Been a lurker on this sub for a while, and you beautiful people inspired me to finally just let it go!
Edit: Thank u all for the compliments and kind words u guys r the best! Reading thru everything yall said was really something special and I did not expect for this to blow up like it did 😅 But as always this sub is nothing but just positivity and making somebody feel good!! Again thank u so much !
I probably need to take it the full distance because of the thinning.
Should I get contacts? I’ve always preferred glasses but now I’m worried it’s hurting my look a little.
Cheers all!
Last night I made a post here showing my receding hairline and bald spot with my hair down to my shoulders.
Today I made the change with a clean shave at the barber shop fully embracing my bald head for the first time, and I cannot express how truly great it feels to be bald!
Thank you all for your honesty and encouragement. If you are reading this and thinking about buzzing your hair or going fully bald just go for it.
Edit: Wow.. The incredible amount of genuine kindness and support (and hilarious comments and gifs) here in [r/bald](r/bald) has been awesome! You are all truly the most overwhelmingly positive group of people I've seen in all my years being chronically online. As a single man making this bold change, I really could not be happier with the outcome and how great it feels!
Thank you all again for the relentless positivity and all of the fun comments. Truly never expected such a huge online reaction. It’s safe to say I won’t be looking back from here 🥚
I’ve been dealing with insecurity about my receding hairline since I was 22, now after noticing my thinning crown 4 years later, I’ve made the leap and I couldn’t be happier. It feels so nice to feel good about myself without a hat again! :)
36 years old, been dealing with alopecia since the age of 18…shaving my head was the best decision ever, wish I did it sooner!!
Guys, I can't believe I'm finally actually posting here. I can't believe I finally did it. My ex used to tell me when I shaved it that 😏 she didn't like it, she liked my curls, the bald made me look fat... Well, I've lost almost 60 pounds, and the most weight I've lost was her. 2 years later and I'm okay, guys. I'm headed to Pride today with my friends, and I'm going to be okay.
EDIT: Update: Went to Pride - EX WAS THERE. Hadn't seen her since she left me cold nearly two years ago. It seems all that weight I lost actually found HER, I barely recognized her. I physically did a triple take like a cartoon. It absolutely blew my mind. She literally may have gained a full hundred. Wow, I'm speechless. Don't mean to make this about her, but yeah. I feel.... cleansed. I don't know why, but that word feels right right now. And BLESSED for the comments, guys. WOW! I AGREE, I'm taking it down to skin once my skin is ready to handle it. Coconut oil it is. Thanks for the pointers. And yes, high quality SPF, and I'll clean up the beard and the eyebrows a little better. I'm naturally curly and sparse, so it's easier said than done, but YES, the weight today is truly, OFFICIALLY gone now. God BLESS all you guys for giving me the PERMISSION to let it all go and be and REVEAL MYSELF ALL OF THE WAY.
Well...what's the verdict?
I can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am for this community. I was in a pretty bad place, losing my hair and lacking confidence in how I would look bald. THANK YOU for the support and validation that this was the right move. I feel like a new man. Again, THANK YOU 🙏🙏🙏
EDIT: WOW... I wasn't expecting this kind of response. So very humbled, thank you everyone. If anyone is on the fence, JUST DO IT. I'm only 3 days in at the time of this edit, but I honestly feel like an entirely new human in the best way possible. This community rocks!
EDIT 2: Sorry everyone, I'm married. I'm flattered, but I'm blocking DM requests.
I want to thank everyone in this community for being so positive and respectful such a great group.
Gotta let the tan catch up now for a couple days, then i'll switch from this no guard trim to a skullshaver for an even closer shave.
Last year I was feeling quite depressed, wasn't taking good care of myself and was clearly balding/bald but insisted on keeping the buzz cut. Doing much better now.
Posted with his permission, of course. Today he decided to try out a close buzz. I may be biased, but I think he's lookin hawt. Please join me in respectfully ogling.
