When To Shave Your Head If Going Bald? Hair Styling & Hair Loss

Shaving your head clean is a bold and masculine statement. According to a US study published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal, completely bald men were perceived as more masculine, dominant and even 13% stronger than their follicle-friendly counterparts.

If you’ve come here because you want to clean shave your hair because simply for the look, we salute you. However, if you’re here because you’re experiencing hair loss, we’ve got that covered.

Some might call hair loss a condition, which causes us men to suffer and needs to be treated. Consider that hair loss commonly known as “male pattern baldness” affects over two-thirds of men in the USA by the age of 35. Do you realise now that this so-called infliction is quite banal?

Cast aside this taboo perpetuated by the snake oil salesmen and their phoney hair loss “remedies”! Embrace your baldness.

Does Minoxidil & Rogaine Work For Hair Loss?

Charles-Philippe has had some success with Minoxidil.

Although most remedies are most certainly useless, minoxidil is a topical medication that has been growing in popularity. Brands like Rogaine will usually use 5% minoxidil in their formula, which is topically applied to your head as either a mouse or liquid.

Minoxidil supposedly works as a potassium channel opener, which widens the blood vessels and allows more oxygen to travel to the hair follicles. As a result, dormant follicles shed and are replaced by thicker anagen hairs. Oddly enough, you can learn more about these terms in our beard-growing guide.

Surprisingly, minoxidil has been proven to work quite effectively. However, its performance does have a few caveats. Firstly, it’s not very effective if you have significant hair loss. In fact, it’s important that start using it very early on when your first start experiencing hair loss.

In other words, it won’t make a bald man miraculously grow a new head of hair! Yet, when properly applied, it can slow, halt, and occasionally even revert some hair loss. Still, it’s important to use it regularly as suggested by the brand. Intermittent use will prevent it from working properly.

Finally, there are some possible side effects that you should know before trying minoxidil. One of the most common side effects is dandruff caused by the product drying the scalp.

Nevertheless, there are others such as allergies, swelling, heartbeat conditions, and even focal necrosis. Admittedly, most of these are rare but it’s important to be aware and even consult a doctor before testing it yourself.

Although Rogaine is the most famous brand, there are lots of other companies who now produce minoxidil in different forms that may suit you. Simply head to Amazon and you’ll see what we mean.

Do I Need To Shave My Head?

If you’re unsure as to whether you need to reach for those clippers yet, use the Norwood-Hamilton infographic below. The Norwood-Hamilton Scale was first developed by Dr James Hamilton in the 1950s.

It was designed order to establish a standardised classification system for hair loss. It was later revised by Dr O’Tar Norwood in the 1970s. Today, it is still recognised as the most complete reference for Male Pattern Baldness.

If you are experiencing balding, this chart can be consulted to asses the extent of hair loss and as a reference if you want to seek treatment via a clinic.

Bear in mind that modern treatments are often unable to truly reverse hair loss but instead halt its progress. Mild hair loss between Classes II and III can even show signs of improvement. However, from Class IV, it will be difficult to be reunited with the hair you had in your early twenties.

If you feel that you’re not ready to make the leap, that’s absolutely fine too. Any level of hair loss below and including Class IV can still be styled and quite successfully. There are a number of hairstyles that can work with and even conceal receding hairlines if those are your intentions.

Receding Hair & Shaved Head Styles

Choosing a hairstyle whilst taking into account signs of hair loss is a disconcerting task. You’ll look at your hair in the mirror and only notice the thinning areas and bald spots. If you’re feeling helpless, the chances are that you’ll feel the overwhelming desire to shave it all off.

If you’re not there yet, here are a few hairstyles worth trying beforehand:

• Caesar: Conceals early signs of hair loss (Up To Class III or Class II Pattern 4)
• Fringe: Conceals signs of hair loss but reveals thinning on top (Up To Class III for Patterns 1 & 2 or Class II Pattern 4)
• Faux Hawk: Conceals early signs of hair loss (Up To Class III All Patterns)
• Side Part: Does not conceal but when styled with conviction, exudes self-assurance (Up To Class IV All Patterns)
• Buzz Cut: Does not conceal but looks good and makes hair loss more manageable (All Classes & Patterns)

Want to mix things up a bit? Facial hair adds a streak a character and exceptional style to bald men.

A serious moustache or full beard not only balances the face’s proportions after losing hair but it also demands respect. Read our full guide on beards or our moustache pages to learn more.

Is Being Bald A Style?

When you first shave your head out of obligation, you may suddenly feel void of style. Think also of all that time you’ll save in the shower and how your towel doesn’t get as wet so quickly. And bad hair days or hours in front of the bathroom mirror making sure that it’s just so? Not anymore!

Okay, small victories. After all, hair is indeed a big subject for men’s fashion and you’re missing out, right? Well, not so much. A shaved head is a conscious fashion choice for a lot of men even with a full head of hair. Look at Vin Diesel or even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who’s been bald since 2010.

These are two men with perfectly healthy heads of hair who made the conscious decision to shave. Granted, The Rock did say he chose to shave it because his hair is a cross between “an afro and hair from a Lama’s ball sac [sic].”

Nevertheless, could you imagine tough guys like Bruce Willis or Mike Tyson with a full head of hair today? Don’t give it to social pressure and try to regain lost hair. Plugs and implants may look okay but they’re not fooling anyone.

Be proud of yourself, your genes, and that great uncle that you’re starting to resemble.

Be you.

What Next?

Now that you have learned about bald head styles, check out some related resources:

• Beard Styles For Men
• Moustache Styles For Men
• How To Use A Straight Razor
• Men’s Grooming Homepage