Issue #23 - The thick and Thin of it

Issue #23 - The thick and thin of it

Alright gents...it's time to touch upon a topic that none of us want to talk about, but the majority of us will have to deal with at one point or another in our lives: The B word...Balding. There, I said it. Although sad, it's true that a vast majority of us will wave our thick, healthy head of hair goodbye one day, and say hello to male pattern baldness. Some of us will develeop the horseshoe...some, the widow's peak, some the dome of glory, and some of us will just lose it all. But I am here to say guys, have no fear. It's not the end of the world. 


In my opinion, it's really all about how you accept your fate...if it's genetic, there's not really a whole lot you can do about it. Sure you can try propecia, or rogaine, but in all honesty they have very low percentages of success, and more often than not will leave you disappointed. My blog today though, isn't about how to stop it, it's about how to embrace it. Yes, i said embrace it. The majority of men don't get upset about thinning hair or balding because of themselves, but rather how others, specifically women will percieve them. Balding is stereotypically percieved as a sign of ugliness and old age, and to be honest, that's not the truth at all. Many men would be surprised to find out that balding or thinning hair isn't really a huge turn of for women, or even a concern...but it's how you attempt to cover it up that leads to the problems.


It's a natural instinct to try to cover up, hide or distract people from what's going on up there...and for the first little while, it's totally acceptable. But let's face it gents, when no amount of styling, or hiding can cover up the damage, you have to just let nature take its course. Now you could be one of those guys that  ignores the problem and just lets it do what it's going to do. Unfortunately you end up with the dreaded Horseshoe (bald on top, but hair on the back and sides), and this actually makes you look OLDER and WAY less desirable than if you were completely bald. It's the truth guys.


Really, the only balding pattern you can get away with, without shaving your head is the widow's peak, aka the golden arches (like the thinning gent in the pic above). This can be held for quite some time and in some cases forever. But sadly, for most of us, we are going to have to accept fate sooner or later, and go bald.


But why does this have to be a bad thing? I know to many men, the thought of being completely bald provokes shudders, but really there are plenty of men who have turned the Mr. Clean look into the Mr. Badass look. Bruce Willis maybe? How about Taye Diggs...and who could forget Jason Statham? These guys have taken the bald look and turned it into something rugged, manly and attractive. Don't think so? There are many women who would disagree. Now imagine Bruce willis with the horseshoe...not very pretty is it. How about Jason Statham with a Skullet (the horseshoe with the sides and back grown disgustingly long)...you get the point. 


Baldness is no longer a sign of aging. it can be pulled off in many different ways. Sure you might have to alter the rest of your look, but it's a whole heck of a lot better than that gnarly dome you have going on. And trust me men, Women would rather a man who is completely bald than a man who has the vomit inducing Comb-over, which is the biggest turn off you can manage. TIP: If you're thinking about going the way of the Bic, try a buzz cut first. Ask your barber or stylist to do your whole head with a number 2 or 2.5...this will still be long enough to show that you have hair, but will be short enough for you to get a better idea of how you would look bald. The buzzed look could actually work for you, and you will probably notice that your thinning spot looks a LOT less noticeable. This is because the shorter you keep your hair, the less thin it looks by nature. The longer the hair, the more distance it has to cover, thus making it look thinner. This way, if you DO decide to go totally bald, it will be much less of a dramatic change for you and everyone else...in the meantime, you may find women wanting to run their hands over your fuzzy new do....not sounding too bad anymore is it?!


If you still want to try to remedy the situation, more power to you, since I myself am in the thinning boat, and have taken this route as well. Before you go running for the rogaine though, keep in mind it's quite expensive and there are several generic brands that carry the exact same amount of medicine for a lower price. Shoppers Drug mart carries a brand for about $60, but Rexall carries their own brand in a 2 PACK for only $50...this is obviously the best bet. Propecia doesn't have much of a higher success percentage than Manoxidil, but you can try that as well if you would like.


If all else fails guys, don't be afraid to go full monty with your lid...it will take some getting used to, but you don't want to be the guy who doesn't accept reality...do you?


Until next time gents,
S.G.