crown makes it look like I have a balding spot. I'd love to go the buzz but I look like I've been bashed in the back of the head with a shovel. Flat head at the back and doubt it would be an attractive sight

Posted last year. To get my background situation you can scroll up I guess. But I’m 20 now with a receding hairline, thick hair everywhere else though. Finally went through with buzzing my hair a few months ago. It was a shock and took some getting used to. I did it to about a 3 grade but found this made my hairline very noticeable. Recently started taking it no guard, just to experiment, and I’m ecstatic with the results. From a distance it almost looks like a total wet shave, but it works. Some guys reading this page may think they're too young to pull off a really short buzz / shaved head look but I can say I’m very happy with it and I turned 20 in the summer. If you're worrying about features being accentuated without your hair I wouldn’t be. I've always had quite big ears and they look totally fine. Think the only thing you need for the look to work is for a good shaped skull. Being in good shape is also really important too. Not only for the look but you'll feel a lot better about yourself. Think having a bit of muscle helps otherwise you might end up with a Moby look.

Just wanted to tell folks about my results and hope someone having a similar problem reads this and understands that they still have options. I went through a bit of a shitty spell myself and am glad to be through it.

First and foremost, I enjoy visiting this site. There's a load of useful information. Like most of the men here, my hair is thinning and I am seriously considering buzzing my hair off or what's left of it. To date, I am able to conceal my thinning hair by using hair concealers. I use DermMatch. I have used this for quite some time and have gotten better blending the concealer on my scalp and hair to fake my full head of hair. No one suspects that I am doing this. I have to say it is very time consuming, but effective.

I am going to be 45 years old later this month. Perhaps, I am going through a mid-life crisis and the perception of having a full head of hair is a way for me to hold on to my past of when I was younger.

This particular topic has opened my eyes and as I wrote earlier, I am thinking of getting a buzz. It's now a matter of gathering up the courage to go to a barber. I appreciate reading everyone's comments. It was very comforting to read how each and everyone of you handled your own personal dilemma. From what I read, the results were positive. I thank all of you for sharing your stories.

Hello..this is Stancy; I am glad see the posts which brings out confidence in me. btw…I am 26, started loosing hair since 23-24; most of my friends tease me as "uncle", "baldy","senior citizen"; I never had/have girl friend but only thing satisfies me is my job. Even at workplace people, tease me very badly; I try to ignore every thing sometimes I pretend to be unheard about all the comments around me; but it hurts a lot.

I have lost lots of hair; I really dont know what to do; my dad says no to "buzzing my hair off" and I have no one to advice.
I have lost confidence on myself, not sure what to do. When ever I see a friend of mine; I suspect them because "Do they really want to be my friend??"

I am posting this message here – hoping things will change in sometime and when i see this message next time (after sometime) it will bring smile on my face. Thank you so much for wonderful article.

DUDE man up…and buzz that off….you'll be like a new you, confidence grows and you feel like a bad-ass, best thing about this…its like a fresh start, time to re-invent yourself matey

I have been contemplating buzzing my hair off for some time now and even in this week, I posted my comment on Oct. 4th.

Anyway, I did gather up the courage and buzz my hair off today. I ended up going with the #2 guard on the clippers. I must say at first I was very nervous. However, after the barber continued, little by little my nervousness went away. Anyway, at this point, there was no turning back.

In a strange way, I'm still getting used to my new haircut, but I like my new look. It so true that if you cut your hair very short, the thiness of the hair is less apparent. It makes me look younger in a sense. I finally accepted the fact that I was losing my hair. By accepting this, it made me feel so much better.

Glad to hear you like the look Dizzy. I went witha #1 a couple of months back and probbaly needed a no guard as there is a island of scalp right after the thinning frontal hairline and a #1 makes it too noticable. I am not sure which way to go now-grow it out a little on top hoping for coverage while keeping the isdes and back tight or just go no guard. At least it is much easier with a buzzed cut however and it gives my face a much healthier look. I guess I just need the balls to go no guard and I would be free of this issue once and for all.

Stancy, you need to focus on yourself and not what your dad or friends say. Start buidling confidence in yourself. Even if you were to move forward and buzz your hair, this may not be the answer. Start with small things first to build up your confidence and do things that you'll enjoy and make you happy.

JJ, why not try buzzing your hair with no guard? If you think about it, the difference between no guard and a number 1 guard is 1/8 on an inch. On average hair grows .5 inches per month which means you can grow that in no less that a month. Now, that I buzzed my hair with the #2 guard, I wouldn't mind trying out the #1 guard.

Best to the both of you.

man im a full on surfer dude, from africa. i had the hair for ages as long as long gets, and buzzed it all off. it was a big differnce waking up every morning feeling that fresh cut but, man did every one love it. sadly its growing back and the ladies love that too. lion effect or somthing. basical if the people like and you feel them, then go with the flow. dont be a bore and dont look for your parents advice, your going bald learn to adapt.

i just got to agree with my self there. once again adapt. i also got to say with good hair comes bad spelling.

This is a really good site and it's been interesting reading the various posts that express terror about losing hair. I'm 34 and my hair started to recede at my temples when I was about 21 or so. Since then my hair has progressively thinned on top while remaining thick albeit increasingly grey at the back and sides. I started buzzing it (a no 4) when I was in my late 20's and now go with a no 2 every 10 days or so. I will go shorter in due course.
I have to say barring the initial shock of cutting my hair so short the first time I now like the look and I actually almost feel proud of my lack of coverage! I am confident, think it suits me and despite the odd 'baldy' joke from my friends I don't mind the laughs I get and I get my fair share of women.
I guess what I am trying to say to guys really concerned about losing it is just shave it and learn to like your look. If you can't like yourself how can you expect a woman to? Man up! Be confident and your attitude will attract woman. So what if the look turns some woman off? They are mainly just shallow and count yourself lucky you never met them with hair as if it went you'd soon see their shallowness revealed.
The clipper – mans best invention! Lol

Question: I am 23 and I noticed my hair on top is really thin but the sides are thick nobody on my dads side of the family is bald not to mention I have a bald spot right where my hair line begins what should I do buzz it or shave it?

Chris you should buzz it. Start with a no 3 or 4. You will feel less conscious about the hair thinning on top. Just flaunt it and take the criticism and hopefully the compliments. There is nothing worse than denial so don't try to hide it!
As far as genetics goes, hairless comes from your mothers father so your Dads hair is surprisingly not significant.

This website is inspiring, thankyou! Basically this is for the lads who's hair is thinning young. I started noticing mine getting thinner when i was about 18. Misery. I have spent the last 6 – 7 years, as im now 25, hiding it. You name it…… Hats, Thickening shampoos, Every styling product in existence e.t.c. On top of this i would avoid swimming with mates, i had to duck if someone opened a car window in case it messed my hair, ive had to run to and from my car in to houses in case people were looking down on me from upstairs windows!! I stayed in the toilets in cinemas until i thought the lights had gone out so people behind wouldn't notice and i completely avoided hair dressers coz i couldnt bare them making my hair wet so everyone waiting could see my thin hair! You name it i've done it to conceal it. Anyway im 25 now, time to sort my life out. I came across this website and read the lot and watched a bunch of videos on youtube and decided enough was enough. I bought a set of clippers and after staring in the mirror, clippers poised ready to go, i went for a number 4 all over! Wow! I had always considered myself as having large ears and i have a big mole at the back of my head, but you know what, it really didn't look bad. So i went for a grade 3, then a 2 and finally a 1! FREEDOM! It feels amazing and looks as though my hair hasn't thinned one bit i almost want to grow it out again to check i wasn't going mad! I haven't felt this good about my appearance in years and I've had nothing but positive remarks even from the least likely of people! Anyway the long and the short of it is this…… If you're here then you're not happy. Dont waste another day being uncomfortable under that hair. Dont poison your body with pills, lotions and potions. Don't waste thousands on surgery when you could spend it living life and seeing the world. Shave it, dress smart, work out (IMPORTANT) and i promise, promise you it'll look so much better and your life will change for the better.

I'm 19 coming on 20 and I'm receding (at least I think I am) I have no idea. There is such little information out there on things like this about wether you are or aren't receding etc. However; I said once when I was about 17-18 when I didnt consider myself as a potential hair-loss victim that losing my hair would be the worst thing that could ever happen to me. And in jest someone said about shaving my head while I was sleeping. I replied 'if you did I would not leave the house. ever. until it grew back'

I don't care about all this embracing the baldness because I just won't and don't want to. For starters I don't like it on attractive men let alone myself. Without my hair I wouldn't be able to enjoy using all my fantastic products.

What I'm getting at, is there a way of replacing hair to a natural look (if it does happen) regardless of cost.

Luke do not sweat it until it actually does happen. If it ever does, yes there are alternatives. Research, read, talk to your doctor about Propecia etc. Who knows, if you ever do start to thin or recede you may have changed your outlook on being bald altogether.

