Male Balding: Should You Shave Your Head

A lot of men face the hair loss dilemma as they age. As youngsters, they long to take after dear old dad, but they don't realize that means warts and all. Then one day they do, and start having the great hair debate. Should you shave your head as a pre-emptive strike? Well, remember, for every Telly Savalas that come from after shaving the hair off, there is another Uncle Fester from the Adams Family hiding in the closest, mortified by the bad decision.

In past generations, men did the comb over thing, taking that one piece of hair, then wrapping it around and around to fill the space. Many a comedian has built a beginning career on this tiny act.

Nowadays, bald is beautiful, and many men choose to just shave it all off in lieu of awaiting the inevitable, ending up losing it bit by bit, or looking something like Ceasar with his odd olive leave crown (only the crown is hair).

Before you take the clippers to that head, really consider it. My s/o shaved all of his hair off two weeks before I met him. Now, the important part to note is that my body type falls someone between Brett Michaels and a few Native American men I know. What's the common denominator there?

When I realized that the s/o's version of long hair would mean that it would never touch his hair (he's a Marine), well, it seemed like a moot point to debate.

Things to look at

The shape of your head. This seems really, really silly to think about, but it's important. Try photoshopping a photo of yourself before you actually do the deed.

Do you have any odd depressions, scars, etc. Again, this seems like an odd thing to think about, but since your hair has always been around to cover it, it may just be something you've forgotten it. Many a man grows facial hair to mask facial flaws (acne scars and the like).

Extra care. You have to shave it all the time or it looks just as unkempt as someone with scruffy long hair. If your aim is to save yourself some time, it's a bad reason.

How bad is the hair loss? Since it's a sore spot with many men, you may overestimate the looks. Just as women notice every gray root, men sense that ever hair they lose is a cause for scrutiny for the world. Not so. Now, if you're the guy with the one, long hair who is doing that comb over, give it up. No one is buying it. Go for the cleaner look.

How fast is it progressing? You may be losing your hair, but perhaps your father his a certain stage, then the loss just stopped. If you are good with that look, don't rush to shave it all off.

Extra care needed. The sun will not be your friend. All of a sudden you'll have to worry about things you didn't before. Razor burn on your head? No picnic, fellas.

Why to do it

Neatness. Men who let what little hair they have grow long in the hopes of making it appear that they are not losing their hair often just end up looking unkempt. That's never a good look. If you are clearly losing your hair, keep it trimmed neatly. We all know the guy who is bald on top with the long ponytail in the back. It's okay as a personal choice, but make no mistake that it's a bad fashion statement that isn't fooling anyone. (We also start to grow hair in our ears and nose as we get older. You wouldn't want to forego cutting that just to prove you have the ability to grow hair, now would you?

The worst case scenario is that you can grow it back eventually. You'll go through that awkward stage, but if you are on the cusp of the decision, there is that sort of safety net. You may look at it and decide bald is just not a good look for you, or that you don't feel like "you". As a writer on the site Useless Advice for Useless Men wrote on the topic: Going bald isn't the end of the world. "I once shaved my head with a razor because I was curious if I would like an alien. I did."