I first noticed I was losing my hair when I was walking into a grocery store. I looked up at the security cam tv and thought ‘man, what’s that spotlight on my head?’ After a photo was taken of me sometime later, where I noticed the top of my head was more blonde than the red I’m used to, I took some time at the bathroom mirror and found that it wasn’t blonde hair or a strong overhead light but mostly the luminosity of a rapidly thinning scalp.
F*** me.
That was two years and one everlasting pandemic ago… stresses since have not helped the problem. With the help of my girlfriend, I bought all kinds of shampoos & conditioners with all kinds of miracle remedies going to revitalize my hair-growth... to no avail.
Throughout the process, I learned two things:
First: I waited too long.
Here’s my number one piece of advice, gents: you realize you’re starting to bald — don’t wait. Get right on it: talk to a doctor, get a supplement — whatever. The thing I learned: once it’s gone it’s hard to get it back (outside of hair plugs which you need Elon Musk money to afford).
Second: baldness can look really good.
Look at John Travolta, Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Professor Xavier, that guy from those Apple commercials. Hell, if you don’t think Jeff Bezos can afford to get his hair back think again: this guy just knows that going full Lex Luthor is just the right way to go.
Now before I get too deep, it can look really bad too. The last thing you want is to end up like Homer Simpson or Lord Varys, but really it comes down to these tips to get it to look great and make yourself feel great:
How to look good
1) Exercise, watch your diet, all that $#!7 you already know
First off, exercise and a good diet make you feel good. Second off, losing weight has been linked to hair regrowth, should you ever feel like trying to bring it back.
2) Experiment with length
I bought a buzzer with different trim lengths and I found that I actually look better with a 1mm shave than going fully bald. Hell, you can’t even tell which spots aren’t growing sometimes.
3) Grow a beard
Even if it’s not full, letting your face hair grow out can offer a nice balance to a hairless head. It also helps frame your face by accenting your natural contours. Hot tip: can’t grow a beard? Shave more. Seriously, even if there’s nothing there. Put on the cream. Shave. And (shameless plug here) finish it off with some Smooth and Soothe — the act of shaving stimulates hair follicles or something, *I’m not a doctor* just an observer who noticed it work well for me and my friends.
4) Become a hat guy
This might feel like running away from your problem at first, but get that idea out of your head. Wearing cool hats can not only help communicate your values and style but gives you something to fidget with once you can't run a finger through those locks anymore.
5) Posture is everything
When you get rid of your slouch, for whatever the reason, your baldness, as well as any other style or grooming decision, feels intentional.
6) Take the money you were spending on expensive shampoos and spend it on personal care products for other areas of your body
Investing in yourself is worth it, and it’s something you’ll be spurred into action on once you realize that superficial looks are fleeting. For years I was ‘that ginger kid’ to my high school — some of them wouldn’t recognize me now.
But in the end, hair or no hair, you are who you are and that’s a good thing.
Until next time.