Im really worried that I am; I mean I have noticed slightly more percentage of scalp showing at my crown before but ive dismissed it as its not always even noticeable. I usually have quite full hair which is why I havent noticed things till now. SEE PIC >

But recently over the last month I started to get an unusual itch. So much so that I actually bought a headlice-comb and changed my washing powder as I thought it may be due to lice or an allergic reaction. Since it has then brought on the attention to my scalp that I have noticed that lately (as in the last 6 weeks) my hair just hasnt felt right. My hair has always felt soft, but not THIS soft. It still looks full when I straighten and style it with my products in there. But my receeding line is quite apparent if you pull back my hair. It just seems to be so out-of-the-blue because I've never noticed it like this at all and it's only been the last month or so. I've certainly never experienced the itching.

However I've started using a scalp enriching pre-conditioner and I have a conditioner that increases the blood-flow to the hair follicle. And today I invested in some healthy hair and nails formula stuff which has b2, b3, b6, h and b9 vitamins in there which are all suposed to be good for preventing hair-loss.

I hope it helps matters, I will post again if it does and I'm hoping it does as the sudden onset could be due to me leading a very poor diet while I'm currently pretty broke, the supplements may help.

I'm also wondering now as to wether the hair surgery road is worth while going down since I've looked into it. There is a question I'd like to pose but it is more of a professional question like – would it be better to have this on the onset of loss so that it never gets to the point where you need to have it out of necessity.

Sorry; I do ramble on – but I blog alot on a day to day basis, and I'm pretty stressed out – it's got to go somewhere so I'm typing it out.

forgot to add picture photoblog.com/moseymoose/…hair.html

this is roughly 8 weeks ago

@Luke
Dude, relax from my expirience I can tell you that you have 3 years in worst case xD, my baldness start when I was around 18, now I'm 22 and yes I had full head of hair a shoulder lenght and I loved it, so it wass reason more to be stressed about it, I try every stupid product on market and nothing, so I change a bit of my style start with workouts, buzz it on 2 about a year ago, now I'm on 2 on sides and bac and 4 on top, and it isn't very noticable, still, bothers me a little. But on my opinion and opinions other ppl who knows me at least five years I look mush better this way.

hey guys, am 19 years old, ive been noticing hair loss for about 2years now and its just the front part of my hair,its really thin and u can see through it. people usually say i have a big head so shaving will not help either. everytime i look in the mirror i die a little inside and feel the world has ended coz of my thinning front. i dont wanna shave coz truth be told i think i look very sexy with hair and feel like the most gorgeous man alive (no bragging) when i style up my hair. i really dont wanna lose it. HELP!

@luke..

having the same problem. am 23. we have the same hairstyle. My hair started thinning last year.. I was like 'WTF" I really don't wanna go for the bald look..am not saying I don't like it. It's just that I think am not gonna look good on it. I really like this blog because i can say "I'm not alone" I've never tried any products yet, I was looking on the internet for solutions but I can't seem to find one. Am gonna try a shampoo that was recommended by my friends.. they used to have bald spots but it was gone after using this shampoo
for a while. am not sure if it's available in your country. Am gonna try this one first and will definitely let you guys know if it works.. ^^ wish me luck.. ^^

I am 24 now. Been thinning since 18 years. I am in constant limbo. Where I see someone who has a receding hairline, and it looks good, and I want that hair. Then I see someone like Jason Statham, who looks good, so I shave it again. My main problem is not that I dont like shaving it (shaving it meaning a 1 clip), I hate the damn MOLES and Freckles all over my white head, as well as that red rash shit. Short is better. and to 'Kevin' my folks always said stuff that i should let my hair grow out, 'like I used to have it' keyword 'used to have hair' I just ignored the comments, it took them 2 years but they like it now. (or dont say anything lol) ok peace

How does one who needs a no guard buzz muster the courage and confidence to do so. I am in limbo and crippled socially due to balding and look redicolous. Any words of how a person made this move would be appreciated.

Hi JJ, I was in your position about 6 months ago, so I will have at least some idea of what you are going through. I was 23 (still am, just) and my receding and thinning was just starting to become noticeable. For about a year before I buzzed there wasnt a single day where I didnt get frustrated and upset about my hairloss. I thought everyone was laughing at me and that my chances with women were gone forever. I was thinking about buzzing for a couple of months before I finally got the courage to do it. A way that I got used to the idea was to remind myself of all the successful, good-looking bald guys out there who do well, not despite their hair loss, but completely independent of whether they have hair or not. Because what you need to try and realise is that people actually dont care about your hair. Theyre far more concerned about you judging them in some way. If youre worried about what the ladies will think then dont. Some might be attracted to guys with hair but there will be an equal number who like their men bald or buzzed, trust me I know. What women are attracted to is not the same as for men. Bald guys are just as successful with the ladies and if you dont believe me then google Neil Strauss. Good luck man, I really hope you buzz soon, it so much better on this side

This ONLY looks good if you happen to have a nice shaped head and square jaw, otherwise you'll look like an idiot either way. Its all about good genetics guys! You can change the shape of your skull so if your 'lucky' to have a nice shape you lucked out!

I am 27. and my hair started thinning when I was in my early 20s, possibly even in my late teens.

I remember being extremely worried about life as a 'baldie', so much so that in the early years of the last decade, I spent in excess of £4000 on a laser treatment which did make a slight difference, but left me with a huge burden; the 4K wasn't the be all and end all, I spent a further £50 a month on a solution which you had to rub, twice a day and with a certain technique, into your scalp. So at the beginning, not only was I spending a lot of money, I also had a serious preoccupation, I was spending 10 tedious minutes a day just massaging my scalp.

I can't remember times and numbers, but as this went on I became more and more apathetic about going through the motions morning and evening; For example, you come in late in the evening, after a few drinks and you just want to go to bed.
Brushing your teeth seems an arduous task, let alone wasting another 5mins to rub your scalp.
I ended up only doing the treatment when I felt like it, which wasn't often; reducing the amount of times I carried it out down to once a day then a just a couple of times a week, then I thought to myself, I really can't be bothered and it probably ceased to be effective.

I was left with little money and so I couldn't afford any further treatment, but luckily I had started to accept my fate. I used to frequently go to my local hairdresser, until I discovered a chain of barbers in London that cut hair for £7 a go, and get my hair cut.
My boss, who is bald himself, suggested that if I was to get my hair cut that short, I should buy a clipper set. I continued to get my hair cut for a while until I took his advice. I bought some clippers, which got me change out of £40 and started cutting my own hair and at first I had a number 2, which is the length at which I had it cut at the barbers. Then I thought to myself; I am going to be completely bald on top one of these days and it's not like I can grow rock star hair now, so one evening I thought I might as well take it done to a 1.
That I did and although I felt a little self concious at first, by the time I went to bed I was really happy with it and it was like I'd turned over a new, fresh and a wholly liberating leaf in my life. I went to work the following day and I had a lot of compliments from my work colleagues and people with whom I interact regarding my work, one even saying I looked younger.

I've been cutting my own hair, now for about 2 years. At the moment it's thin enough for it to be necessary to keep short but not thin enough to keep it at no.1 constantly. When I see that my hair is noticeably thinning I shave it.

I have a couple of jokes, regarding this issue, the first one being; when I have to start combing my hair I cut it and the second one being; now it's this short I can wear hats without worrying about messing my hair up. Although they usually raise a smile, there is an element of truth in the latter joke. When I was self concious about my hair I woudn't have dared wear a hat; it would've flattened my hair down and the way it fell, although I didn't have a bald patch at the front, you could see that underneath the hair had seriously thinned and quite frankly it looked awful, at least in my opinion.

And it is about confidence, with me it went hand in hand. I took a chance and sheared my head and now I feel more comfortable about my appearance, at least from the shoulders up.

I am no counsellor and this advice is pretty much all I can muster, but it breaks my heart to see members of my own sex cutting themselves up over a lack of dead strands (that's all hair is) micrometres in diameter, sprouting out of the top of their head. As soon as you stop worrying about your lack of hair others will too and if they don't then what do you care? We were not put on this earth to be liked or to please others.

I think your blog is excellent I found it on Bing. Definetely will return again! I am very exsiting about learning newknowledgeBest Regards, Mateus

I'm 21 and my hair has been thinning ever since I was about 17-18. I used to keep it a bit longer back then, sort of skater style and just couldn't get used to the thought that it was obviously receding.

I did manage to hide this for a while with various cuts, but for about a year it's just impossible not to notice. As previously stated by Tom, I did spend loads of money on countless products, (maybe not as much as you mate ), but still, Minoxidil 2%, 5%, dermatologist's consults and various 'miracle' cures still cost a fortune. It's obviously become a mass industry which exploits men with hair-receding problems and especially their anxiety and I have to say I've fallen for it myself for quite a while.