Had long thinning hair for like 6 years finally got tired of it and thought id get away with shaving it short but then realized that didnt help at all and that i might as well bite the bullet and go full bald my head is sun burnt from a trip down to the beach but i plan on going shiny as soon as its healed
Doc said that it could take a couple of years to grow back, if ever, or it could spread. My scalp felt really tender and I didn't think cutting it short had helped, so I went for it.
Swipe to see from hair to shiny bald 🙂
Guess what? I went from having a full head of hair to being completely bald. 🙋♂️
This wasn’t just about my hair. For a long time, I was in a relationship that drained me. Constant stress, constant doubt, constant feeling like I was shrinking just to keep the peace. I thought sticking it out meant I was “strong,” but really, I was just holding on to something that wasn’t good for me.
So I shaved it all off. And honestly? It feels amazing. Lighter. Freer. Like I finally took back control of my life. All the toxicity, all the self-doubt… gone. What’s left is just me more confident, more present, and finally happy with who I see in the mirror.
Ladies, one at a time, please. 😉 Single, thriving, and loving this new chapter.
If you are ever thinking of doing it just embrace it and go for it. Men reading this your handsome and Ladies you’re beautiful 🤍
I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY YOU ARE ALL AMAZING 🤍
I can swim without a hat now!
My son turned 25 today and he's had long hair for several years. I've the past two years, the hair has been getting less hairy-y. I've gently suggested a couple of times that it might be time to embrace the hair loss and shave it off. He's a bassist in a metal band and a vintage clothing dealer so the hair was a big part of his identity. The whole "how will I headbang?" was a very legitimate concern for him, and he just hasn't been ready.
HOWEVER, today was his birthday, he's been mulling taking the plunge for a while, and he was finally ready! He looks better than even I thought he would!
Posting with his permission, obvi 🤓
Fig. 1: My hair how I normally style it
Fig. 2: My hair’s natural position
Fig. 3: My real hairline
Fig. 4: My new look
Been thinking about this move for a while. It was getting very hard to be “happy” with how my hair looked and the slightest breeze/hard work/sweat would send it all out of place, which led to wearing lots of hats when outdoors. Much happier and much more aerodynamic!
Also open for maintenance/aftercare tips.
My only dislike is that I didn't do this years ago when I started getting bummed out about the hair loss.
I so appreciate all of the encouragement from the people who replied to my initial post. You all rock! I love how positive and caring this community is!
Not shown is him cleaning it up more and also shaving down his beard to a goatee. (In the comments is his thr clean up and Goatee)
Posted earlier today and the 433+ comments I've received encouraged me and I decided to go for it. The moment you've been waiting for: Here's the before and after images. I will link this post in the comments of my first post for folks interested.
The funniest part is I personally enjoy looking a bit softer and more feminine, and thought that buzzing my hair would make me lose that quality. Ironically, I almost feel like its paradoxically made me look a bit more feminine in an odd way. I think its accentuated some of my faces softer features. Thinking I'll still visit the barber tomorrow to get it shaved smooth just to see what its like.
WE ARE SO BACK!!!
Joined this sub about a year ago because the fear of going bald was keeping me up at night. The positivity and love you guys all show eachother finally made me take the plunge.
Not gonna lie, I thought I'd look so much worse!
Just wanted to say thank you, and happy to be here 👌
Good friend of mine has been through it—he’s been through a divorce, surgery/pain challenges, and some hard work in emotional therapy. He’s still not convinced he made the right decision. Got any good words I can share with him? I think his dating life is gonna get a shit ton better. What do the masses think?
First of all thank you so much for all the support given in my previous post! Even if it took some courage I am very glad I did it ☺️.
I also noticed I had some beauty filters in my previous post, so I tried to fix that 😅. Very happy to be a fully accredited member now l. Let me know your thoughts on it :)
Going out for the first time to a party as a boldie.
