Principal-ly shaved

Assistant Principal Joseph Amaral knows how to provide his students with incentives. When the Student Activities club wanted to raise some money for Tsunami relief, he gave them some items for motivation.

"He promised $1,000 would get us a night off from homework and it was $2,000 for Mr. Amaral to get his head shaved," said seventh-grade student Andrew Gomes.

The students pulled through and raised $7,000 for Tsunami relief, and Mr. Amaral followed through on his promise and got his hair shaved. I'm sure you're wondering how the new look suited the Assistant Principal.

Eighth-grade student Marcus Veyera said the new style looks OK on Mr. Amaral but that he isn't crazy enough to ever let someone shave his hair off.

Fellow student Kelsea Graves disagreed. "I think it kind of looks worse," she said with a shrug.

Others simply said Mr. Amaral looked "different."

But at least the school's assistant principal has options - a hat presented by colleagues that reads: "Got Hair?"

Good work, Mr. Amaral.

Bald for all?

Jennifer Banks doesn't think the bald-by-choice look is for everyone.

Let me explain. On Yul Bryner it’s beautiful. On Charles Barkley it’s super sexy. On Michael Jordan, it’s stylish. It’s a no-go on Dennis Rodman, Peabo Bryson and Hosea Saunders. The culprit is symmetry and head shape.

No harm intended, but fellows with cranial shapes like the Cone Heads on Saturday Night Live should not dare to go bare! The same holds true with guys with foreheads that enter the room before they do. Or those with features like E.T..

So how is one to know whether the bald look is for them or not? Alas, the author doesn't say.

Personally, I think that if you like it, it's good for you. But then, my opinion is that one's appearance is most important to them; you're the only person who has to be happy with your own appearance.

Shaving fruit

First, the M-3 razor, a single razor and a double-edged razor were tested on the outside of a kiwi fruit.

"The M-3 was the only one that didn't break the skin," Schumacher said.

"Problem Solver" Mark Schumacher of Local 6 in Florida decided that the way to test the quality of a razor was to use it to shave fruit. Aside from the kiwi fruit, he also tested it on an orange. He recommended the M3Power based on this rigorous and exacting test.

Unfortunately, the brief item on their website didn't tell us how long it took for the kiwi fruit's hair to grow back, or whether the orange suffered razor bumps. It also didn't specify the shaving lubricant employed by the fruits.

Personally, I'm stunned that they didn't use a melon: it would seem like a natural choice, wouldn't it?

Next up: deciding what brand of refrigerator you should buy based on how well magnets stick to the door.

Call her Kojak

On her website, Mary Ellen Foster writes about shaving her head in 1996.

With some who shave, it starts with a bad haircut. In Mary Ellen's case, it started with a dye-job that she wanted gone. After living with very short hair for a while, she decided to take the plunge and go all the way.

Actually, I did it the day before Halloween, the 30th, because it had just been an all-around bad day and I needed something to make me feel happy and in control of my life. So I went over the hairdressers and told them to shave it bald.

And once again, they did.

Not without asking me if I was absolutely certain I wanted to do this, mind you. And I did feel a bit of a twinge in my gut when the razor started going across my skull -- no turning back now, Foster...

I first shaved my head on a bad day, too. It worked; shaving brightened my day.

St. Baldrick and the Nurse

From Portland, Oregon, the story of a nursing student who is shaving her head to raise funds for childhood cancer research:

Nursing student Christina Cameli is going bald to help conquer childhood cancer. Her head will be shaved as part of this year’s "St. Baldrick’s day" celebration on April 3rd.

[...]

"I heard about St. Baldrick’s last year and stopped cutting my hair," Cameli says. Now it reaches past the middle of her back. She says most people are shocked that she is willing to shave it all off. She encourages turning that shock into a donation for St. Baldricks. Cameli has a personal goal of raising $5000 in donations for the charity; a goal she feels can be easily reached as news of her imminent baldness spreads. "I’m asking everyone to donate $10 and tell a friend," says Cameli. "If we can reach 500 people we’ll meet that goal, and children with cancer will have a better chance."

St. Baldrick's is an annual charity event that normally takes place sometime near St. Patrick's Day (March 17th). The actual date varies depending on location. Last year, they raised $3.5 million, most of which goes to CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Shaving down under

From Australia's Bayside Bulletin:

When Dr John Golder was diagnosed with a form of leukaemia last November, raising funds for leukaemia research and support got personal for fellow doctor Karen Barry.

Dr Barry, who works with Dr Golder at the Redlands Clinic, said she had been thinking of shaving her head in support of leukaemia research for a few years but Dr Golder's diagnosis prompted her to go ahead.

"I've never done anything that drastic before. But when it touches someone who is close to you, you stop and think," she said.

Doctor Barry is shaving her head on March 11th, during the World's Greatest Shave event in which 60,000 people in Australia will pledge to shave (or colour) their hair.

It sounds like a great event. They've got a list of celebrity participants in the event on their site. If you feel like donating, they've got a secure donation form, too.

Melissa Etheridge

On Sunday, February 13th, Melissa Etheridge surprised the audience at the Grammy's by coming out with a shaved bald head. It was her first public appearance since she was diagnosed with breast cancer late last year. It was the most memorable part of the awards show this year.

MSNBC has a transcript of Etheridge's interview on Dateline NBC from a couple of days ago.

Phillips: "Are you surprised by the impact it had? How it moved people?"

Etheridge: "Yes. Yes, I'm definitely taken aback. I remember when I finally made the choice. Yeah, I'm going to do it bald. And you know what? Maybe this'll help somebody who's sitting on chemo laying in bed and going, God, I'm bald. Isn't this weird? Maybe it'll help them feel a little better. I didn't know to what extent that would happen. But I'm honored."

Etheridge's performance at the Grammy's got a lot of attention in the news, and has inspired a lot of people.

Doctors and nurses shave heads for patient

Doctors and hospitals can be quite intimidating for some people. It's bad enough when you're there to visit sometimes, but when you're in for serious surgery, the whole experience can be overwhelming. It can be even worse when you're a kid. That's why it's nice to read a story of the lengths some medical staff will go to to make a patient feel better. Here's the story from Salinas, California:

About 20 Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System employees shaved their heads Friday in a fund-raising drive for a 12-year-old Salinas girl with cancer.

About a month ago, Haley Baxter, 12, a sixth-grader at Salinas Christian School, had a 6-pound tumor the size of a volleyball removed at Stanford Medical Center.

The doctors and nurses shaved their heads in solidarity with Haley, who is undergoing chemotherapy and losing her hair. They're also helping raise money for her medical expenses.

Good luck, Haley. I trust all will go well.

Bald as a basketball

The Greensburg Salem Golden Lions basketball team decided that the way to stay united as a team was to shave their heads together.

"We really are like a family," said Manley, the lone senior in the starting lineup and the unquestioned emotional leader for Greensburg Salem. "We really care about each other. [Shaving the heads] gave us more unity.

"Most of the guys were for it, but a couple of the ones with long, shaggy hair were shaky on it and needed to be talked into it."

It seems to be helping, as the team has been doing very well. Good luck in the playoffs, guys.