However, since my girlfriend started encouraging me to go for as short as possible, a no. 1 or 2, I started contemplating the idea. Then I came across this section and it just got me thinking and I finally decided to cut my own hair today to a no.1 and what can I say, I absolutely love it, it's far better then what I had before! Maybe I did go over the top with the no.1 as it's not yet that thin, but anyway, I'm gonna keep it short from now on.

The fact that I'm growing facial hair similar to what Frederick Ljunberg has in the picture also homogenizes the overall look.

Because it's really short, the scalp won't be working that hard to provide it with the necessary nutrients and I can now try some herbal treatments in the hope that I might be able to thick it just a bit. Also, I've bought Nisim Bio-Factors for oily hair which although a bit more expensive (cost me 40 pounds a 1l bottle), it should last quite a while and more importantly, it appears to dry my otherwise oily and greasy scalp which is exactly what I wanted.

Anyway, I stand by my decision of keeping it short from now on and I encourage each and every one of you to at least contemplate this idea and imagine how would you look like. Obviously you have to take the shape of your head and face into account, but overall you'll be positively surprised by the results!

I was born with a receding hairline so I have had one since so for all you people that are crying because they have finally got it "GROW UP IT COULD BE WORSE" upon saying that I used to get teased and bullied until I was about 17, I am now 20 and decided to go the whole way and get a bald cut, I must say and I say it with humility I am handsome bald compared to when I had hair.

For all you guys thinking of cutting your hair, take the plunge it will always grow back, it is now like it is a life death situation.

Al Gore and Mike Huckabee and Bill O'Reilly all definitely need to conside shaving the top of their heads and keeping a trim fringe or go for the completely bald look. Has anyone paid any attention to the huge bald spots in the crown of each of these men. Gore at times uses that spray junk that darkens the spot. Myself, I'm 57, have a high forehead, but have enough curly hair on top to comb it, brush it, or just use fingers to push it straight back. I know I'm doing something right because my lady stylist for nearly 20 years says I look good with my hair either short or long. I usually go 6-7 weeks between cuts. My wife likes it too, but I've actually had some acquaintances, including two nephews who suggest "do like me, shave it off." I don't think so, and even if I lost it on top, I'd still go for the Winston Churchill hair style.

By the way, I've seen women with their hair pulled back, and their foreheads are as high as mine, so nephews, my hair stays for me and my lady.

I have a receding hairline and buzzed my hair 2 weeks ago. I used a No 3 and it looked ok. I thought if i went a little lower it would balance things out more. So, i went to a No 2 and now it looks worse. The front looks way thinner then when i had it at a No 3.

What should I do? If I let it grow back to a No 3 will it look like it did before? If my hair looks thinner at a No 2 would it look really bad if i went to a No 1 or no attachment?

I was sick of my thinning hair and receding hairline and about a week ago I just buzzed it to a number 1. What a freakin mistake. My head is so lumpy and coned that I immediately called up my parents and complained that they MUST have really smacked me around a lot while I was a baby with a soft maluable head. Anyway… I have no i dea what to do with it.. even when it gets longer. Im think on the sides, receding and thin right across and back through the top AND I have a head that justs cant be shaved. Other than shaving the bone down, any suggestions?

Lads, I came across this site at the end of last Summer. Since then I wrestled with the idea of buzzing it all off and just embracing the inevitable. My quandary? I have really think hair, but it started, maybe even in my early 20’s, to thin out at the front in that semi circular way ala Jason Statham. Just like the rest of yee, I tried various styles, various products, etc, but to be honest, I know now that I was just fooling myself. I went to Oz there before Xmas and using the break as a chance to get used to it (and let the sun at my scalp!!) I went for a 1.5 all over. One word; awesome. Never mind the look, which is quite good given the shape of my head; it’s the liberation of it all. No more fretting and freaking out; it’s done now, for better or worse, and life in that regard is so much more easier now. I have since went to a 1 and then to a .5 blade all over. And I’ll probably take it down to a 0 over the next few weeks/months and start shaving it myself with a set of dinky clippers that I bought last week.

Bottom line, of course I’d rather have hair, but this is the hand I’ve/we’ve been dealt. You only get one life, and I’ve wasted more than enough of mine worrying about something that I really have no control over. Too be honest, if I had full hair cover, I think I’d keep it shaved now anyway! Tis so handy and it looks v smart/tidy, stylish even if the total package is in order, facial hair, clothes, physique, etc.

If my scenario sounds anyway like yours, my advice is to just do it.

I, too, have to agree: It truly IS a liberation.
I'm 28 now and have been balding (receding hairline and development of a bald spot) for years, though the process seems to stagnate somewhat during the last 2 years or so (maybe in part due to the fact that I've been using minox for about 6 months).
Nevertheless, I became so obsessed with my appearance because of this balding thing that I was entering a (kind of narcisstic) stage of despair.
Minox is no remedy. Buzzing it off really is.

At times it might feel like caving in, but in fact it's quite the opposite, even if it means letting go of your carefully groomed self-image and forgetting about your looks for some time.

At last I'm able to focus on what really matters in life.

Go for it!

Nice Joe; fair play man!! The feeling of liberation is unreal isnt it? Especially when you realise that 'growing it out' again isnt an option…as it just wont grow back!! Personally, i kinda love my new look and know that i should have done it years ago instead of fooling myself. Its not as if people hadnt noticed before that i was thinning? If you dont just man up and shave it, you'll just continue to stumble along towards an inevitable comb over.

Remember, you only need one hot chick in the club to love guys with shaved heads !!!!

My name's Ben, and i am balding…but it buzzed my head and took some power back!!!!

Guys, im considering the final plunge this w/e; going from a 0.5 to a 0 all over. My question? It seems stupid really, but is there much difference really??? Just a tiny bit tepid about making this final grade step!!!

Ben, I'd like to get your advice as well. As for the zero guard, scroll up and look at the Kelly Slater picture. That's the length you'll be dealing with.

As for my situation I'm thinning like J. Statham as well. My problem is that the right side of my hair is thinner than the left side. I use toppik to help cover it up. I want to use the #1 guard all over. Will it help give the appearance that the right side isn't as bad?

I'm more worried what my friends will think. Pretty sad, huh? They already give me a hard time about my receding hairline. I'm almost 38 now and I'm tired of dealing with this. I'm sick of using different shampoos to thicken the hair up. I'm sick of applying toppik every single day. I've been doing it for so long, I'm just over it!

This is probably one of the greatest blogs I've ever read. It's really helped me accept the hand I've been dealt.

every one thinks they have a huge problem and wish they had d same hair as their teens….m 19 and m been baldin since 3 years…how do ull think my situation is…i guess ull should b glad dat ull are not baldin in ur teens only….trust me this is so much difficult to deal with

i did it! I just turned 21 and my hairline has been receding for a few years now. i have always worn my hair spiky on top and i would cover up the bald spots by pulling the hair down on the top sides of my head and i wear a hat almost every day i am only confident with a hat on. i just shaved my head down to a 2 and i dont think i will ever go back. its short, maintenence free and it doesnt look half bad. thank you for giving me the confidence i needed.

Went '0' all over on Friday past; too short!! Tis funny how much of a difference there is between a 1/0.5 and the 0. Tis grand by now though (Tues), but i'll be keeping it at a 0.5 until the Summer at least!! As for the look, it was an even trim all over, no signs of my balding at all. Couldn't imagine how a 'razor' or Mach-3 blade would get it shorter!?

Geoff – Def go for a 1 blade. Have you any annual leave or holidays coming up? Or a long w/e even? I did mine when i was in Oz recently for a break, and it really helped me get used to it, so by the time i was home it just felt normal to me. Once you get used to it, it doesnt really matter what others think. The 1 blade should ensure a even profile all over; you wont believe the feeling of liberation man. Do'it.

This is a great site and its nice to hear about other people dealing with a receding hairline.
I am 27 now and not really sure when I first started to notice my hair thinning. If I had to guess it would be around my first year in college. Its a pain every time you leave your house you have to worry about how your hair looks. I use shampoo to thicken my hair; I buy hair spray and use that and I guess it helps but there is really nothing you can do to hide hairloss.

I hate getting stuck out in the rain because my hair looks like a mess after. When I go swimming I dont go under water. I lost some confidence because of my hair.

I dont know what wake up call I need to buzz it off but I am very close giving it a try and hopefully it would be for the best.

No offense but I think mostly Caucasian men go insane over their hair. Latinos and Blacks usually don't have this much hype over the hair thing. (Especially after the teen years) Everyone looks different. A lot of it has to do with bone structure as mentioned earlier, if you have a square jaw and chiseled head the short hair will look better.

