Any guys give up on their hair?

[Jerry1]

I’m thinking about a buzz cut. Not really interested in shaving my head but thinking a very close clipper cut and being done with it. My hair chose to leave me and I suspect that I’ll only have side hair in 5 to 10 years. When I get a hair cut, they always try to leave what is on top alone and I have to tell them that even if you comb it from front to back, it’s still a comb over. I want no part of that.

So, I’m wondering if others have given up and if they’re happy with it. I thinking one of the main benefits is that in the summer when swimming, I can just use sunscreen instead of wearing a hat. Other times, it seems like just an easier way to deal with my head. No shampoo, no combing, no bed head, no hat head and what should be a pretty simple hair cut. Not sure if when you cut you hair that short if you still have to outline around the ears and the collar but still, that should be pretty easy for my daughter who now is the one cutting my hair since COVID.

So - keep what I have or just give up and move on?

 

[MC Rider]

Lots of guys have the chrome dome look these days.
Sounds like you are leaning that way.
Still might want a hat so you don't blind the rest of us with the reflection.
Or get a sunburn.

 

[martyp]

I keep my hair much shorter now but my hair hasn’t departed me enough to go for a full shave. I do see the possibility in my future.

 

[Trailwalker]

I had long blonde hair when I was in my teens and a shorter haircut in my twenties.Then it started to gradually grow thinner each year, beginning in my thirties. At 55, I still had plenty of hair on the sides and back but didn't like my haircuts on top. Bought a rechargeable hair cutter on line, and cut it off myself. The first time I cut it all off at the #1 setting. Later I switched to #1 on top and #2 on the sides and the back. No regrets at all. It's very freeing. My wife also agreed that it was time. Now I cut it every two weeks myself. Takes about ten minutes max.

 

[RunningBum]

Pretty much, yeah. Comb overs don't fool people, and when you're active it seems like it could really backfire. In my 40s I asked about propecia (I think that's the name?) but found it would prevent me from donating blood, so I never took it.

Now I get it cut to 1/4 to 1/8" all over, and when it gets scraggly I go back. I got some an electric clipper figuring it'd be easy enough, but it's surprisingly hard to get everything, plus getting it even at the bottom in the back, plus cleanup, and I decided I just like sitting in a comfy chair and having someone cut my hair. I did my own a few times in the pandemic but my barber is very careful with the protocols so I am back, and tipping heavier.

Not quite the buzz cut you are talking about, but close. I have a cowlick on a birthmark that quickly gets out of control so unless I want to maintain the close cut, I still have to take some care of it. I don't think I have a good head for a buzz cut or going full hairless. I still wear hats a lot but I'm not as self-conscious about it as I used to be. Now it's more to prevent sunburn and to shade my eyes. I guess balding at 60 is a lot different than balding at 40, and really, if that's a deal breaker for a woman it probably wasn't going to be a good match anyway. And it's not for many anyway.

So - whatever you are comfortable with is what you should go with. The beauty of it is that if it isn't what you want, it'll grow out.

 

[MC Rider]

The beauty of it is that if it isn't what you want, it'll grow out.


Unless it doesn't.

 

[Aerides]

From a woman's point of view (just this one at least), yes. A short buzz overall when one area is clearly thinning is a far better look than an unbalanced look. I think a short buzz, at that point, says "yeah, whatever, I'm dealing with it and not trying to fool anyone, bring it" and shows some confident acceptance.

ETA: When you do it first, go to a pro, don't make your daughter do a big change.

 

[razztazz]

I don't think of myself as having given up on it. I'm just dealing with it in an age-appropriate manner. I've been cutting it myself for about 15 years. Not bald, maybe "half mood rising" receding from the front. No more JFK pompador. I bought an electric barber clipper set. 1/2 inch attachment all teh way around. 1/4" at the neck and sides and a couple times a week 1/8" on the sideburns. I cut it every day. Get up in the morning... BZZZT... BZZZT .. BZZZT. Takes less time than shaving. And if you cut it everyday there's no mess or hair to pick up like if you were to cut it every few weeks like normal people.

 

[MC Rider]

I cut it every day.



I don't even want to shave every day.

Otoh, if I let it go very many days it becomes a big pain to shave.

Or I can wait longer and grow a beard, which eventually needs trimming. Arggh.

 

[CardsFan]

Couldn't resist:

 

[MC Rider]

Couldn't resist:

Eggsellent. Had to listen.

 

[stepford]

Sometime in my 50s I developed the super power of invisibility. Nobody cares about (what's left of) my hair. I share that sentiment. I hack it back with clippers whenever it gets in my way - every month or two. Good enough for me.

 

[Gumby]

I've still got plenty of hair, although I have no interest in how it looks, particularly given that I never see it except when I'm shaving in the morning. About once a month, the young wife decides that I look too shaggy, so she cuts it. I let her do whatever she wants with it.

 

[Montecfo]

I still have a full head of hair, though I'm pretty much at my natural ash blonde color.

