Reasons to Go Bald

I decided to try a daring experiment back in the early spring. I shaved all the hair off the top of my head. I did it the weekend that started my vacation week, so when I returned to work I faced my coworkers and acquaintances with a marked absence of cranial covering. The question on most people's, at least the guy's, lips was "Why did you shave your head?"

Well, there are many reasons, but what I say depends on several factors. First, who is asking; second, what mood am I in; third, where are we?

If it is someone I don't know well or someone I don't think knows me well enough to ask a personal question, I will usually answer that my hair was leaving anyway, so I just hurried it out the door. If I am feeling more playful though, I might say either that there was a terrible accident where my dandruff shampoo and my wife's Nair became mixed up. Or on a few occasions, I blamed it on a short hop on I-95 in Florida scaring it off me.

The truth is I shaved my head for several reasons:

1. To see what I looked like without any hair, because I was loosing mine.

2. My wife wanted me too, she had been after me to shave it off for years.

I have continued to shave my head because there are some advantages to it that, for me anyway, outweigh the disadvantages. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of having a bald head.

Advantages:

1. Care and maintenance: It is fast and easy to shower, no fancy hair styling, blow drying, brushing or combing needed.

2. Convenience: I sleep wrong, no cowlicks or sticking up in weird places, no hat hair. If I get caught out in the rain, no sopping wet hair to deal with. Hop out of the bed or shower and go.

3. No dandruff!!!!!!

4. No clogging the drains with loose hair.

5. Intimidation: I'm a fairly large guy and I have a badge, so I could be reasonably intimidating anyway, but this actually helps, and in my job any advantage should be used.

6. Women love it. I thought it was just my wife, but apparently a large number of women aged 21 through their 50's have a thing for hairless heads. I have received quite a bit of unsolicited female attention and complements since losing the hair.

7. It feels good. Being rained on, wind blowing over the scalp, my wife running her hands over my head, these things really feel good. The scalp is full of nerve endings and hair just gets in the way.

8. Sweat doesn't get in my eyes anywhere near as bad.

9. Shaving feels good.

Disadvantages:

1. Sunburn: If you have never had you head so sore it hurts for a pillow to touch it, you are lucky. On the other hand, if you hair is thin, you can still burn, just not all over your head.

2. It provides a large target for mosquitoes.

3. If your hair is thick or grows fast, you may have to shave your head everyday.

4. If you don't shave often enough you get "Velcro head".

5. Hats feel funny.

6. You feel cold a little worse.

7. I probably spend more now in razorblades and shaving cream than I am saving in dandruff shampoo.

8. I'm not sure it will all grow back now.

Other things to consider:

I shave my head on vacation so it would have a week to grow back if I didn't like it. If you do like it, you have two choices, either figure out how to shave where you can't see or talk your significant other into shaving it for you. You'll also need to learn a lot about razors, shaving cream, shaving ect. The Internet can help a lot. I like shaving my head. It is relaxing if you can take your time, and most people probably don't have to shave everyday. I like it best if I can't, but I can manage every other day if I have to. It takes longer to get the head to tan than you think, so you need to be careful, use sunscreens and hats until you tan. I spent a week in Florida, but then burned when I got back to Tennessee.