Our family doesn't have huge problems with early baldness genetically, just some family history of thinning hair at the top which never becomes really that significant or noticeable.

However, most of the men in my family have a good shaped head and just found it easier to either have it trimmed down to 1 , 0.5, or 0. At a certain age a man looks more mature anyways with less hair. It shows wisdom, sophistication and in traditional cultures…transcendence from materialism and worldly affairs.

I think people are WAY too judgmental of looks in America. Upon spending time in other countries I have realized that we focus too much on physical appearance and not enough on spirit, personality and inner strength.

In many indigenous cultures the only ages in which a man has long hair on all sides is before puberty. This is contrary to popular belief that ALL ancient civilizations valued longer hair. In feudal Japan to have a full head of hair might have implied you were uncouth or a barbarian, even if you had a top knot. Covering the forehead with hair was not something that "civilized" people did.

On the other hand, in the modern world many swimmers and athletes (especially soccer) shave their heads to gain a competitive advantage. Today's man in 2011 is focused more on functionality than flamboyant style. Believe it or not in many cases women themselves have popularized the bald or buzz cut look by having a preference for dating Military men over the past 60 years.

The form of masculinity these days has changed. A man with less hair is preferred. This is not the 1970's and we aren't in the counter-culture revolution any more. There are all sorts of men that are bald BY CHOICE from Bikers to CEOs to Gang Members.

Nobody is going to shriek if you walk down the street bald or think you are weird. This is 2011. And a good point was made earlier in the thread about Winston Churchill. He was respected regardless of how he looked. People who hated him didn't hate him because he was balding, they hated him for his political sense. People don't think better of Nicholas Sarkosky or George Bush because they have a full head of hair.

Also in the end it comes back to being comfortable in your own skin. Some women tell me all the time that I should grow my hair out, but when my hair was long there was another set of women that said I should cut it all off. There will always be inconsistencies, you just have to do what YOU believe is best for you. Regardless of what family, friends or anyone else says. At the end of the day YOU have to deal with the hair (or lack thereof) not them.

Personally I allow my hair to grow sometimes once in a while but it's too much of a hassle especially in the winter time where I get dandruff easily. You would think dandruff would be worse with less hair but actually it's much easier to wash, moisturize and exfoliate!

Best of all I probably save 30 minutes each day, $25 every 2 weeks from haircuts and probably $300 a year in hair products such as shampoos, conditioners, brushes and combs.

Every time I go to the bathroom I often see men checking their hair and brushing or combing, some even washing their hair in the sink (of a public restroom no less).

I remember one time I used that bathroom twice at an office I was visiting to meet a client.

I think the first time was to rub a stain off my pants as I had spilled some coffee. The second time was to actually use the bathroom.

This was 30 minutes later, I think I saw the same guy in there still messing around with his hair!

Trust me if anything, even if you look worse after shaving it all off…. The relief of not having to worry about whether your hair is messed up or in the wrong direction every hour is worth it. And the only reason you'll be in the bathroom that long is to wash your face, brush your teeth or maybe taper up your facial hair….time better spent on more important things!

Well said Jon. I was a guy who had a tough time with this at first and I still have my days. When I had a full head of hair a lot of girls and gay men found me attractive but when I started losing it that attention sort of dried up. What it took me a while to realise was that it wasnt the lack of hair that was making me less attractive, it was the loss of confidence and the generally cynical and grumpy mood that became normal for me. Since the shave things have been waaaaay better. Im starting to get girls again and more importantly I feel a whole lot better. If youre thinking about going with the buzz, do it

i am 19 with a receding hair line and i always say to my mates when it goes back you carnt grow it back and i love my hair and if you let your beard stubble it looks even better just saying

iI'm 22 and I am definitely starting to recede… only a little and is way more noticeable to me than to any one else. I decided to start growing it out, trying to hide it, but reading this, not sure I should bother any more. I'm starting to get so paranoid about having no hair but I just can't bare to do the deed….. help?

I dont know I have had a bad receding hairline since I was born but it stayed the same throughout my life. I always kept my hair longer on the front a shave the back. Now the front is getting a little thinner so I am debating if I should shave that too. I got a big head so I dont know how it would look shaved. Also that soccer player up there Frederick looks like that cuz he has a lighter pigment of hair.

i'm 25 now and i noticed that my hairline started to recede around my 23rd birthday. throughout the years i've had pretty much any hairdo you can think of long, short, spiked, combed, mullet, mohawk, anything. and it all looked good as far as i know. my problem is not that i'm losing my hair (i did freak out for about a year, but i've come to terms with it and the amount of girls interested in me lately has increased, if anything) but that i have pretty big ears and i look like dumbo when i have short hair. i remember when i first buzzed my hair with no guard and then approached my girlfriend at the time in a line at the cafeteria in college she ran away screaming… literally. never had the confidence to shave it again after that. i keep it short and spiky right now and it looks good enough,but the progression tells me that it will look ridiculous in a matter of months. its only disappearing in 2 circles about an inch in diameter on both corners of my forehead similar to what jude law's hair looks like.so i'm just looking for alternatives to buzz cut that anyone can offer, or should i just buzz it off and try to accept my ears sticking out like micky mouse's?

I'm 22, and have been receding slowly since age 17. I have always had long, shaggy hair – so it's very much part of my identity. I initially went through a peroid of massive frustrations in which i'm sure the stress exascerbated the loss. Well recently I have started to get over my fear of conditioner and generally don't think about hair loss too much. Anyway this summer I am thinking of maybe trying the buzz cut, just to get through the acceptance stage earlier.

The thing is I have some concerns. no.1: I genetically have rosy cheeks, another insecurity and a high pale forehead. By having my hair long it detracts from them – so for this reason I'm starting to feel depressed about what I will look like with a shaved head (on the plus side I think I have a good headshape for it)

As well as this is inevitably dealing with comments from people who have always known me with long hair. Everyone keeps mentioning that if you have confidence you can pull it off and attract ladies. The PROBLEM is I very much lack in that department, and even through I have been told that many girls apparantly think I'm good looking, my shyness means I'm not very succesful. And that's with my hair.

I feel baldness is going to be a make or break situation – which is why I'm thinking of biting the bullet and shaving, instead of hiding the receding hairline and sitting on the fence of frustration!

My hair started thinning when I was 14 which really lowered my self esteem. It wasn't too bad at first but it really messed with my mind. I was really shy around girls and spent a lot of time in the gym trying to build muscle to make up for my growing – or in this case thinning – problem. When I was 17 I finally just got sick of everything and decided to shave it, I didn't have the extra money to buy costly hairloss treatments. So one night I just bought a pair of clippers and did it. The first stroke was the hardest but after that the rest came much easier. I was still in highschool so the next day was the thing I stressed out about the most. Some people really liked it and others well just acted like a bunch of normal highschool kids and tried to poke fun.

I found that the mindset was what was really important, I had just taken a hairstyle that had a rep that I had to live up to. I needed to live up to men like Vin Diesel and Jason Statham who had made this hairstyle famous. So I grew a take-no-prisoners attitude and it really helped me survive highschool so to speak. Not to mention all those hours I spent in the gym paid off haha. Anyways long story short, girls started to come onto me a lot more because of both my new look and attitude. So shaving my head was one of the best decisions I've ever made. And don't get me wrong I'm not saying you have to go out and start fights and be a player to rock a shaved head but I found that adding a bit of confidence to the look can change your life. I'm 20 now still rockin a shaved head and have no regrets.

I noticed a receding hairline when i was 14, gradually getting worse throughout highschool and into Uni. The last couple months it started to thin out pretty badly at the front. The back is really thick still. Decided it was time to shave it off and now i feel great. I really recommend it! Great site! Oh, im 20 next month

I use to have spikey hair longer i had it the more bold i look receding hair line front fringe and bold patch back size of a baseball in my early twentys so idecided bite bullit get out clippers number 1 without guard shave head bold then out comes gillette mach 3 get closer shave take stubble away bold better losing hair might aswell shave what have left number one like vin diesel bold head is better growing hair longer covering up bold patches sooner or later i was going too be bold . so i shave it all off bold razor if it gets cold dust wear adidas baseball cap cover up bold head if you get cold girlfriends getting use too bold head better shave all off comb over bold patches now im 34 bold is better

since ihad shaved my head bold i have nno regrets shaving my head number 1 no guard trying grow hair falling out might aswell shave it all off be proud too be bold recommend it too any man show signs of baldness if youre losing hair might shave all off shave closer razor mach 3 and shaving gel be proud shiny bold head cant grow whats not there no cure for boldness losing shave it off grow whats not there coverup future boldness i was showing sign hair recedeing in early twentys approach nearly thirtys now im 34 look even less hair courage shaved all off bold better

I made a post maybe a month or two ago because I needed motivation to shave my head since i have a receding hairline and I was sick of having to style my hair to try and cover it up. But we all know people notice. So after reading this page and talking to a friend I said screw it and buzzed it off about an hour ago. It looks better than I thought it would and so far i like it. I just need to get some sun on my head and ill be good to go. I am already lean with muscle so im good there. Now lets hope more ladies come into my life.