Gob's Bad Hair Day

From the West Roxbury & Roslindale Transcript, this upbeat story:

Gobnait Conneely will soon begin chemotherapy at Caritas St. Elizabeth's Hospital to treat her breast cancer. But instead of waiting for her hair to fall out, Conneely is taking charge of her own destiny and helping others at the same time. The West Roxbury woman shaved her head bald last week to raise money for breast cancer patients and immigrants.

"Well, they say bald is beautiful," an upbeat Conneely told a crowd of friends gathered at Phil's Hair Salon in Brighton.

[...]
Even Conneely's hair became a source of charity last week. Conneely donated her hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides hair prosthetics to children with long-term medical hair loss. "She decided two months ago to donate her hair to Locks of Love, and we just decided to do it with her as a friendship thing," said Sioban McHugh of Brighton, displaying her bald head in solidarity.

Locks of Love is a great organization, and it's always good to hear about people donating hair to them.

I shaved the sheriff

A previous post to this blog described how police in the United States can shave the heads of civilians without a warrant. If you're in Marysville, Kansas, you can shave the head of a law enforcement officer, according to the Marysville Advocate.

The Shave a Police Officer event to raise funds for a Marysville 4-year-old who has leukemia gets better and better.
Organizers of the Karlee Rockwell fund-raiser said this week that participants who bid big bucks will have a chance to shave the sheriff.
Marshall County’s finest have added their names to the list already inhabited by Marysville’s finest. Sheriff Kenny Coggins, undersheriff John Ralph and deputy Todd Heath said this week that they would join the corps of law enforcement officers who will have their heads shaved by the highest bidders in a silent auction.

There's not much time left to get in on the fun: bidding closes at 4pm on Sunday, and the shaving starts at 6. An opportunity to shave a law enforcement officer's head, and the money's going to charity? It's a great opportunity.

Musings on hair (and no hair)

In a journal entry from 2000, Adam Tow muses about hair, including some thoughts about having no hair. He's tried a few different styles, and his comments are interesting.

Everyone should at least shave their heads once in their lifetime. It might look strange at first, but it eventually grows on you. Plus, it’s soooo easy to take care of your hair when you don’t have any! Shower right before going to sleep, and you won’t have to worry about waking up with your hair sticking up in all directions!

The latest update to his article mentions that he got cornrows in 2002.

Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes was one of the most influential musical influences of the 1960's and 1970's. Hayes laid the groundwork for the 'Memphis Soul' sound and paved the way for many artists. His music speaks for itself, but his look is a part of the mystique as well.

The cover for his 1969 album Hot Buttered Soul featured Hayes' silky smooth cranium. According to Hayes' website:

In a new emerging age of Afro-centrism and Black Power, devoting the entire LP cover to Hayes' shaven head was a revolutionary statement.

One thing's certain: Isaac Hayes definitely helped make bald sexy.

Links:
Isaac Hayes' official site
Rolling Stone's profile
AllMusic's profile

Advice for a flaking scalp

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has an advice column that recently got this question from a bald-by-choice reader:

I'm a guy in my 30s who shaves his head -- first because I thought it looked cool, now because I'm starting to thin out on top. The constant shaving in the cold weather is making me pretty flaky -- and I don't mean goofy. I've noticed this for the first time this winter; what should I be doing to prevent the snowman effect?

It's the first time I've seen a BBC question in an advice column, so I thought it was neat. The columnist offers some suggestions, too.

Using a humidifier at home will help, as will your choice of shaving foam. Some contain agents that dry out your scalp, so stay away from those that contain alcohol, peppermint and laurel sulfate. One foam that comes highly recommended from my shave-down friends is Aveda Shave Cream for Men.

Moisturizers and skin care creams are often a good idea. When my scalp gets itchy and flaky, I generally turn to Vaseline Intensive Care skin lotion. I haven't had that problem for many years, though, and I suspect it's due to the moisturizing powers of shaving oil.

Playing Warbucks

Thirteen-year-old Tommy Foy decided to take the 'method acting' approach for his school production of Little Orphan Annie. Foy was playing the role of Daddy Warbucks, and felt that the only way to do the role justice was to shave his head.

"I got a bald cap but it looked fake, so I said I would shave my head," he said. "I thought why not. It's just hair, it'll grow back."

His mother was initially uncertain, fearing that he might be teased by classmates, but that ended up not being a concern.

"At first I was a bit hesitant...but afterward I was really happy because my head was in pretty good shape. There weren't any big dents or anything like that," Tommy said. "At school, a lot of my classmates loved it. Everybody was feeling my head (Thursday)."

Congratulations on the success of your play, Tommy.

Mailbag: Shampoo as a shaving lubricant

I got this email from Todd:

I've been shaving my head for about 4 years now. The other day I took my son to the barber and after telling him I get terrible irritation if I shave more than once a week he said to use shampoo instead of shaving cream. Shaving cream has alcohol and dries out your scalp, shampoo doesn't. I just bought a Headblade and with shampoo have shaved my head twice in three days and I look great. Thanks for listening.

I hadn't thought of using shampoo as a shaving lubricant; that's quite an interesting idea, and an ironic use for the product. I agree with the barber's comments about alcohol, of course, and it's generally considered a good idea to avoid aftershaves with alcohol as well.

I recently got another email suggesting shampoo as well.

By recommendation of a friend of mine that is a hairdresser, I began using "Hairseptic" in lieu of shaving cream. She recommended it to me because she has been using this product to shave the back of her client's necks with no irritation. It is a clear liquid, highly concentrated shampoo. I pour into a spray bottle and just spray a light film over my head and start shaving. I love it! I shave much faster with absolutely no irritation. What I don't like is that if it gets in your eyes....OWWW! Burns like the devil. Other than that, a great product. The name of the company is Aristocrat Hairseptic Company from Columbus, Ohio. It can be ordered at 1-800-783-0636 and can be found in beauty supply stores as well.

After the shaving

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has a great article about aftershave that any shaver would find interesting. They discuss changes in aftershaves, from the 'bracing' alcohol-based aftershaves to the newer soothing creams. The article also specifically mentions the head-shaving market and the new line of grooming products from Michael Jordan.

"The aftershaves of the past were mostly alcohol with a small amount of fragrance. The net effect was a lot of stinging and burning, and not much healing or soothing characteristics," Berard says.

Michael Jordan aftershave, for example, contains triple-distilled peppermint oil to seal pores and pro-vitamin B-5 to soothe irritation, Berard says.

"And since more men than ever before are shaving their heads, we designed the Michael Jordan aftershave to minimize oil for a shine-free finish eliminating the ‘chrome dome’ effect," he says.

The Gillette Man

Bryan Curtis of Slate gives us a take on the Gillette Man and Proctor & Gamble. P&G recently purchased Gillette for $57 Billion (USD). The article goes into the history of the Gillette Man, and it's pretty entertaining.

The Procter & Gamble sale may pose a threat to the Gillette man. It's a shotgun wedding of the grooming categories. Just as Gillette dominates men's shaving products, Procter & Gamble provides the top toiletry brands for women: Tampax, Olay, Cover Girl, and Max Factor. Will P&G's femininity nag the machismo out of the Gillette man?

Voting for a change (of hairstyle)

At Auburn University, the Dean's willing to shave his head to get his students to vote.