HOWEVER, I find that shaving your head or buzzing is a STRONG move, and much better than other options if you are getting thin. And it shows you have a plan, living in vision, not in circumstance.

Another strong move might be to add facial hair if you do not have any. Lots of stylish options.

I say go strong, make no excuses, no apologies.

 

[street]

I buzz mine at 1/4 inch every two weeks. So easy to care for and always looks the same. I have been buzz cutting mine for 15 years now. I'm all gray for many years now and saves me time and money.

 

[MC Rider]

Instill have a full head of hair, though I'm pretty much at my natural ash blonde color.

HOWEVER, I find that shaving your head or buzzing is a STRONG move, and much better than other options if you are getting thin. And it shows you have a plan, living in vision, not in circumstance.

I say go strong, make no excuses, no apologies.

So, no plugs or transplants for you then.

I let her do whatever she wants with it.



And Gumby is very trusting.

********


I can't grow my rock and roll hair any more.
It ends up looking like Krusty the Clown.

But I have a guy I trust who is quick and does a nice job and is not expensive. It's a trifecta! LOL.

 

[Montecfo]

So, no plugs or transplants for you then.

I think for a younger person that can make sense. Also expensive and risky. I think you have to be careful to not appear to be trying too hard to cheat father time or mother nature. But ultimately whatever works. Make sure people aren't snickering a la certain politicians. Just my opinion.

 

[W2R]

From a woman's point of view (just this one at least), yes. A short buzz overall when one area is clearly thinning is a far better look than an unbalanced look. I think a short buzz, at that point, says "yeah, whatever, I'm dealing with it and not trying to fool anyone, bring it" and shows some confident acceptance.

Exactly. From this 73-year-old woman's point of view (anyway), a nice option is to just keep it looking neat/tidy. If it's tame enough to not frighten me then that'll work.

Maybe slowly transition towards something like this as you age? I found this image online, so I don't know who it is but I think he looks very neat and attractive.

 

[COcheesehead]

I shave my head, every other day. Takes a few minutes in the shower. I love it, my wife loves it and I get guesses of my age 10 years younger.
I started thinning in my 40’s and vowed to never have a comb-over.
Very happy.

 

[RunningBum]

Exactly. From this 73-year-old woman's point of view (anyway), a nice option is to just keep it looking neat/tidy. If it's tame enough to not frighten me then that'll work.

Maybe slowly transition towards something like this as you age? I found this image online, so I don't know who it is but I think he looks very neat and attractive.

Terry Bradshaw, former NFL QB and Hall-of-Famer, now an NFL studio analyst, I guess is what you'd call him. He was going bald in his playing days in his 30s. He doesn't always look so kempt though I don't watch those NFL pre-game and half time shows much anymore.

 

[statsman]

At almost 63, I still have a good amount of hair, but I can see a bit of thinning and receding in the front. But the wonderful lady who does my hair at her salon tells me I am not showing obvious signs of thinning on top and toward the back. Not sure what I do when the thinning up front continues but the back/top doesn't thin

 

[Rocket Man]

I have the progressive male pattern baldness. Not much but some wispy, thin hair on top. Thick hair everywhere else. I also hate it when my barber lets the thin hair on top grow out. I end up going home and cutting it. No combover for me! The last couple years I have gone back and forth between a 1/4 inch buzz cut and letting it grow out to about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. When I start to feel I am getting the “clown look”, I go back to the buzz cut. I would not get a shaved head. I do love the simplicity of the buzz cut. So easy to take care of! However, I think it does make me look older, as my silver hair seems to be more underneath. Also, no one can say I am going for the combover. What do you think I should stick with?

 

[FlaGator]

......

........ I got some an electric clipper figuring it'd be easy enough, but it's surprisingly hard to get everything, plus getting it even at the bottom in the back, plus cleanup, .......

I don't think I have a good head for a buzz cut or going full hairless. I still wear hats a lot but I'm not as self-conscious about it as I used to be. Now it's more to prevent sunburn and to shade my eyes. I guess balding at 60 is a lot different than balding at 40, and really, if that's a deal breaker for a woman it probably wasn't going to be a good match anyway. And it's not for many anyway.

So - whatever you are comfortable with is what you should go with. The beauty of it is that if it isn't what you want, it'll grow out.

This.

Starting thinning on top in my 20's. Went for a uniform length in my 40's, Starting at 1", getting tighter and tighter every few years. When 1/4" became the right number, bought a trimmer to do it myself, but saw the same problems with uniformity and cleaning up the neckline.

When the wife was no longer around to do the neck, decided to go full Barkley/Jordan. Everyday now with the Norelco triple header, about 7 minutes. Closer shave if I do it in the shower with regular bar soap.

As a bonus, no one knows how little hair I *really* have, nor how gray I am (including me ).

 

[Geld ist Freiheit]

Gave up on it. Bought a $25 Wahl clipper and went full buzz, no guard. Paid for itself the first time I used it. 30 years on, it’s still going strong. Pocketed a lot of haircut money across 3 decades.

 

[Fermion]

Getting old sucks