Congrats Brian. Big step that I need to get to myself.

Good job Brian. Hoping to muster the courage myself.

I am 29 i will be 30 in a month. I started losing my hair when I was in my early twenties it started at my crown and over the past couple years the front is receding and thinning up top. I have never used any shampoos or topical solutions/foams, pills etc… Always adopted the mindset of "it is what it is".

Lately, I have been noticing extra thinning and psychologically it has been messing with me. Lucky for me I have been blessed with a round head and I have never been the ugliest guy in a room. I know I need to make the leap and buzz it off, and I know I will feel better for doing it, but I just cant pull the trigger.

The simple truth for anyone losing their hair is:
We are our own worst enemies .

I will post again when I make the jump…it may take a few brews but sooner or later its going to happen.

Adam G; just do it lad!!!

I currently have the barber cut the back and sides using a # 2 .
The top , the barber uses scissors… dunno probably to 1 /2 inch
How much of a change / shock would it be if I were to let him go to town with a # 4 .
I have to admit i had a HT 10 yrs ago .
My crown has lost more hair and I am fed up worrying about it and trying to deal with it
When the # 2 is used for the back and sides , you CANNOT see the scar . I am concerned with how my top and front will look like when a # 4 is used .My barber feels that I keep it short now it will look natural .

Anyone else in the same predicament …( HT and wanting to buzz down ) . Please no preachers, looking for constructive criticsim to get me over the hump/
Please and thanks

JJ – I dont know your situation but after having mind done for a week I am becoming to like it more. Yes at first it was very different but I feel stress free now.

Most of the people said they liked it – I figured there would be some jokes but nothing mean was said at all. I was at a bar a few days after I got it done and the girl working there who I only know from seeing her said she isnt sure if she likes it.

But as far as confidence – I really never had an issue with getting a GF or talking with girls at all. It was just something that bothered me and I am glad I buzzed my head. I do feel a little more confident just because I dont feel like I am hiding anything. Plus the weird thing is after buzzing it down to a 1 I let it grow back a little and now it seems like its ocming in thicker all around. so thats a plus.

For all of you unsure about doing it…just do it. I also have noticed a few people buzzed there head after seeing me and another guy at work was asking questions because he is thinking of buzzing this summer.

Using men with perfectly shaped heads and model faces as examples is very realistic. ~end sarcasm

What about people with XL size skulls that have dents and bumps? Take a look at Mike O'Malleys' head http://www.poptower.com/mike-omalley-picture-36811.htm. No wonder he wears a cap all the time. His head is oddly shaped and has a noticeable dent or two. Think you would have any confidence walking around with a head like that?

Bob-thats a side view with him facing slightly down. All frontal pics look fine.

Thanks Brian, did you buzz it yourself and does it show and islands where you have thinned to the scalp?

Question above meant for Bob.

JJ – At first no I didnt buzz it myself. I walked into where I normally get my haircut and told her to jsut buzz it off. I think she was a little taken back and didnt expect me to request that.

I have a stubble trimmer for my face so I just use that on my head now. I been playing around with the length to see what looks good and what I like. I had it trimmed down real low which it basically felt like sand paper. But I let the top grow in a little and it doesnt look that bad. You can def see the hairline but I really dont mind. To be honest my hairline looks exacly like Ljunberg at the top of the page. So where its thinning you can see scalp and on the sides and back its def thicker but with my hair being blonde and being tan it blends in really well.

When I was a kid everyone told me I had such thick hair I'd never lose it. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way LOL. Anyway, I'm 35 now and it finally got to the point I went in for a haircut and my barber shrugged his shoulders and said "what do you want to do" after cutting my hair it looked like a pathetic mess. My hair was thinning in odd spots and not uniform and just looked messy and not symmetrical. I said "just shave it off!"

Well, that was the right decision! Warning, it took about six months to fully get used to. Expect shock from the people at first and then everyone calms down. Yes, you will have a bald head but guess what? It will look athletic, and even, and intentional, which will give you confidence in your look. I never worry about the wind blowing my comb over around. again, LOL.

Here's some DO's and DONT's for you guys facing losing your hair:

DO: shave it off. I like a standard hair trimmer from Target or where ever. You'll need to touch it up about every week or so to keep a clean look. Do it yourself and blow the money you save at the barber on new toys.

DO: use a little baby powder after your shower on your head to keep the sheen off. This works really well.

DO: keep yourself in shape. Going to the beach with a bald head and ripped abs is not so bad, trust me.

DO: Try some cool looks like some neat facial hair, or nice eyeglasses or sunglasses.

DO: wear sunscreen on your head.

DONT: wear hats constantly, do the comb over (think politicians) or try the gimmick pills and other bull**it. Especially don't do the surgery we've all seen frankenstein results from those. Keep in mind there is a whole industry that makes money from guys panicking about their hair.

DONT: Panic.

DONT: Get fat. Fat guys look older than bald guys, hands down.

Anyway, just some thoughts. As with most things in life going bald is about your attitude. Keep a positive attitude. And most of all, stay confident in yourself. Good Luck!

Hey DJ thanks for the great post. I'm 38 and reaching that point as well. Like you my hair loss is uneven. The right side is much worse than the left. My question for you is did you go with no guard or do use use the #1 clipper?

MAN UP No guard.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm 22, I had long hair for a lonnnnng time. Most of my life. It had become part of my personality. When my hair thinning had reached a breaking point, I took the plunge.

I gave a last rites to my hair then shaved it down no-guard. I was susprised how well it had turned out. It was an EXCITING, LIBERATING, change. I'd gotten what I wanted. Minutes later I showered and then applied shaving cream and manually shaved it down.

Another shower and aloe moisturizer later, it was done. I'd never felt better in the past few years. This was in February.

Don't hesitate, jump in.
No GUARD.

55 in good shape with bald area on crown, thinning on top, thick at back, look normal from the front as I look in the mirror. But the look loses it from the sides or the back and I've recently been considering losing the scraps and graying sideburns. Afterall, what am I holding on to? The jig is up, the full head of hair is past tense and the gray is oh so ancient. Think I will take the buzz plunge once the weather heats up. Just gotta try it!

Hi

Been debating getting rid of my remaining hair for a while now but I gotta admit I am kinda scared. I am 29, my hare started falling out a few years back and I just started letting it grow longer to hide it. I have lost so much on top now that it's quite obvious that I am hiding baldness. I have very little from the front all the way to the back.

My main worry is that I have quite a large head and I am slightly pale and also not in great shape so I have a bit of a fat face. These things are making me really paranoid about looking awful with a buzzed or shaved head. Any advice is welcome as I know something has to be done but I am really worried

I wanted to thank you immeasurably for this article. I've been coming across this page for like a year now trying to gather up the courage to buzz it off. Last week I figured ok, I'll go down to a 1/4" 2 guard and see how it goes. It looked awful. I'm 30 and all of a sudden looked 40, was just too thin up top and had never admitted it to myself until it was undeniably right there in the mirror in front of me. We're talking full on horseshoe, I couldn't lie to myself anymore.

I was miserable. All week. Just stared at my hair (or lack thereof), catching a glimpse of it in storefront windows as I'd walk by in direct sun and it would look like there was nothing there. Finally today, coming across this page again for the 100th time I said screw it, and went down to the barbershop for a 1 guard. And OMG! I look and feel fantastic. There is no sign of thinning, like at all. None. I look about 5 years younger than I have for the last few years, it's really unbelievable.

All of that worrying, all of that loss of self confidence just evaporated as I was looking at myself in the barbershop mirror while the guy buzzed it off. I can honestly say I've never been this happy with my appearance, even back before my hair started thinning out in my early 20's. There's a world of difference between a 1 guard and a 2 guard, if you're reading this and still mulling it over like I did please do yourself a favor and try the 1 guard. I wish I'd done it years and years ago. Thanks again so much for this page, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. If anyone's interested in seeing the progression pictures I've put them all up on here, page 2 shows today's pics:

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=66054

Hi Ron! im 26, started losing my hair when i was 18.. was really upset seeing as though i had i nice cut!after 2 years of thinning, i decided to pull out the clippers and shave off the lot! i didn't even use the plastic guard thingy.. my confidence had gone out of the window and never came back, so i usually wear a hat (i have gone through hundreds now) people do say i look good in a hat and much older without one, when i DO decide to go out without a hat i feel as though everyone is staring, no-one ever says it doesn't suit me, infact a lot of people say it DOES suit me. I find that its not a major issue to any one but i do get a few 'baldy' comments, nothing i cant handle. people get used to seeing me with no hair. i find that lighter clothing, or anything but black helps me with the pale problem coz i tend to look pale most days, once you've gone for it people will soon adapt to ur new look.. i mean, what do you think when you see another bald guy? oh it suits him, and him.. oh him too! its cool bro, go for it some ladys love it

I noticed when i was 17. I decided to hit the gym after watching crank and now i feel pretty good at 19, chicks dont seem to mind they say i have the right head for it, dome shaped and veiny :/ anyway keep a three day growth and an angry expression and the ladies will hang of you, a british accent wont hurt either (im australian so im half way there )

Hi,
I'm trying to get the courage to buzz off my hair. I'm 49 and have been taking Finasteride/Propecia for about 8 years. This has seriously effected my sex drive and overall mood in a bad way. I came across this site and feel a little better. I have also read where the sexual side effects might be irreversible and permanent. I am scared $hitless to be blunt. I see a shrink on Friday and hope he can reassure me, of what, I'm not even certain. I just feel really down and have lost a lot of my vigor for life sometimes. I don't want to sound like a wimp, however, it is bothering me. Thanks for any help or feedback.