In an attempt to persuade students to vote in Auburn University's Student Government Association elections Feb. 9, Dean of Students Kent Smith said he will shave his head if 7,200 students turn out for the elections.

Smith said in the last election 6,400 students voted. His goal is to raise the number 12 percent.

"I'm trying to find ways to motivate students to be part of the political process," Smith said.

It sounds like something of a sacrifice for the Dean, too.

"I've never had a shaved head, and I'm not sure how interested I am in that. However, if the students come through, I'll do it," he said.

I wonder if there's any way to convince politicians to shave their heads for votes?

Always the unexpected

College basketball player Ted Rosendahl likes to surprise people.

"Our coach (Donnie Danklessen) thought it was a little too long," Rosendahl said. "My mother also didn't like it that long."

But instead of getting just a regular hair cut, Rosendahl returned to practice one day with a mohawk.

"That won't cut it," Danklessen said, recalling the moment he saw Rosendahl. "The next day Ted came back with a shaved head. I have to admit he looks good that way."

A new haircut can often be a welcome way to change things around. Sometimes a change is as good as a break.

Mailbag: Tom's of Maine Natural Conditioning Shave Cream

People occasionally send me reviews of shaving products that they've tried. If the review is substantial enough, I generally post it to my reviews page, but sometimes I'm sent a review that's not really long enough to get a page of it's own. Here's a review that was sent to me by J. Maxwell.

I would like to submit to fellow head shavers a review Tom's of Maine Natural Conditioning Shave Cream. It is available at natural food stores such as Whole Foods Market. I have found Tom's to be the best shave cream I have yet tried. It is slick, and the Fresh Mint (Honeysuckle is also available) soothes the scalp during the shave. It comes in a tube and a little of this product goes a long way. I shave every other day and find that a tube will last me a month or more.

I haven't tried this product myself, and haven't seen it available for sale in Canada, but perhaps this will interest someone.

Related link:
Amazon.com - with one short review

Stone Cold Steve Austin

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Swimmer styles

The Daily Evergreen carries this story of a swimming team's pre-meet hairstyles. Swimmers often shave their heads to reduce drag in the water. These guys decided to try a variety of interesting hairstyles before the big event, though.

So how the heck will having a mohawk or mullet help a swimmer go faster?

Actually, the Greyhounds’ new cuts are a way of having a little fun together the week before districts begin.

By the time Saturday’s district finals begin, most of the swimmers will finish their haircut by shaving the rest of their head.

From the sounds of it, the team considers this a great way to bond.

Besides their heads, the swimmers shave pretty much everything else their swimsuit doesn’t cover.

"A bunch of guys shaving their legs together sounds kind of weird, but it brings them closer as a team," Fort said. "But you should see all the cuts they have on their legs after."

I've often thought it would be neat to experiment with some wild and crazy hairstyles. I just don't have the patience to let my hair grow out long enough anymore.

Krazy Kevin

DJ Krazy Kevin of Radio Bahrain is drawing a lot of attention in this small country in the Persian Gulf. Kevin has decided to shave his trademark long hair to raise money for victims of the asian tsunami.

He's getting a lot of support from the local news. The Gulf Daily News has mentioned it several times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), and the response is quite strong.

Krazy Kevin, whose full name is Kevin Howarth, has invited others to follow his example and raise money for tsunami victims by shaving their heads. [*]

Good luck to Krazy Kevin and everyone associated with fund-raising efforts for the disaster.

Bald buddies

From the Citizen Online, the story of friends helping friends by shaving their heads.

Nathan Babcock’s cancer battle has inspired his friends to come together to support him by shaving their heads, showing solidarity with their friend and promising not to let him fight alone.

Five of his high school friends shaved their heads at the same time with him to help him deal with the disease he’s facing. They said they did it so he would not stand out as someone different.

As they say later in the article, perhaps they'll start a trend at their school.

Good luck to Nathan. With the support of your family and friends, you'll do well.

Exfoliation

The Sacremento Bee has some advice on taking care of your skin. It includes some stuff for us guys, including some tips on shaving.

Shaving every day is a man's way of exfoliating his face. That's good, but shaving should be done after a shower rather than before, and with shaving gel, not soap. A sharp razor is important to avoid shaving the same place multiple times, which can irritate the skin.

If after-shave is used, check the ingredients to make sure there's no alcohol. It dries the skin. Everyone, including men, should use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 every day. This could double as your moisturizer.

The article mentions that Michael Jordan will launch a line of grooming products for men this year.

Shaving for literacy

There are many examples of people shaving their heads to support a good cause. People shave to raise money for friends and family, or for a charity. People shave their heads to support people in different circumstances. From the Clarion News comes this story of a State Trooper who shaved his head to motivate young kids to read.

Pennsylvania State Trooper Dan Kamerer is sporting a "cooler" look this week. Kamerer challenged students at North Clarion Elementary School if they could increase their accelerated reading scores by 15 percent he would shave off all the hair on head. Students not only reached that goal, they increased it by 42 percent, that’s an increase of 5,535 to 7,575 in a nine-week period. Becky Delaney’s second-grade class had the top percentage increase and will receive a pizza party. Bobbie Cyphert from the Hair Studio in Tylersburg entertained students by shaving designs while she cut Kamerer’s hair.

Keep reading, kids.

Oops! I'm bald!

There's a fun story from the Globe and Mail (registration is probably required). Bryan Tenenhouse tells the story of how he came to have his head shaved.

It all started with a bad haircut. You know, the kind where the barber hands back your glasses and you put them on only to see -- your scalp!

My first frantic thought was, "Where's my hair?!"

Then suddenly I heard myself say, "Take it all off, just shave it all off."

Tenenhouse then describes various reactions to his haircut from the people in his life (which seems to have primarily consisted of surprise and concern). Like most people who shave their heads on the spur of the moment, it took a while for him to get used to the new look. But it ends well, of course.

As for me, I have to admit that I feel younger now without hair. I think everybody should have something about them that makes them feel unique, even if they aren't. And although you do see more shaved heads today than ever before, not everybody can carry them off.

I don't know if I really can. But I feel like I can and that's made all the difference.

Way to go, Bryan.

Haircut Stories

I ran across a website called The Haircut Story Site which features, as you might guess, stories about people getting their hair cut. What caught my attention was this story about a person admiring the sight of a bald-by-choice individual.

Then the girl said "I think all men should be bald"

"Oh really?" asked the bald guy - rather surprised "You like it?".

"Yeah I think it looks great. I think all men should be shaved. Men shouldn’t have any hair on them except their eyebrows and eyelashes".

The site also links to a message board and The Haircut Site.

Fulfilling a vow

From The Star Online, this story about a woman who shaved her head to fulfill a vow she made.

KUALA LUMPUR: M. Maliga was on her deathbed on her 50th birthday last March after taking a new medication for her arthritis. Her lungs were swollen, she was paralysed from the neck down and on a ventilator. In her moment of need, she cried out to Lord Muruga to heal her and vowed to shave her long, thick waist-length hair if he did.

Today, Maliga is not only alive and well but is able to walk with the aid of a walking stick. In keeping with her promise, Maliga shaved her head during the Thaipusam celebrations at Batu Caves here yesterday.

The Thaipusam celebrations are an annual Hindu festival. Shaving one's head bald as a symbol of humility and atonement is common at these festivals.

