Until yesterday I used to have long hair. Due to unusually high tempetures I started having problems with the skin on my head. So, to avoid problems. I shaved it clean and it will remain that way until the skin in treated.

Now that I’m bald, I now know what’s it’s like. It sucks. My old hair suited me perfectly. It was messy just the right amount, perfect length, made me look different than the rest and handsome as hell. Every girl would look at me where ever I went to. Compliments floating over the air, jealous looks from other men etc. etc. It made me feel powerful.

But most importantly, it suited my personality and clothing. It was perfect! But now it’s gone. I hate bald me. I will never look back at this bald version of myself.

It feels weird. I don’t feel that bad but still it’s disheartening.

  • There was a study done by a university a while back that had hundreds of randomly selected women rate headshots of men from 1 to 10 in various stages of hair, from full thick head of hair to completely smooth bald.

    They plotted the results and found that the full head of hair pictures averaged the highest, as you would expect. Then as the baldness increased, the average ratings dropped extremely quickly.

    However, once the pictures got to the 100% bald men, the average ratings shot back up nearly identical to the full head of hair pictures.

    The conclusion of the researchers: if you care about being perceived as attractive to women as a balding male, you need to commit to one or the other hard. Either get hair transplant surgery, get a high quality hairpiece, or commit to the bald look hardcore and shave it butter smooth.

    The worst thing you can do from that perspective is to let the balding hair just kind of grow out all partial/thin.

    I guess it’s the classic stereotype, the thing the majority of women are attracted to is confidence. So if you’re going bald, commit hardcore to the bald look, embrace hats, jewelry, and clothing that emphasizes your head shape and face, experiment with facial hair styles if you can grow it.

    Keep your skin clean and your head held high. Lots of sexy bald guys out there, your worth as a person isn’t held in your hair.

    My balding grandpa dressed like the classic dorky old man; shorts pulled up over his belly, tucked-in baggy polo, socks pulled up to his knees with dad-sandals, and a dirty trucker cap worn crooked on his head with giant yellow-brown glasses. But damn if he wasn’t the most confident man I’ve ever met. Humble, calm, but super hard worker and very driven, also honest as the day is long. Married happily to my grandma for over 40 years until freak cancer took him early.

    Hundreds a people from all over the country came to his service, the amount of lives he had positively impacted was incredible. So many people pulled me aside to tell me what a great man my grandpa was, it was powerful.

  • As someone who suffers a receding hairline since he was 19 and is now 30, shaving my head at 20 was one of the best decisions of my life. It’s mostly a confidence issue, as others have already stated. Look at some bald celebrities like Dwayne Johnson, Patrick Stewart, Jason Statham and so forth… They own their look and they look good. If it’s only a temporary thing for you, know that hair will grow back soon.

    How to deal with it?

    • Sunburn and skin cancer risk is a big issue. Always use sunblock, I personally prefer spray and gel over cream.
    • Headwear is obviously important too for protecting your scalp. Whatever you prefer: caps, bandanas, different hats. Choose one that fits well on your bald head, that means a little smaller than those you used with a full head of hair.
    • Exercise is, as someone else already pointed out, very important when you rock a smooth dome. Looking fit and improving your posture can do wonders for your self confidence.
    • Accessories and jewelry play a very big role too for bald people. Bracelets, necklaces and big aviator sunglasses usually look great.
    • Social: according to a study, fully bald people are usually perceived as taller, more aggressive and dominant than their counterparts. This isn’t only positive as it means a lot of people could feel intimidated by you too. Smiling and a helpful, open-minded attitude do wonders there.

    In general: if it’s only for treating a medical issue and therefore temporary, don’t worry too much. You’re so much more than just your hair! And hair will grow back with enough patience.

  • I use to have long hair and a ponytail. I started to lose hair, like all men in my family, around ~25 yo. (I swear I don’t do roids or testosterone treatment)

    I just jumped the gun and shaved i all.

    I really enjoy being bald:

    • It feels great to be able to scrub and moisturise your scalp after every shower
    • Sometimes, I will let my beard grow for a few days, and groom it real well (shave clean the bottom half of my neck, and the top of the cheeks). I believe I look good.
  • I don’t think “bald” is the right expression. You have a shaved head, which is different, right?

    Also, shaved heads can go with most kinds of fashion. Your hair is always perfect, no matter the wind or rain.

    Finally, if you got self esteem only because of compliments on your hair, now is the perfect time in life to find other ways to love yourself. Deeper ways. :-)

  • well, for one, sunscreen! Sunburnt heads suck. Hats as well.

    It took some getting used to (I’ve gone through phases of shaving my head and having long hair. Recently, since I work outside in the heat, I hit it with the clippers every few days leaving just < 1mm. You’ll probably just get used to your new style which will help the confidence which helps everything else.

  •  kurcatovium   ( @kurcatovium@lemm.ee ) 
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    2 months ago

    Getting older I can only say: looks are overrated. During my time I used to have all kinds of hair styles: metalhead with long hair, medium length, short hair, almost no hair, and right now I have like half a centimeter, because it’s so hot weather and I sweat a lot and felt uncomfortable. Last time I cared about “how do girls look at my hair” was probably in my teens but even then I went against the stream, because metalhead long hair was far from being desirable.

    IMO you should focus less on how do other perceive you (your look) and more on how you feel yourself. Having less (no) hair has so many benefits I can’t even think of going back to anything longer than ~inch. Sure I might look dumb, but that feeling of air breeze on my skull is so refreshing I couldn’t care less. Another benefit is much easier care. When I had long hair it felt like a chore to use shampoo, conditioner and brush the hair while it felt almost instantly “in need” of the procedure again. Now? Tsssch, I use whatever: shampoo, regular soap or just water, fast rinse and hair are almost immediately fresh feeling and also dry (huge plus imo).

    And the most important note. If you ever find/found a partner who is/was with you just because your fabulous hair, I can assure you it is/was not the right one.

  • To echo much already said… As a dude that had magnificent curly locks. I wtarted balding at 18 and now have a hairline of an 18th century monk… If you can shave your head do that. I also have eczema…so that’s out. So hats and just being cool with it. If you try to hide it … people know. Just own that shit. Frankly ladies don’t seem to mind it… Personality goes a long way. Humor goes further

  •  illi   ( @illi@lemm.ee ) 
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    2 months ago

    I understand your feelings, as living with great hair and liking it and going to bald must suck. Take comfort in fact that it is temporary.

    But as a bald man - being comoletely bald is fucking amazing. I can’t compare with having good hair - had short haircut all my childhood, decided to grow it longer in my mid teens (wanted to be a bit morr stylish) - and that’s about the time I started loosing my hair. So had to go to shorter lenghts so it’s not that obvious and went full bald around 17 when I had a visible bald patch anyway. So can’t compare but it was the best decision I made - both at the time and for the future. I shave once a week and everything is easy. And I was blessed with a great skull shape so looks good.

    Much more salty about me not being able to grow decent facial hair though. That beard and bald look would be sick but oh well. We have to play with cards we were dealt.