Chuck – that is not a way to live your life. It def takes a lot out of you daily when you always have to worry about your hair. Trust me I hated when my hair didnt look right and I had to leave the house.

Ever since I buzzed my head a couple months ago I have felt great. I was always worried people looked at me different when I had hair even though I still had a lot left on my head. Now I am able to do things I would have never done when I had hair and I love it.

I say give the buzz cut a try for a couple months and I believe you will like the results.

This site has helped me so much, thank you to all contributors.
I am 27 and have struggled with hairloss for the past 10 years. its gotten to breaking point now where my semi comb-over is just embarrassing (hairline like jude law with everything pushed forward). I cant stand photos, remind me of how ugly i have become. my most recent photo on facebook is from 4 years ago. i hate the wind and rain, spend ages fixing my hair….well i dont really need to go into more detail…you guys already know the drill!!
But after reading the posts above i have just said to my self "f**k this, if this is my lot in life then so be it".

I am heading to australia very shortly and once I arrive I am going to buzz it off and get a tan, hit the gym and focus on other aspects of my life. If im meant to be a bachelor then thats whats meant to be but as someone said above you only get one life…dont waste it away wishing you had more.

Anyway i'll update once i have buzzed my head and got a tan and i will let ye all know how it has worked out.

Head up, chest out, I am what i am.

Hi Brian,
Thank you for taking the time to write back. I have been experiencing some serious sexual side effects since taking Finasteride over the years. I have also read about a condition called Post Finasteride Syndrome. I share many of these side effects, emotional blunting, loss of spontaneous erections,feeling low, have anxiety, seem irritable more often, and a host of others. As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm seeing my shrink on Friday. I am very afraid of these symptoms persisting even after I stop taking the drug. This upsets me more than buzzing my head which I will eventually do. I read that many guys are still suffering symptoms after many years of stoppping the drug! This is a sucky situation. I hope mine stop or are at least alleviated somewhat. Thanks again Brian for responding.

Chuck – I cant comment on any of the drugs because I never took any myself. But I hope everything is OK after you stop taking them.

To Drico – I was in the same boat. I hated rain, snow or anything that made my hair wet. I think you as an individual are the hardest on yourself. Let me explain. I thought for years my hair was jacked up and thinning and receding. Yes it was to some extent but I had most of the hair on the top of my head. Since I thought this it really messed up my confidence with women. Not until after I buzzed my head that my hair wasnt that bad. I had girls I knew asking why I buzzed my head and said I looked better with hair. Go figure!

Even though people told me that I still had way more people tell me I looked so much better with a buzzed head. My confience is high right now and when I am out I dont worry about my hair at all. I feel like a new person. So buzz your head, get a tan and workout and you will be set.

I'm 35. I'm completely shocked that I have as much hair as I do, I was convinced that by 20 I'd be bald. I made it past 30, but around 32 it started falling out like mad.

I have a baby-face, I have this ridiculous curse where my face looks way younger than I am. But over the last 3 years my hair line, the thinning on top of my jet black hair, has made me look ridiculous. Pictures shock me. There's this awful limp fuzz on the top of my. I'm so envious of my blond buddies with thinning hair, to have hair the same tone as your skin would make this balding thing easier. I have to say, by the time you're 35, you start seeing the balding/thinning much more in guys your age and older. The camaraderie is welcome.

I've come to this site for the last 2 years. Reading the comments here is refreshing and encouraging. I know for a fact that the build-up to my own buzz cut is not far off.

My own personal feelings is that it would bring me such relief. To finally not have to think about my stupid hair. To not have that little bug in the ear every time I stand in front of the mirror, or catch sight of myself in a reflection in a window, or worse, have someone point their cell phone camera in my direction and take another digital photo of me and my sad hair.

But I tell this story in my head where the people in my life are in denial too, that they'd be shocked and put-off by my extreme hair-cut. I can see my parents and relatives reacting negatively to the sudden and obvious change in my appearance. But then I ask myself why that matters?

Maybe I think too much about it. Maybe it doesn't matter.

What brand of razor is the best for buzzing your head? Everyone's talking about #2's and #3's etc… I don't know what this mean's…

I hate how people put fashion models, actors & other famous people into the mix for comparisons on baldness. These dudes have it all, looks, build, money, charisma from acting etc. Of course chicks are going to dig these men. They don't even need to exude confidence. The media takes care of that. Maybe someday someone will invent a shadow you can put on your head to match the rest so that it just LOOKS like you shaved your head…BUT… you can still grow hair. Might just be enough to convince the hotties. It has to be permanent though, not something you can rub off. Black dudes look the best because the skin color is uniform. White dudes with blonde hair come in 2nd….white dudes with darker hair…..too big of a difference in skin tone on top vs. the rest of your body. Tan your heads but watch out for skin cancer!

I'm so glad i looked at this page, i'm only 26 and not thinning out but got major receding hair a bit like Wayne Rooney or jude law. I used to hide it by pulling my hair over them parts to hide it, but people knew and still took the micky out of me. After reading this page i decided to do it and had a buzz cut grade 2, it looked a lot better, but tonight have just buzzed it to a grade 1 and it looks a lot better. I got a good tan, workout and am 6.ft 3 and matched my appearance. The only bad point is my head is white where it has not seen the sun, so all i need is a bit of sun on it and i will be happy again lol. i would recommend anyone to do it

This is really inspiring to read, problem I have is thinning on top, but ugly and a big forehead, want to buzz but just can't. In despair !

Please someone advise

I'm 27 yo and I'm going bald. My hair is sorta like Jude Law's — my balds spots are on the sides of my head. I still have hair in the middle, but I'm thinking about buzzing it up, like a number 2 or something. This is a huge step for me, though. On your article, you say that women kind of like bald men. The problem is that I'm gay, and gay men can be a little to selective when it comes to hair. I also don't think that my head is the ideal one to go for a shaved/buzzed up look. I might begin to wear specs, do you think this will help? Also, when you change your appearence so drastically, people will obviously notice it and that could result in some unwanted comments (goig bald is a delicate subject, you know). I'm just lost right now, in serious need of advice. Thanks anyway!

I have read most of this and I feel it important to note. I am in my mid thirties and am going bald to the point I must shave it now.

I don't consider being bald a good thing. I enjoyed having a scalp full of hair. When I was a boy in grade school all the girls enjoyed playing with my hair. But those days are over.

I would like to say that what I lost with my hair has given me the purpose and motivation to improve other areas. Physique, tongue, character and financial success are also easily as important as a head full of hair. All things being equal you will be inferior to a man with a head full of hair but don't fret! No man is equal!

Life is not about wallowing over your disadvantages but doing the best you can with what you have been given. Run the extra mile. Lift the extra weight. Take the extra class. Go the extra mile in your wardrobe. Your disadvantage will make the competition take you lightly. In the world of wooing women that is a big advantage.

I am 22 and I have had a receeding hairline for the past 4 years. It is terrifying to be losing your hair at such a young age because not many other people are. I walk around my college campus and almost every guy has a full head of neatly styled hair and it is quite depressing. Every day is a struggle. In the early stages it was not hard to disguise or even notice because it was so small. Over the years though it has receeded on both sides pretty far back and it is nearly impossible to disguise now. In high school I always had the shag look and never cut my hair short cause girls loved my long hair. But through college I realized girls liked my hair short better than long, only problem was I started getting a receeding hairline so I avoided cutting my hair short. Honestly I am just so tired of dealing with trying to style my hair to cover up my temples every morning. It is so annoying and when I do get it styled perfectly, one gust of wind or a rainy day ruins it. Then im in a terrible mood. I want to free myself and just buzz it off but I am terrified of a couple things. I am scared of what I will look like with a buzz cut. I am most terrified of the shock and comments I will get from my peers because I have done such a great job of covering up my hairline over the years only my close friends know that I am losing my hair. It just sucks I am thinking about my hair 24/7 and will skip out on fun things my friends are doing just cause it will make my hair look bad (swimming, roller coasters, etc). I know its pitiful, it has been a long 4 years of struggling with my hair and I am so sick of it. I just dont have the courage to go get it cut off. I know once I do and a couple weeks down the road when im used to it and everyone else is used to it things will be great. But I just need that extra push to help me do it and I have no idea where im gonna get it from. Hopefully from here, comments/suggestions will help.