Something of a headshave lottery

Found an interesting story in the Herald Standard the other day. Holding a headshave to raise money and support friends isn't new, but the staff and students of Bethlehem-Center High School in Pennsylvania have put an interesting twist on it.

Exactly how many students will go under the clippers depends on how much money is raised to help the family of Brandon Statzula, an otherwise healthy and popular student athlete from Malden, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

All this week, Dr. Richard Martin, principal for the Beth-Center High School, will be making announcements and encouraging those who want to make a donation to do so. For every $50 that is collected, a name will be picked and a volunteer will have their head shaved.

On top of that, if they manage to raise $1000, the principal's head will also be shaved.

It's a creative way to go about it. Good luck, guys.

Mailbag: Seeing the back of your head

I have looked on several different websites and I have yet to find an answer to this simple question: how does everyone see the back and the side of their heads to get a clean shave? I know the answer is a mirror, but is there a special mirror or technique?

First off, you don't need to be able to see the back of your head in order to get a close shave. Personally, I shave by feel in all the areas that I can't see in the bathroom mirror without a problem. This takes a little practice, but it's not too hard to pick up; in fact, I sometimes shave in the shower without any mirrors at all. Your wet fingers running over the surface to be shaved will find any rough spots, which you can then go over again with your razor.

You can see the back of your head if you use two mirrors. The simplest method is to use a handheld mirror and your bathroom mirror. Turn your back to the bathroom mirror, and hold the handheld mirror in front of you, adjusting it so that you can see the reflection of the back of your head. You can shave with the razor in one hand and the mirror in the other hand. This is awkward at first, but it can be done with practice.

Some people are fortunate enough to have a set-up wherein they have multiple adjustable mirrors in the bathroom. A friend of mine had one where the mirror folded (on hinges) at two points, so you could fold the mirror in such a way that you could accomplish the same thing described above, but without having to hold one of the mirrors.

Yul Brynner

Over at Bald R Us, Tony has declared Yul Brynner to be the Bald Man of the Century.

Yul Brynner was probably best known for his role in The King and I, for which he won a Best Actor Oscar. He shaved his head for that role, and kept it for the rest of his career. It was part of the distinctive style that made him seem mysterious and exotic in the various roles he played. Whether he was playing an Egyptian pharoah or a post-apocalyptic warrior, it was hard to turn your eyes away from Yul Brynner.

Brynner died due to cancer in 1985. The Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation was created a few years before his death, after Yul realized that his long use of tobacco was contributing to his health problems.

Links:
Yul Brynner at the Internet Movie Database
Quite Simply, The King

Shaving as hassle

In an article in the Oregon State daily Barometer, Darrin Crescenzi talks about the hassles of shaving.

When you are growing up, shaving is one of those ultimate steps to manhood that we all aspire to reach. Our daddies do it, the guy on the Schick commercial does it, and someday, when we are all grown up, we will do it too.

[...]

Your dad, that guy in the Schick commercial -- they don't tell you that the process of shaving your face can be one of the most painfully terrifying experiences that you'll ever have. That, and you'll have to repeat it every day for the rest of your life.

There's nothing like running your cheek down a cheese grater to start your morning off right.

It sounds like Darrin needs to work on his shaving technique, or at least pick up some shaving oil and a Mach 3 (or a Quattro, since he seems to be a Schick man).

Shaving can be a hassle, of course. Darrin was taking a break from shaving his face and enjoying the time away from his razor. I've taken breaks like that too, letting my hair grow for up to a month. It can be very refreshing.

Dad shaving for daughter

From the Richmond & Twickenham Times, a story of a father shaving his head to support his daughter.

Simon Anderson's head will be shaved at 2pm on Wednesday January 26 at Isleworth Congregational Church on the junction of Twickenham Road and Worton Road, in a tribute to his nine -year-old daughter, Siobhan, who was diagnosed with Leukaemia in November last year and is being treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

[...]

Mr Anderson said: "I am doing this to show my daughter how proud I am of her. When we found out that Siobhan had Leukaemia, her biggest worry was that she was going to lose her hair. So I decided I would shave my head too to support her, and I realised I could raise money for the hospital at the same time. I was touched by how brave the children being treated at the hospital were, just smiling and laughing most of the time even though they are so ill, and it made me realise how proud I am to be Siobhan's dad. She just wants to get better for everybody. She has the best spirit in the world."

He's shaving his head on the 26th of January. If anyone wants to donate money, there's contact information in the linked article.

Mailbag: Hair gel shine

It's interesting to find products being used in ways that were probably not intended by the manufacturer. Here's a fine example: using a hair gel to make a bald head shiny.

SHINE hair gel.

I discovered, when I had hair, that the gel caused my scalp to look shiny. People kept commenting on the thinning hair and the shine of my scalp. So, when I took all my hair off, I thought I'd go back and see if it would work as a shiner. Use a pea sized amount. Instant shine. It must be a plastic. Works great and lasts all day.

I don't know if this would work with just any hair gel, but it sounds interesting.

Not everyone wants a shiny head, of course, but if you're looking for a little extra brightness up top, it might be worth a try.

Mailbag: More positive reinforcement

Following up on a previous post, here's some more positive comments I've received from people who shaved their heads for the first time. This first one's from John:

My wife loves it! I'd been begging for her approval about shaving my head for two years and gotten a VERY negative response. (You married guys know what I'm talking about. No major decisions without prior consent!) That is, until yesterday. Out of no where, after years of saying I'd look like a goon, she said she thought I'd look good bald so I should do it ASAP! I sent her your link a month ago but figured she never even checked it out. Now she won't leave me alone. Although I find it a bit embarrassing, she's calling everyone telling them about it.

For many guys, the decision to shave or not to shave is at least partially up to their wives. I'm glad it worked out for John.

I wrote you about a month ago about shaving my head for the first time. Well, I did it and everyone likes it, and says it looks much better than hair on the sides. And people love touching the bald and smoothly shave scalp. Everyone told me why didn't I do it in the first place. I told them I didn't know how people would react. They told me not to worry what people think, its your hair and no one else's. As long as you feel comfortable with it, don't worry.

That one covers my philosophy in a nutshell. You can't please everyone with your appearance, but you should at least try to be comfortable with yourself.

Daikoku Shaving Fukurokuju

From the Japan Times Online, an article about an exhibit displaying paintings from the Edo Period (1615-1868).

The reason the article caught my eye is that one of the paintings depicts one god shaving another god's head.

One such painting, "Daikoku Shaving Fukurokuju," demonstrates the happy and humorous natures of these two members of the group of Seven Deities. Daikoku is the deity of prosperity, while Fukurokuju is the deity of longevity. Daikoku is almost naked, clothed only in a loincloth and wearing a red hood. Holding a razor in his right hand, he must climb a ladder in order to shave Fukurokuju's head, since it is so elongated. The painting illustrates the human qualities of deities, who seem less than godlike in such poses, showing that the immortals have as many foibles as us ordinary folk.

Now that I've seen the picture, I feel fortunate that I don't require a ladder to shave my own head.

Mailbag: extending blade life

Razor blades never seem to last long enough. A little over a year back, I received this suggestion through email about extending the life of a razor blade.

As you know, both Braun and Remington have introduced electric shavers with an automatic cleaning feature. These units sit in a bath of an alcohol-mixture.

