I decided to go for a full razor head shave after starting to deal with hair loss. This is why I made the decision.
People have been telling me I’m losing my hair since my early 20s. I never really paid too much attention to them, and I always thought, if I do start losing my hair I’ll just shave it all off.
However in reality that is easier said than done. Hair loss, for most people, doesn’t happen overnight – you don’t wake up one morning and go oh I’ve lost loads of hair, time to shave it all off! There is a transition phase which might take years, so deciding when to make that decision can be tough. Check out my recent video on shaving my head above!
The start of the end
I’ve known the hair on my crown has been getting a bit thin for a while, but that’s easy to ignore because you don’t really see the back of your head very often. But in the last 12-18 months I’ve really started to notice it getting thinner on top – when you make lots of videos of yourself, these changes are easier to notice – but with the right styling and cut, you can disguise it to a degree.
But then at the end of March 2020, the UK went into lockdown. Everyone started working from home, businesses shut, and most importantly, barber shops closed to the public. Not being able to get my haircut professionally meant my hair looked worse than ever, and in my opinion, it made me look really old. My hair is quite grey on the sides, and with the obvious thinner patches, I felt like I looked ancient.
Clipper cut
Back in my University days I shaved my head for 4 years. It saved me tons of money on haircuts and hair products, I never had to worry about my hair, and it always felt like a get up and go action-man” haircut perfect for an active lifestyle.
So I bought some clippers, and shaved my hair as short as the clippers would go. Being in lockdown, I didn’t have to worry about being seen in public if it didn’t look good, but thankfully I was pretty happy with how it looked. To me, it definitely looked better and actually lots of people shaved their heads during lockdown so it wasn’t a big shock to anyone.
BUT my feeling of satisfaction was short lived. I soon realised that my hair looked good immediately after being shaved, but even 1 or 2 days worth of growth and the thinner areas of hair on my head were really apparent.
Full razor head shave
I started researching online to see if there was a more convenient every day shaver I could use to keep on top of it. That’s when I discovered Harry James from Bald Cafe. He reviewed all the different electric shavers, but really recommended going big, and having the proper razor blade shaved head. It’s well worth checking our Harry’s content, and you can see a lot of it from his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwBM95HF8Wjnf36i86w3ZQg
On one hand many people might look at me and think I have lots of hair. So do I wait until it looks really bad, or do I make the bold decision to do it now?
Because I have a beard, I haven’t really shaved in about 5 years. So wet shaving my head with a razor was scary as hell. When I finally shaved my head for the first time… it was a crazy experience. Having a completely smooth head is weird, and actually I was scared to touch it at first.
The new look took some getting used to if I’m honest, but ultimately I much prefer how I look now. I posted a photo on Instagram so people wouldn’t be so shocked when they saw me, and I wouldn’t have to explain myself to everyone individually. To my surprise people were very kind. The comments made me feel much better and reinforced in my mind that I’d made the right decision.
Change is inevitable in life. You can either try and fight it, or you can embrace it. I know that for me there are probably plenty of options I could consider for my hair, but I’d rather just accept it and go with it.
Recommended razor gear
Ultimately I decided on the Double Edge Safety Razor. It’s a great razor, and replacement blades are cheap as chips. I’ve also got some great products for before, during and after shaving to ensure a smooth finish and preventing razor rash/in-growing hairs. You can see what I use using the links below:
Wilkinson Sword Safety Razor – https://amzn.to/33q0vKz
Astra Platinum Razor Blades – https://amzn.to/2ZxCm3r
Badger Hair Shaving Brush – https://amzn.to/33qxv5v
Taylor of Old Bond St Sandalwood Shaving Cream – https://amzn.to/35uC7dl
After Shave Balm – https://amzn.to/3bROUrm