I posted a couple months ago and tonight I pulled the trigger. I cut what was left of a once mighty and glorious forest of hair. Busted out the clippers threw on a #1 and went right down the middle. I am fairly pleased and still in shock that I did it, but I think i might have to go down to bare clippers to get a more even look. This will more then likely be my look for the rest of my life so might as well get used to it now.

I am 30 I started losing my hair at 21-22/

Adam G- Yes that is my problem with a #1 buzz as well. The uneveness of the hairloss gives it a "off center" look about it as opposed if we were balding evenly. It is much easier to maintain but a little rough to get used to as the uneveness jumps out at you. I cannot get the courage yet to go back down to a #1 and then take it to a no guard.
I do miss no the no hassle of a #1 however. Let us know how you make out.

ADam G. I have same issue with uneven hairloss pattern when doing a #1. How did you make out with a no guard? Trying to muster up the courage for that as well.

JJ- No guard is where its at for our pattern of loss. Might take you a cut or two to really get used to it, but its worth it.

If you go no guard spend some time outside after to tan your head up a bit I find it lessens the look of thinning (not much, but if you have pale skin and dark hair its a good idea)

The shorter my hair is the more peace of mind I seem to have.

Hey everybody. I've been reading these comments all night and tomorrow I am going to take the plunge in buzzing my head. I'm 21, and my hair isn't really receding in the front, but I can see some thinning on the top back side of my head. I'm going to try a number 2 buzz at first, but if I need to go lower to a number 1, I will. Just like most of you who've commented, I've been pretty self conscious about my hair, for instance, wearing a hat in public, worrying about windy/rainy days, driving with the windows down, people touching my hair, etc. I'm just getting sick of worrying about it. Its been tough accepting going bald, I mean, I see my brother who is turning 25 next week and he stuggles immensely with thinning hair. The only problem for him is his head is kind of big and he is out of shape, so i don't think he could pull off the buzzed look. As for me, I'm in pretty good shape, don't have really any head fat, and have proportional sized features, such as nose, ears, etc. So I'm just gonna go for it, buzz it off, and thanks to this article and all your comments, its given me the confidence to do so. Thanks

If you're an attractive guy –> you will still be attractive whether you have a shaved head or a full head of hair. If you're an average looking guy –> you will still be average looking whether you have a shaved head or a full head of hair…

that's the reality of it.

I've been shaving my head with a razor since i was like 24 years old… and I still get plenty of good looking girls… because I am an attractive guy to begin with……

It makes your facial features really pop out with a shaved head.. and if you have nice features… then well.. there ya go..

Hi there Rusty and everyone

Am just wondering, has anyone on this site bought that "hair ebook" on this page?
Im very curious!
thanks

hey guys.
im comin on 18. started with a #3 last year and a couple monnths after that went with a #2. and finally this summer i went with a #1. honestly the buzzcut feels great and there is less maintenance. im currently thinning a bit but can still spike my hair into a fauxhawk way without showing too much balding. i usually buzz it in the summer and keep it a bit longer during the winter. i will be bald one day probably 10-15 years from now and when that happenes i will no guard it.

well i am 15 years old and i already am starting to bald. Yes it sucks and i am super self conscious about it. i have a girlfriend which helps a lot. But i get all paranoid when she stands behind me and plays with my hair. I wish i could have a think head of hair like pretty much everyone else at school. Ive noticed like 3 other kids who also are balding which also makes me feel beter. but i just need to hold on to my hair for the rest of high school and then ill shave it off. My hair is about 2 inches long
but im going to get a hair cut soon.

hey guys thnx for the post it realy did boost my self esteem , my dad had a full head of hair till his mid 60's both my brothers are in their 30's with full heads of hair , i am only 18 and i am afraid that i am the unlucky guy in the family , my hairline is great but my frontal hair is much thinner , i got my self an appoitment with the dermiologist to know whats going on with my hair "wish me luck" anyway i just had a buzzcut 3 days ago and the feedback is great i have people all over my collage telling me how great i look a friend of mine ,she is a girl, gave me an earfull of complements
and somehow i kinda like it , i hope that i will keep my hair, but i am thinking about taking up the buzzed look for a while as i think it is realy great , it is worth giving it try bald or not , thnx again

Took the plunge about four weeks ago. Initially a #2 buzz (although I have major no-hair on the crown and receding), I needed to "go slow." Ten days later, I returned to the barbershop. The barber asked how short, and at first I said "let's try a 1A." He tried it, showed me and I said, "Let's go with #1." About ten days later, I tried it myself and used a good set of clippers and what was reported to be a 000 length (Oster Fast Feed with the 915-53 blade). I was getting compliments all along the way. Decided to go back to the barbershop this morning to have him clean up the neck line. He remembered me and said "#1?" I told him I want to go shorter. He then said "000." I was thinking more along a "0" and said so. The barber said," #1 or 000, that's the next step down." I decided since I had a "000" with my home cut, we'll go with "000." Not sure I'm believing him that there was nothing in between, but now I'm thinking the barber just decided to help me along. His "000" is much shorter than my home clippers. Definitely the Kelly Slater look. I'm sure that given about another three or four weeks, I'll go all the way with a razon. I am very satisfied … should have done it long ago. I totally agree with the general opinion … if balding/receding … just buzz it off.

I always had a weird hairline, one side going up at a different angle to the other (think David beckham) even before I started losing my hair. Gradually from about 19 this progressed, my first response at 20 was to grow my hair long to counter the receding hairline. It looked ok asthe receded was minor it didnt look like a cover up job. The. At 21 I cut it short and had it spikey/ messy as was the style, at this point it still looked good though I'd purposely pull down either side a bit to counter the recession.

For years on and off I'd go through phases of worry about it, sleepless nights looking up hair treatments. I lost a lot of confidence and looking back it was this loss of confidence that was hurting my luck with the ladies and work, not my hairstyle.

Then in November 2010 the recession came to breaking point, it had to go. I bought some clippers and off it came at a Number 1. It was the most liberating thing I'd ever done, I felt empowered that I had taken control and presented my head for the world to see! I started noticing a LOT MORE woman checking me out, Im not sure this was because of my hair or my confidence but I suspect both. I felt in control and suddenly I met a wonderful woman who I am now engaged too.

Earlier in 2011 I grew back my hair and had it short but in a faux hawk and shorter on the back and sides and while I still have enough hair to get away with it (think Jude Law before he shaved it) I actually preceded my shaved look, so a few weeks ago I went back and I'm more than delighted. People comment I look a lot sharper shaved and honestly I wouldn't have it any other way, it's a lot less fuss than styling. I just asked myself the question 'would I prefer a whole head of hair' after reading this article and honestly it's not something ponder, I suppose i would like to style it how I wanted. Buy it's just not me anymore, I am Paddy the Shaved.

The biggest thing is confidence, if you have that with Steve McDonald hair you will be just fine. But if your hairloss is causing a loss of confidence as well then you need to embrace it with the best possible hair style, and that is the buzz. It gave my confidence back. Buzz it, walk wih your head held high and start thinking abou other things than your hair.

PS I know hair transplants are getting better, but it is something I wouldn't consider. Its the rich mans combover wih no guarenteed results, would Jason Stathem or Vin Diesel ever consider a hair transplant? Not a chance. Neither would I consider creams, I know a guy who torments himself with creams and pills for a few extra folicals.

Should also mention that I am 27

Congratulations Dave. Trying to get there myself. It is very difficult to take the plunge to # 1 as I too have loss in crown and front and pattern is uneven.

I took the plunge yesterday thanks to this page and all the comments. I'm 26 and I started thinning when I was about 18, receding when I was 20. I never left the house without a hat. I avoided formal social events because of my hair. It was a nightmare. Hopefully those days are over. I guess it's kind of funny, this was the hardest thing I've had to do in a while. I paced back and forth for a good 30 minutes before I actually started shaving. I was scared I had a mis-shaped head, I had the same hairstyle for most of my life until I decided to grow it long. Anyway I started out with a 2 which I felt was too long, went down to a 1 which was okay but my bald spot was still fairly visible. Tried a 0 today – it's something I'm going to have to get used to. In any event I already feel more confident. Again, thank you to everyone here.