Well, if it's good for a shaver, then it may be good for a razor, too. I've taken a tall coffee cup that has a cover and partially filled it with some cheap alcohol. The cover reduces the amount of alcohol that evaporates. I use it to clean my razor and it does a good job, too.

But I went one further. I got a second coffee cup and partially filled it with -- vitamin E oil. And it is here where I store the razor. The oil serves two purposes. First, it locks out both water and air thereby eliminating the possibility of rust. Second, when first used, it carries with it some oil that serves as a lubricant (at least for the first few strokes). One could also use jojoba, baby oil, or whatever is lying around the house.

So, two coffee cups that were gathering dust, some alcohol and vitamin E oil, at a cost of under $3 and will probably last for months. I cannot scientifically prove that this technique makes razors last longer but I believe it does. If any of you out there try this and do have measureable results, please write back and share it with the rest of us.

There was a discussion on FatWallet.com in December 2002 that discussed thesame issue. The majority of people there seemed to prefer mineral oil, but as the emailer suggested, it seems a number of products will produce a similar effect. Personally, I've tried this with baby oil and it seems to work fine.

Along the same lines is the Edge Saver, a commercial product. I didn't spot anything on their site that mentioned the type of oil they use. I tried and reviewed the EdgeSaver a while back.

Hockey player's hair shaved by fan

From HeraldNet news comes this charming story of a hockey player's efforts to raise money by shaving his head.

In the middle of the Everett Events Center hockey rink Sunday evening, Mark Kress' tresses were sheared by one of his biggest fans.

Snohomish resident Barbara Lipp won the right to wield the clippers in an online auction at the Silvertips' Web site. After the first period of the game, Lipp helped cut the hockey player's mane, which he was growing long to raise money for charity.

Mrs. Lipp hadn't even bid herself; her husband had done it so that she could have the honour of shaving her favorite player's hair off.

Kress had hoped to have his hair long enough to donate it to another charity, but didn't quite make the required 10 inches length.

Though the player ended up about an inch short of being able to donate his hair to Locks of Love, he decided to go ahead with the haircut after meeting his goal of raising $10,000, said Silvertips Spokesman Keith Gerhart.

To everyone involved: way to go!

Mailbag: Positive reinforcement

People are sometimes very nervous about shaving their heads for the first time. They often wonder if it will look okay, or if they will be mocked once their head is shaved. I thought I'd share some emails I've gotten from people who have shaved their heads for the first time.

I shaved my over my vacation and was anticipating some negative comments from my co-workers but upon returning to work, many workers complimented me and said I looked good. The part that's really interesting is a couple of guys stopped wearing the hats that covered a bald spot on their head and one of the girls that never wore shorts suddenly started wearing shorts and I overheard another girl telling someone that what I did was very bold. I think my change helped people feel better about themselves and they can be who they are without fear of ridicule.

I'm now shaving every evening because my hair grows very fast.

That email's from Larry, and it's fairly typical of the comments I receive. Here's another positive email that I received from Mark:

I just wanted to say "thank" for your informative site. I shaved my head 3 days ago and am still getting used to everything. My reason for shaving - I was born with a small "bald" spot near the front, left-hand part of my head. For all my life I had this patch of skin where hair should have been. So everday I would have to comb hair over it. I was always self-conscious about it...

As I got older, and my hair began to thin it became increasingly difficult to cover up my baldness. I would spend 30 minutes messing with my hair each day and I'd still not be happy with the results. Plus, I drive a convertible and own a motorcycle... so my hair would always get messed up anyway.

I had been thinking about shaving my head for a year... My only hang up was that, considering my bald spot... my decision would have to be permanent. But when I finally did... I felt so free! For the first time in my 30 years of existence, I didn't have to worry about my bald spot, my thinning hair, or anything... just a smooth scalp.

It's going to take some getting use to.. but I know I'll be fine.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my story. Thanks again!

Nearly all of the email I receive from first-time headshavers is positive, which is great. Keep it up, folks.

Does shaving affect hair growth?

There is a common belief that if you crop your hair (or shave it), it will grow back thicker than before. There are other, similar beliefs, like the idea that if you pluck out one grey hair, two more will grow in its place.

Conversely, there is also the belief (among some people) that shaving your hair will cause it to grow back thinner, and eventually lead to baldness. Similarly, some people believe that wearing tight hats, or brushing the hair too much, will lead to baldness.

In case you were wondering, none of these ideas is true.

The hair we see on our heads is dead protein. All hair growth takes place in the hair follicle, which is below the skin. When we cut or shave our hair, we're cutting or shaving the dead part of it that has grown out past the surface of the skin. This doesn't affect hair growth in any way, neither positively nor negatively. Hair growth can be affected by environmental factors (stress, diet, radiation, possibly others), but these are things that affect the hair's root. Shaving or cutting hair only affects the dead part of the hair, so it won't affect it's growth.

If shaving somehow did increase hair growth, you can be sure that we'd know about it, because it would essentially be a cure for male pattern baldness. Billions of dollars are spent every year by men trying to re-grow their hair. If all they had to do was shave it for a while, you'd be seeing a lot more shiny domes in the short term.

And conversely, if shaving caused hair to come back thinner or disappear, then we wouldn't need to keep shaving our beards. Granted, beard hair is different from scalp hair, but at the least, those of us who shave our heads would expect hair loss from the scalp to be even, and not focused on the top as it actually is.

However, there may be reasons why people think that shaving can affect growth.

Consider this situation: your hair is receding. You shave it all off and then, after some period of time, you re-grow your hair. You will almost certainly have less hair than before you shaved. Although this is attributable to natural hairloss, it may seem to some people that because they shaved, they lost more hair.

Conversely, one might shave one's head, live the bald life for a while, and then re-grow it without suffering any hair loss or gain. Some people, having become unaccustomed to the sight of their hair, might perceive even more hair than they previously perceived. In this scenario, a person might believe that shaving actually increased hair growth.

While these perceptions might arise naturally, they do not reflect reality. Shaving your head will neither increase nor decrease the number of hairs on your head, nor will it affect their thickness or colour. All shaving will do is to make your hair really short for a while.

Related Links:

Does shaving stimulate hair growth / hypertrichosis? - Includes references to a study done in the 1920's showing that there is no link between shaving and hair growth.

Top Ten Hair Myths - Myth #1 is "Cutting your hair makes it stronger or grow faster."

Hair Follicle Structure - Information about how hair "works".

Outrageously Smooth

So, does the image of a bald woman sell liquor?

The commercial featured a girl in a bath who asks her boyfriend to shave her. Her thighs are seen rising out of water as she submerges her head in a fit of giggles - the image of swirling water turns into swirling Blavod Black Vodka. In the next scene we see the boyfriend preparing two glasses of the Blavod before removing a towel on the girls head to reveal that it is here that the shaving took place, rather than lower down, as had been insinuated. The slogan "Outrageously Smooth" then appears on screen.

That's from a press release mentioning an ad campaign for Vodka that played in the UK this past year. I haven't seen the commercial myself.

Mailbag: Does age matter

Here's a curious question that I've been asked more than once through email:

What is a good age for someone to start shaving their head?

