Let me start off by saying, I am bald and I am proud of it. I started shaving my head almost 8 years ago and I have never looked back with one ounce of regret. The bald look wasn’t too common-place when I first shaved my head, but now I can’t seem to go out in public without seeing someone “rockin’ a baldie”. You would think that with so many people sporting a shaved head nowadays that people would be used to it. Yet it still amazes me that I’m constantly bombarded with questions about how and why I shave my head. And now that we’ve redesigned 45royale and made a spot for personal posts, I thought I would take this opportunity to display a list of questions that I constantly find myself answering. So without further adeiu, I give you the Bald F.A.Q.

• What made you shave your head?
  To put it bluntly, I was losing my hair. I started noticing the hair loss sometime during my freshman year of college, so I guess I was about 19 years old at the time. Single and balding is not usually a recipe for success with the ladies, so something had to give.
• Wow, 19 years old, did you start shaving it immediately?
  No, I tried to ignore the problem for a little while by wearing a lot of hats. About that same time I started growing out my goatee, but I think that was more to prove to myself that I hadn’t lost all hair growing ability.
• What made you finally bite the bullet and shave your head?
  “I can remember that damn thing like it was yesterday”. No lie, one day I was combing my hair in the mirror and I changed direction mid-comb and suddenly my hair looked better. It wasn’t a true “comb over” by any means, but at that point I knew it was time to throw in the towel. Rockin’ a comb-over in your 20’s??? No es bueno. That following weekend I shaved my head, which was right around the beginning of August of 2000.
• Were you worried about how you would look with a shaved head?
  Hells yes! I must have felt my head with my fingers for a month or two prior to shaving it, trying to see if there were any odd formations on my scalp that would be revealed once the hair was gone. I had to be REAL sure about shaving my hair off because I knew there was a good chance that portions of it would never grow back.
• What was your reaction when you looked in the mirror for the first time?
  Man, I need a tan! Funny thing is, I had that same thought this morning when I looked in the mirror.
• How often do your shave your head?

  Almost every single day. I’ve got into the habit of just shaving it in the shower every morning. In case you’re wondering, fogless mirrors don’t really work like they say they will.

• Do you use a straight edge or regular razor?
  I use a Mach-3 like most guys. So it’s just like the razor that you shave your face or legs with, but I use it on my scalp.
• Does it hurt when you shave your head?
  Nope, my head is pretty thick. The skin on your scalp isn’t nearly as sensitive as the skin on your face.
• Have you ever cut yourself?
  Oh yeah, but it’s a rare occasion nowadays. It is definitely something you learn how to avoid after the first couple times! Especially since I shave in the shower, the water immediately gets in the cut. In the words of Bread Head, “OUCH!”
• How do you shave the back of your head when you can’t see it?
  This question always makes me laugh, but I guess people really don’t know. When you’re shaving your entire head you don’t have to see what your shaving. I usually lead with my left hand to trace the hairline that I need to cut and then follow it with the razor in my right hand. It’s almost impossible to get every hair on the first pass, but you have to be diligent if you want your dome smooth and shiny!
• Well I guess you save a lot of money on haircuts, right?
  Have you seen the cost of Mach-3 razor blades these days? I bet I’m spending more money on razor blades a month than I ever paid to get my haircut. Gillette and companies like them have you cornered because you HAVE to get new blades! There is nothing worse than shaving your scalp with a dull or jagged razor blade.
• If there was suddenly a cure for baldness, would you grow your hair back?
  Nah, I don’t think so. It’s great to be able to wake up in the morning and just walk out the door if I need too. I can ride in a convertible with the top down and not get out of the car looking disheveled. Not to mention, the ladies seem to love it and always want to touch it. “Thank you ladies, you didn’t have to say that.”

For more information on the gift and the curse, check out baldness on Wikipedia.