Claim Your Confidence
Does the idea of biting the bullet and shaving your head send you racing toward the homeopathic treatments aisle, stiff-arming anyone between you and dubious remedies promising to defy destiny?
Consider this a trail of breadcrumbs you can follow as you watch the rest of us waving from the mountaintop, scalps shielded from sunlight.
Shaving your head is a declaration: a movement away from shame, avoidance, and denial, and into confidence, strength, and joy. Reframing shaving your head from an act of acceptance into one of victory does not happen right away, but it can and it will once you own it. Doing it the right way with the right tools will get you on the right track fast without injury or incident.
Congratulations! on taking the first step into a new life. Take your time in these early stages to find your own groove, as this is something that is very personal based on preferences, head shape, skin type, etc. That is not to say this needs to be complicated!
Trimming down, shaving, and soothing will get you a long way. It does help to have a sense of humor (generally speaking) so feel free to involve others in person or with pictures if that’s your style. Otherwise, give yourself some grace in these moments and release the pressure valve. Your remaining hair can always grow back if you want it to! (You won’t.) Vamos:
Trim down with this excellent beard trimmer to get the party started. This is not an exact science, but definitely a fun one. Watch the locks sail away and get things down as close as you can safely using the attachments.
Grab some shaving cream and lather up. Go with something thick and luxurious like this therapeutic gel and don’t be stingy. Skin areas that haven’t been regularly shaved before deserve some TLC.
Get a quality blade out, and start at the front of the hairline at the forehead, moving towards the back of the head with consistent gentle pressure and short strokes. Continue up top until your crown is clean. Next, change the angle of the blade and work straight up from next to the ear on the side, above the sideburn, on the side of your dominant hand. With your non-blade hand, with your elbow under your chin, hold down the top of the ear as you make passes up the side of your head like you are painting a wall. After the sides are history, start at the back of the head by the neck, positioning the blade to contact the skin horizontally with the handle facing up. Start at the bottom and bring gentle pressure in small strokes up towards the top of the head.
Take your time, and keep the water running both over the blade and your non-shaving hand. Most of the work can be done with your dominant hand, but it’s good to get used to switching, especially for the sides. A key technique is to run one damp hand over the shaving area after some passes of the blade to feel where there is still stubble. Don’t try too hard to angle all sorts of mirrors to watch yourself shave the back of your head - you can check things out later.
Rinse off, take a deep breath, and admire the likely “beginner” quality of your work. Apply some soothing product to calm things down and avert irritation. Don’t be stingy here, as excess product will sink in and the skin will dry over time.
Voila! You’ve made the move that will bring untold victories in the future. Remember, a bald head can be very attractive, and even more attractive is being comfortable with yourself. This new look may even bring you more confidence and positive energy than your hair ever did. To keep the look intact, many people find that shaving every morning as a routine works well to maintain a sharp style that avoids the appearance of balding patterns. Sunscreen and coverage are a MUST – never risk harming your skin in the sun. It is beneficial to let your hair grow for a couple of days (think camping trip) occasionally to restore a healthy balance of oils and let your skin regroup from regular shaving. If you shave in the morning, take a break early afternoon to splash some water on your head to get rid of oils. These great wipes will maintain a proper matte finish.
Bonus tip: When you nick yourself, the old trick of taking a tiny piece of tissue and placing it on the cut, and leaving it there as long as feasible, works like a charm! It just takes some time and potential reapplication of fresh tissue to eventually stop bleeding. Band-Aids can help as well if it’s necessary.
OWN THE PROCESS – people can feel when you are comfortable in your own skin, so let it show!