I don't know what is meant by "a good age". There isn't any specific age that's better or worse for shaving one's head than any other, as far as I know. Some cultures and religions have rituals that involve shaving the head of a child as young as 1 or 2 years old.

Shaving doesn't harm the hair any more than cutting it does, so shaving one's head won't affect later hair growth. As long as shaving is done carefully, it won't do any damage to the skin either. As far as I've been able to determine, there are no permanent physical affects that result from shaving, so there's no physical reason to limit headshaving to a particular age.

That said, there may be social and cultural reasons not to shave one's head at a given age. Particularly, children under 18 who are living with their parents may live in situations where their parents do not wish them to shave their heads. In situations like that, I generally advise children to abide by their parents' wishes; I don't think a hairstyle is worth the family discord that might result.

Once a person is an adult, I think they should be free to make any and all decisions about their personal appearance. Also, children who's parents do not object to headshaving shouldn't have a problem.

I've had emails from kids as young as 12 that shave their heads, and adults in their seventies. Nearly all report positive responses from family and friends. There is always the possibility that one's peers might not like the look, and even mock it. For younger children, the potential for social stigma might be a risk they don't want to take, and it is possible that teasing might result from shaving one's head. Generally speaking, though, it's not normally a problem.

How often should one shave?

I'm often asked how often one should shave their head.

I can't really offer a specific recommendation. After all, it's really a matter of personal choice: how smooth you want your scalp to be, how sensitive your skin is, and how much work you want to put in.

I've communicated with people who only shave once a week, people who shave a couple of times a week (like me, usually once every 2 or 3 days), those who shave daily, and a select few who actually shave more than once per day. Each choice has its advantages and disadvantages.

Personally, I like shaving every 2nd day. After the 2nd day, the stubble's a bit much for me. But I don't really want to shave every day, as it gets a bit tiresome.

But a good rule of thumb is that you'll probably want to shave your scalp about as often as you normally shave your face. The hair tends to grow at the same rate, so you already have some idea of how much stubble to expect.

More support

Shaving one's head to support a friend isn't uncommon. Normally, it's in support of someone with cancer, but cancer's not the only thing that can lead to someone losing their hair. For Kyle Wyss, a brain tumor and the subsequent surgery meant that he had to shave his hair.

From West Salem Coulee News:

Several of the teachers and students have resorted to shaving their heads as a symbolic means of support for Kyle, as well as a fund-raising method for the Wyss family.

Dave Cowley, junior high literature teacher, had his head shaved after he had pledges of $100. Cory Everson, junior high math teacher, also had his head shaved after receiving pledges of $100.

Yet to have her head shaved, Kathy Young, library media aide, said she will do so after she receives pledges totaling $1,000. She's still working on gathering that amount.

Mailbag: Blade life

A common question I received through email:

I personally use the Gillette Mach 3 razor but I have a problem. The blade doesn't stay sharp long enough it seems so I was wondering how many times should I shave using the same blade before replacing it?

The question of blade life is highly dependent on the individual. Some people have soft, sparse hair and can use a single blade for quite a while before it gets dull. Some people have very thick, coarse hair and they go through blades quite quickly. As a result, there's no way to be sure how long a blade will last for you.

Blades should be changed when they start to get dull enough that you find yourself using more and more pressure in order to get the same quality of shave. This is often noticeable when you start to feel more irritation when you shave, because irritation is often caused by pressing too hard with the razor while shaving.

As a personal rule of thumb, I tend to keep an eye on the 'comfort strip' on my Mach 3. When the comfort strip starts to crumble and disappear, that's when I consider changing the blade. Note, that's not the same as changing it when the color fades from the strip; that usually happens pretty quickly, but it's not a good indicator of blade life (as we discussed in this article). Even when the comfort strip is mostly gone, the blade might be sharp enough to use, but you have to develop a bit of a feel for that.

There are ways to increase blade life. Ensuring that your hair is as soft as possible before shaving (by making sure it's very wet, like shaving during or after a shower) helps. Storing the blade in mineral oil or something similar helps cut back on corrosion on the blade; there are commercial products like Edge Saver that do the same thing.
Cryogenically-hardened razor blades are also available, which tend to last longer than normal blades.

Embracing the inevitable

There's an excellent article on the Marin Independent Journal website about baldness.

"I felt a scraping across my head," Snesko, 58, recalls. "She was shaving my head with her Lady Schick razor. I just (about) fainted."

Then came the words every follically challenged male lives for: "She said, 'You are so much better looking bald.' It so disarmed me, I let her finish the job. And I've been happy and grateful ever since."

Amen, and pass that mirror over here.

Bald is beautiful.

The person quoted above is Tony Snesko, founder of the Bald R Us website, which celebrates baldness.

It's interesting how our self-image can be tied up in our hair. But as the article points out, most men are affected by baldness or thinning hair at some point in their lives.

Male pattern baldness affects up to 90 percent of all men.

You can't run. You can't hide. So you may as well go with the flow.

Fighting against male pattern baldness is like fighting against the setting of the sun. It happens whether you fight it or not. Recognizing that it's not necessary to fight it, though, can make life a lot easier.

Bald community

So where do you go when you want to talk to people about headshaving? Who do you ask when you've got questions about razors, shaving creams, bumps, and skin irritation on your scalp?

Other bald folks, of course!

The Bald by Choice Men's Club has been around since 1998, and it's a great place to talk about the BBC lifestyle and ask shaving questions.

Though it's not been around as long, Head Shave Central is another good message board for communicating with fellow baldies.

Mailbag: Cole

I've posted stories about people supporting family and friends by shaving their heads (1, 2, 3, 4). Just recently, I got an email from a father whose three-year-old son has leukemia.

As I've mentioned before, I think the idea of shaving one's head to support a loved one is beautiful. Unwanted hair loss due to chemotherapy or surgery can be very difficult for people to take. It's made easier when they have the very visible support of those close to them. Hopefully, the depth of our love for family and friends is always obvious; making it visible to everyone around is a nice touch.

My 3-year-old son Cole was diagnosed with childhood leukemia a week before Christmas. He started chemo treatment immediately, and he begun losing his hair after about 2 weeks of treatment, just before the New Year. We always got our haircuts together, so when I told Cole we need to cut his hair, he agreed to it if we did it "together". He got a close buzz cut, and the chemo medication will take care of the rest over the next few days. I did a buzz cut for myself, followed by a full shave, so we would match. I intend to keep my skull shaved at least until Cole's hair begins to grow back, sometime after his 2-year chemo treatment is over.

They've set up a website for Cole which includes pictures and other information. Good luck, Cole; I'll be thinking of you.

Lessons learned from Christmas

From the Citizen-Times, a somewhat humorous look at Christmas. I mention it only because of this bit:

Our society has become ridiculously litigious. I know this because one of my Christmas gifts, an electric shaver, came with the following warning: "Never Use While Sleeping." (Laugh if you want, but this apparently has prevented thousands of senseless head shaving incidents over the years.)

I always avoid shaving while asleep. Too many nicks and cuts.

Mailbag: Advice for a balding transvestite

I sometimes get questions through email to which I cannot reply, normally because the person who filled in my contact form with a non-working email address. Here's one recent question; with any luck, the person who asked will come across it here. Jennifer had given permission to post this question in her initial contact.