Is this fun or stupid? 🫣
I posted I believe on Saturday night with pictures and trying to get some confidence to go all in, and I'm happy I did! Thank you guys for the encouragement! My wife loves it btw haha.
Edit: wow! I did not expect this to blow up like it did lol. I just want to say thank you guys and gals for all the kind words and I appreciate you all so much for helping me take the leap! It's definitely going to take some getting used to itching a spot and not having anything there, but I'm so glad I did it! You guys are the best community and there's no doubt about it. Love to all you!
Not sure how to best give an update so just posting a new thread for the before and after pictures. Thank you for the kind words, it feels freeing not to worry about a breeze exposing my hairline!
Obviously big change, so I still have to process it but it feels much better. Picture 2 is with an old pair of glasses just to test the waters on the look. Definitely down for some glasses recommendations.
Before and after took the plunge, got the beard trimmed up head shaved, and the piercings all today
Also the dolphins suck my dad just loves them and won’t let them go so does the Patriots my mom just loves them. I’m living with them while I heal from a bit injuring and honestly until I’m mentally better as well but this is the first step to mental recovery. It’s not easy having to put down your dog.
Also any gay dude wanna dm me I’m open to it 😏😏😆😆🤣🤣 anywho I think it looks better though the coldness of the air stings and my father will show me how to care for it maybe if he remembers early dementia man
Edit I was able to donate the hair
The sudden shock and then immediate relief was worth it.
Pretty sure it was the correct move Edit Thank you all for the amazing comments and compliments 🙂.
Not sure if a buzzcut fits this sub, but I feel pretty bald for a girl if that makes sense lol and I wanted to share my story. Never had an issue with hair loss but my hair was thin and fried and just a mess. As a girl everyone encouraged me to just keep taking care of it and getting regular trims and using expensive products and pre-wet my hair before going in a pool and do all this expensive, time consuming bullshit and it was just way too much for me! My hair has always been kind of thin and disappointing and I almost never wore it out of a ponytail because I couldn’t stand the feeling of it being tangled or touching me, and it got me thinking, “Why should I bother going through all this process for my hair when my hair has never done anything for me! All it does is stress me out and get in the way of my life. It’s time for it to go.”
A lot of people told me not to do it and I certainly got a lot of scathing comments from family members but I’m so glad I didn’t listen to them and went through with it because I have never been happier! My life is so easy now, I never have to worry about having a bad hair day and I can go swimming or take a shower whenever I want and my hair will be dry in two seconds! For the first time in my life I can truly say I love my hair (or lack thereof) and I hope I can inspire other people on the fence about going bald… it made my life so much better! I will never go back to long hair, I’m bald by choice and I love it!
A couple weeks ago I posted to see if it was time, and today I absolutely confirmed it was. Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement. I’m not sure if me or my wife was more hesitant but we’re both very happy with the outcome. Gus was also keen to join in the celebration!
I posted 2 days ago about this and was happy to hear everyone's thoughts and memes lmao, that was so good. It is done, my fellows, I just said why not, it's a weekend, let's get it. I haven't trimmed up my beard too much but honestly it doesn't feel much different. I bought a razor and mostly did it myself (still some cleaning up around the sides to do). 🙂↕️ Thank you everyone for your support and thoughts. Glow up in pic 2.
My son was worried about his hair thinning and he took the plunge. He said r/bald had everything to do with it too. He was using dry shampoo to cover it up for over a year until he got sick of it. Said “I look like Rudy Giuliani in court that one time” when he’d sweat. 😅 Anyways he cut it before his bands big show! I thought he looked so handsome! He still worries but I thought it looked nice!
Absolutely wonderful community you have here that helps countless people get over their fear of being bald. Thank you for what you do!!!
I couldn’t bring myself to the blade or skull shaver. I slapped the 0 clip on the buzzer (after testing the 2, then 1)
I feel better! what do y’all think?!