Started losing my hair around 18.. now 22 and as I have naturally very thick hair, I have managed to grow it long and basically hide the fact I am losing it rapidly.

But I am getting to the stage where there is lots of my long hair on my bed pillow and its starting to depress me, therefore I feel I will take the leap and buzz my hair any day now..

Losing hair is horrible.

Hi folks just taken inspiration from this site and decided after much pondering and chasing the hair line i have gone grade 2 with the clippers,whish i would of done it 3 years ago would of saved a fortune on wonder creams ect.
it is really hard to explain to people how much of a big deal it is ,
but my advise is just do it ,i am much happier.

I don't know if my girlfriend will except me with buzzed hair she says her favorite quality about me is my long hair. What she doesn't know is i have a receding hairline and at this rate im going to have no hair on the top front half of my hea in about another year….and im only 21 my birthday was four days ago. Sometimes i want to die. I'm so depresed and worried all the time my hair has always been what made me unique…without it i'm honestly not me.

I've been slowly loosing my hair since I was at college (17-18 was when I first noticed it). I've always had a recceded hairline going back to when I was a child and looking back at photo's of me around 11-12 I always had the widows peek. Up untill recently it was thick and curly. it has really started to thin as im now in my 20's. I've been cutting it shorter and shorter for the last few years but now im at the stage where i may shave it off as I may as well embrace it now and get over it than try cling onto it for however long is left.
I'm just hoping i have a good headshape/faceshape for it though, but i do suit very short hair so i think i will be ok.
how was everyone else when they were on the brink of shaving it off? were you worried about perception of others etc?

I actually disagree with this, I believe someone should embrace hairloss in their own way. Feeling like your only option is to shave it off when you don't want to is not really accepting it as far as I am concerned. Shaving your head is a concealing measure that fools no one, a bit like the dreaded comb over. I think some guys can look good with the shaved look, but if I lost my hair I would not shave it, too boring and conservative for me. I would not necessarily have a ponytail or a skullet either, but I don't see what is wrong with a bald guy keeping the hair he does have. Look at Sean Connery, Ron Howard, and George Carlin. They look fine.

It would be a very boring world if all balding men shaved their heads. Embrace hairloss and wear your hair how YOU want to. Don't compromise for society.

Sean Connery, Ron Howard, and George Carlin look or looked fine because they are wealthy, in or were in lines of work where they basically have no bosses or corporate standards. Connery wears wigs for many roles, Howard a ball cap and Carlin (RIP) was a I don't care attitude comedien. Very big difference then the normal person dealing with hairloss. Some also bald in a manner that is not greatly unappealing while for others it is impossible to look good during the balding process. It is not a matter of conforming to society but freeing oneself from constant thinking about and struggling to style a balding head.

@Js I think that you should do what you feel comfortable with, but I will not shave my head when I go bald and I don't see what is so wrong with that. If someone wants to do that then that is their choice, but I don't think someone should feel pressured into doing so if they don't want to.

Several years ago I came across this page as I was struggling with hair loss but lacking the courage to take action. Some men immediately start buzzing their hair closer and closer upon realizing they are balding, whereas others resort to using every creative cutting and styling method available until the bitter end. Sadly, I was in the latter camp. It had gotten so bad that I would alter my night and weekend plans depending upon the weather and lighting of the venue where I would be spending time… all drastically restricting social opportunities and the quality of my life in general.

I finally took the plunge and shaved down to a 1 guard (thanks in part to this blog post) before finally going to a zero guard. As Rusty mentions, I can't say I was immediately in love with the look but it did eliminate many of the social anxieties arising from my hair loss almost overnight. Almost a year and 1/2 later, I can safely say that I am comfortable with the look and can't imagine having continued to live life as I had. My biggest regret now is that I hadn't experimented with shaving down 3-4 years earlier when I could've gradually adjusted as my thinning pattern progressed.

If there's any advice or words of encouragement I can give to others (especially those like me who held onto their remaining thinned out strands for too long), it's to give the look some time after taking the plunge. I think you will realize down the road that it doesn't necessarily make you any less attractive than you once were. At the end of the day it's just a look (although one mandated for those of us with unfortunate genetics) and almost everyone goes through some changes due to aging. In addition, you should experiment with facial hair (stubble, no stubble, beard) to find out what works best with your new look. I was always a clean shaven guy but recently realized I look even better with 2-3 days of stubble. And, of course, in the spirit of this site's overall message – stay fit! I've found that to be a much bigger factor in attracting women and maintaining confidence than hair ever was.

Best of luck to those reading this and don't let hair loss ruin your life. I sacrificed far too many social and dating opportunities as I was struggling with this issue and can't get those lost years back. Don't let that happen to you!

I know how you feel. I was struggling with the same tuff, but this week after reading the comments here I decided tu get a buzz, and you know what? I dont regret it! I was terrified at first because I didnt know how i was going to look, but it wasnt that bad, I liked it, I feel more confident now. I was always worrying about my hair! Now I feel kinda free. Just give it a try

I had a comb over frontal kind of a job for a while and it was such a pain, anything would wreck it, i shaved my head and the relief i felt was unbelievable, it was like a weight off of my shoulders. I either use a MAC 3 or buzz it with a 00000 blade. If you have to hide it with hair its just best to shave it lads!

So I was spending a whole weekend researching how to best comb my hair, style it, etc to hide the thinning that is catching up with me and I stumbled across this page.

I've always worried that I would have "a weird shaped alien head" and I would look weird with a shaved head, because when my hair is short without product in it that's what I see.

I still have a good amount of hair, but I'm almost 30 and it's heading downhill pretty fast, so the day is coming whether I'm ready for it or not. I figured January in a snow town would be a good time to try this out. If it looks horrible, who cares? Nobody will see me without a hat for weeks, and by then I'll have hair again.

As it turns out… it's my hair that gives it that shape! Once I get to a #1 that disappears, it's the shadows of my hair against my head creating contrast. I look great with a shaved head!

I have enough hair left to style and still look somewhat youthful, my age and no older, that is. I don't need the shaved head right now, but now I also don't have to worry about it. I can keep it shaved now, and I think I will as after a few days I really like it, or I can grow my hair back. What's really important to me is that I don't have to feel insecure about my hairline. With hair, without hair, I'll be fine!

Just try it. You won't know unless you try, and it's a hell of a load off your mind!

My crown is starting to get very, very thin and the receding is now getting worse. About 18 months ago I went to a 3 on top and 2 on the sides, never decided if I like it or not(I like it more than my wife) I let it grow and when I get it cut I go with six on the sides and sissors on the top. I have this amazing desire lately to go to zero at the barber(razor when i get home) think I am going to next week. I have just the following concerns… The skin on my head will be lighter that my face and it will be impossible to get sun in the winter and getting use to the cold in the winter. Scared but looking forward to going bald.

hairstyles 2012…

[...]Going Bald or Have a Receding Hairline? You Need to Buzz it Off! | Fitness Black Book[...]…

Dear admin,you seriously lit up my day.Now i believe i have a life to live.It all started when i was seventeen.Now i am nineteen and these previous two years have been the worst of my life.I used to cry every week.My hair started falling.I started using different oils,caps,hoods and these made my life more difficult.Being an extra ordinary student(no boasting),i participated in every thing.Debates,Sports,Speeches,class participation and what not.The extra advantage i had was that i am (or was)good looking.My friend call me cute.Every one call me cute and good looking.But back then i had beutiful hair as well.Even now people call me cute but in the back of my mind i know one day i am going to go bald and life would not be the same.The whole problem is that people expect a lot from me..This thing bites me..What if after going bald i dont live up to their expectations…This went on for 2 years..Changing my hair style taking advantage of my cute face…But now things are outta control….Every activity i try to do,the first thing that come into my mind is ohhh you r going bald..what will people think…Goddamit man…..Its my life and now i wanna change…..I want to start a new life….I can be very good at any thing…Just that i lack self confidence because of this balding process…..Now you should help me….My figure is lean…I am an athlete type person thin and not that muscular but capable of doing mostly every sports..i play tennis,swimming,football,cricket and i am good at sprinting as well.I am currently studying in one of the top university in my country…But all comes down to waste if you have no self confidence…….so admin decide for me….I still have hair on my head…In front my hair can reach nose length….On the sides my hair have thinned but i can still make some kind of hair style but i look bad in it……..i have some kind of horse shoe shape…So please advice me what should i go for…I WANNA START NEW LIFE and prove this world that one incident does not change life!!!!!

I've been getting very thin on top w/ receding hairline this year. Also very thin on the crown, with some fairly noticeable gaps. When I mention that I might buzz it friends and family always say it's too soon, but when you're losing close to 200 hairs a day for 6 months i have a very different perspective. Has anyone had anyone ask them why they buzzed/shaved their head? Do you say, "yeah, it was getting thin so I buzzed it." Or do you lie and say, "I wanted to try something new."