Name: Jennifer
comment:
Hi! Your site is very informative and has quite a positive bent to it.

I need some advice/inspiration here, so here's a brief intro:
I am a 5'11 transsexual woman who "passes" most of the time. I feel I am pretty. My hair's shoulder length. The last few years male pattern baldness has been occuring (my mom is even very bare on top). I've tried "products". I try to style my hair to cover it. I am getting tired of this and am considering shaving my head! What are your thoughts on this? I mean..a very large part of my identity is of being feminine. Most family/friends accept me as a tranny girl. I also think bald people are beautiful. Part of why transsexuals sometimes seem to overcompensate to be girly is because they wish to outbalanc e some of the other social cues, such as being 5'11 and a relatively strong bone structure (that's me). If you can advise that would be appreciated. If you can steer me towards other help in this matter that would be great.

Thank you very much,
Jenny

I don't know if my comments will be helpful, but I'll give it a shot.

I assume you've already looked through the "For Women" section of my site. If not, you might want to look through some of the links; there are two stories in there that I found interesting that deal with women who have shaved their heads.

Personally, I think many women continue to look very feminine with shaved heads. Society in general is becoming more open to the idea of bald women, but unfortunately it is still far from mainstream (as illustrated in a previous article). Women who do shave their heads often face some discrimination from people who are intolerant of certain kinds of differences.

One problem you might have is that even if you shave your head regularly, it is very common for 'shadow' to be visible. This is isn't as much of a problem if you're blond and have fair skin, but otherwise it's usually apparent where your hair would normally grow. While baldness does affect some women, it's uncommon, and the visual appearance of male pattern baldness will still be apparent to people who look (if they're not paying much attention, they'll probably not notice). Male pattern baldness is distinctive enough that it would probably not match most people's ideas of feminine.

One possibility would be to shave your head and then wear a wig. Baldness makes wigs easier to deal with, I'm told.

My personal opinion is that the only person who has to be happy with your appearance is you. If you like the way you look, that is the most important thing. You said that you have family and friends that accept you as you are, so I expect that they would continue to accept you whether your hair was long, short, or absent.

The stigma of baldness for women

Though the bald-by-choice look is more common than it used to be, it's not universally accepted. This is especially true for women, who can suffer some serious discrimination if they shave their heads. Consider this story from the Fredricksburg Free Lance-Star as an illustration.

NGEL HOPKINS thought having cancer was bad enough.

Then, chemotherapy made her hair fall out, and she lost the ponytail that used to hang down her back.

But the worst part of the ordeal was having people make fun of her. Strangers who saw her at the gas station or grocery store would give her dirty looks and make snide comments about her bald head.

In this day and age, I find it amazing that people would harass a women with a shaved head about her appearance. Given how common cancer is in North America, you'd think that people would have a little awareness and compassion, you know?

In Hopkins case, when she revealed all of this to other people in her life, they decided to support her by shaving their own heads. Sisters, other female relatives, and neighbours got in on the act. Naturally, this got even more stares.

When they tell others why they're hair-free, people change their attitude, said Frank Miller, Campbell's boyfriend.

"They'll go, 'Awww, that's the sweetest thing I ever heard,'" he said. "But it's just amazing how quickly people judge another person."

Her family and friends have pledged to stay bald as long as she does. Maybe the people in her area will learn a little something about compassion along the way.

The story got covered by WAVY TV as well.

The thin blue line

Tammy Hansen Snell of Nebraska StatePaper comments on the blue comfort stripes on modern disposable and cartridge razors:

The packaging states that the razor "..has a blue stripe that fades away when you are no longer getting the optimal shave"

Poppycock. The blue stripe has been gone from my razor for two months now, and my shins still get as smooth as they did three months ago.

Indicator strip, schmindicator strip. It’s a ploy intended to make me throw away a perfectly good razor and buy another one.

Well, I’m tired of playing along. The economy will have to adjust to the fact that I refuse to throw the razor away until it no longer does a decent job.

I agree fully.

Personally, I find that the blue stripe tends to fade completely after one or two shaves. I still end up using it for about 10 to 12 shaves, though, with good results. No, the razor isn't as incredibly sharp as it was on the first two shaves, but it doesn't need to be. In fact, I find the shaving more comfortable once the blue stripe is gone; that's when the razor's finally been 'broken in', so to speak.

Headshave auction

From a press release on prweb.com:

Step-mom to 8 year old boy in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida helps raise funds and awareness by auctioning off the shaving of her hair on eBay

Not many people would go to such lengths to raise money and awareness for a worthy cause, but a devoted step-mom is doing just that. In this case, the price of beauty is $2,500 to shave her head. That’s the minimum Valerie DeRoy is seeking to raise for Franklin’s Fan Club.

Franklin, the little boy, has T-cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, and his step-mom is hoping to defray some of the expenses of treatment through this auction.

At this writing, there's still 4 days left on the auction on eBay (it ends on January 3rd), so if you're interested, head on over.

The article includes other ways to help out, if bidding on the auction doesn't appeal to you.

A Barber's Life

The Columbian has an interesting article about a day in the life of a barber.

The sign outside of his door reads "Baldy's," so most people around here just call him by that name. Baldy's specialty: shaving heads, $7 a scalp.

The barbering business sounds tough. From this, and a previous article, it sounds like a difficult way to scrape out a living.

Charity headshave for the homeless

From the Register-Pajaronian, an article about another successful charity headshave. This one fits in nicely with the article I posted yesterday.

I'm not sure exactly why charity headshaves are so popular. I suppose it's because even though the bald-by-choice thing is more popular than ever, it's still the kind of thing that most people are still a little nervous about doing. Doing it for charity makes it easier, though, and people seem to be willing to pony up some dough to see how others will look when shaved.

Coast Commercial Bank president Rick Hofstetter was skeptical when his staff came up with the idea of shaving his head to raise money for the Family Shelter, but he went along and shaved his head on Nov. 16 - and the Homeless Services Center's new Family Shelter is $35,112 richer as a result.

Merry Xmas

From GlobeGazette.com, a holiday story.

Will Wold, his nearly-bald pate covered with a Santa hat, said shaving his head was his way of giving to his community.

"I've done a lot crazy things for absolutely no reason at all - why not do something crazy for a great reason?" said the Rockwell-Swaledale High School instructor.

Wold on Tuesday joined about a dozen students and faculty in shaving their heads for charity, anteing up $25 for the cut.

Charity headshaves often end up raising a good amount of money for a good cause. Happy holidays.

Showing support

Two stories of people shaving their heads to support someone else.

From the Bay City Times, we get the first one. When Joshua Jasman wanted to shave his head rather than lose his hair to chemotherapy, his friend Jacob Rytlewski decided to join him.

"When I found out Joshua was shaving his head, I decided to do it with him. I wanted some way to show my support," said Rytlewski, who joined Jasman for the haircut at Jasman's home last week.

[...]

"He didn't want to lose his hair in clumps," said Joshua's mother, Michelle Jasman, on his decision to shave his head. "It was a great surprise, that Jacob would do it too."

And from KSL TV, the story of Police and Firefighters standing together.

South Jordan Police Officer Ryan Meng recently underwent a risky 12-hour procedure to fix lingering problems caused by an aneurysm he suffered 16 months ago. It was his second brain surgery in six months.

To show their support for the 27-year-old Meng, about 30 male members of the city's police and fire departments shaved their heads.

Meng says the head-shaving gesture symbolized how all the officers in the department are there for one another.

Way to support each other, guys.

Get Some

The HeadBlade S4 got listed on MTV.com's 'Get Some' Guide To The Hottest New Products for 2005. It's down on the bottom quarter of the page.

Congratulations, guys, that's quite an accomplishment.

The end of shaving?

One of the complaints I often hear about headshaving is the whole shaving thing. People often really like the look and feel of being bald, but shaving regularly is a bit of a hassle.

So I often get asked questions like, "Have you tried Ultra Hair Away?" or "How about Epil-Stop?". There's a class of products known as Hair Inhibitors that claim to slow hair growth so that you don't have to shave as often, and some promise that your hair will eventually stop growing.

I've never tried any of these products. But a bit of searching turns up some interesting info. For instance, there's an Epil-Stop Survivors message board for people who were injured by the Epil-Stop product. HairFacts.com carries warnings about Ultra Hair Away and other hair growth inhibitors.

What's even more interesting about the searching is what I can't turn up. If these products worked as claimed, I would expect to find people talking about them on message boards or Usenet. Instead, what I generally found was people asking if anyone else had tried them, but no useful responses.

There are a lot of people who would really like a product like this, so if one existed and was as widely advertised as the hair growth inhibitors are, I would expect some buzz to exist on the Internet. Yet I can't find it.

People send me email all the time telling me about great products that they've used, or ones that they hated. Nobody emails me about hair growth inhibitors, except to ask if they work.

All of this makes me suspicious of hair growth inhibitors as a class of products, and makes me reluctant to try one. I can't say with absolute certainty that they are a scam, but the signs point that way.

Shaving may be a hassle sometimes, but it's proven reliable and effective, so I'll stick with it.

Athletes and hair

Hamman is among a growing number of athletes using their hair as self-expression and to develop a unique and marketable persona. In a curious reversal of roles, it's the super macho men of sports who are primping and preening far more than the lady jocks.

That's from an interesting article in USA Today about professional athletes and hairstyles. The bald-by-choice look doesn't get as much play as the long-haired look, but it's still a great read for anyone interested in the role hairstyles play in self-expression.

Cash crop

The hair removal market (excluding shaving) represented an estimated $8.3 billion global market in 2001, with $3.8 billion in the United States. The world market is expected to grow to an estimated $11.1 billion by 2005, with commensurate increases in the U.S.

That quote's from a press release by a company that thinks it's found a better way to remove hair permanently. Human trials on its product (which targets a certain gene to "permanently disrupt hair follicle integrity") won't likely be starting until 2006, so it's too soon to talk seriously about it.

I'm just amazed that there's that much money to be made by removing hair.

The plight of the traditional barber

This Associated Press article in the Grand Forks Herald talks a bit about the decline in the number of barbers in the US in recent years, and how they're losing ground to hair stylists, even among male customers.

One question I've been asked numerous times is if I know of a barber that will give straight razor shaves. It's a dying art. For the record, I've never been to a barber, and don't know of any off-hand that shave with a straight razor. However, the article mentions one, in case you're somewhere near Bismarck, North Dakota.

Twenty-three-year-old Travis Zenker is the first new barber in Bismarck in more than 20 years, Schock said. [...] He is one of the few barbers, including old-timers, who still uses a straight razor for shaving and trimming.

Errol Brown

The Liverpool Daily Press recently had an article about 1970s pop singer Errol Brown. Brown was the lead singer for Hot Chocolate, and is probably best remembered for the song You Sexy Thing. He still tours occasionally, and will be touring the UK soon.

The 55-year-old bald-headed singer who has to shave his head regularly began shaving it early in his career. "My hair was beginning to recede," he admits. "I thought I would be very cool and become the first pop star to shave his head. My girlfriend at the time was encouraging and told me it looked good."

I'd have to agree with Errol's girlfriend: the look definitely suits him.

Bald women blogging

Bald Ladies' Journal is a LiveJournal blog community for women who shave their heads. I found the following notice on their front page interesting:

Community membership is closed in an attempt to keep those here solely for fetish purposes out.

I know from personal experience that there is a large hair fetishist community out there. When I added a Women's section to my site a while back, traffic jumped dramatically. Alas, it wasn't from women who wanted information about how to shave their heads (which is what the section on my site was intended for), instead it was a bunch of guys who wanted to see pictures of bald women.

I don't personally care what other people are into: it's a wide-open world, after all. But pretty soon, comments to a log entry I had made on the subject consisted primarily of guys trying to meet bald women, giving out phone numbers, trying to arrange meets, and other stuff that goes well beyond what I had intended for my site.

So good luck to the Bald Ladies' Journal. I hope everything goes well for the community.

Shaving as protest (and support)

Saw this story from WANE-TV:

The assistant to Notre Dame's president has shaved her head to protest Tyrone Willingham's firing as football coach.

Chandra Johnson says she'll remain bald until the Irish win a national championship, something that hasn't happened since 1988.

Shaving one's head has often been used as a form of protest. Now that more people shave their head regularly, it doesn't stand out as much as it used to, but since this was a woman shaving her head, I think people will notice and ask her about it.

Johnson's protest is in support of a colleague. Shaving heads is often used as a show of solidarity too. I've read a lot of stories lately about people shaving their heads to support someone with cancer. Like this story:

After chemotherapy treatments, the 7th-grader at Stillwater Junior High School noticed his hair falling out in clumps. Within a day Jake’s good friends, Cody Jansen and Jesse George, came over to shave their heads with him.

Luke Buerkley, a traveling basketball teammate, suggested that all the players shave their heads to show support.

More than 70 people gathered at the Martells’ house Oct. 8 for a Friday night barbecue and impromptu head shaving party, Jake’s dad, Larry Martell said. [...]
About 24 people, adults and kids alike, shaved their heads that night.

People can support organizations this way too.

Jill Saward, 39, who was brutally raped at her Ealing Vicarage home in 1986, will be raising much needed funds for Abused People's Help In Sexual Trauma (APHIST) based in Wolverhampton, by shaving off all her hair at their Christmas fair on Friday, December 10.

King of Shaves wins award

FHM, a men's magazine, recently gave out awards for men's grooming products. As described in this press release, King of Shaves won in the wet shaving category.

King of Shaves AlphaGel DDS Natural Unmentholated Shaving Gel was voted Winner in the hotly contested 'Best Wet Shaving Product' category.

King of Shaves beat out strong competition from Gillette, Wilkinson Sword, Nivea for Men and Clinique for Men to scoop the top awards.

I've never tried any King of Shaves products myself, but I have gotten emails about them. All of the comments I've gotten so far have been positive, so the award confirms the general impression I've been getting about their products.

More holiday gift suggestions

To add to my previous gift-giving advice:

Actress and "It Girl" Mischa Barton and celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch created a 2004 Holiday "It list" at the behest of the Gillette company. As fortune would have it, Gillette's M3Power razor is at the top of the list. It's always convenient when the sponsor's product is number one in their hearts, isn't it?

If you're looking at fancy razors for the holidays, there's also the new HeadBlade S4. It's a limited-release item at the moment, so if you're interested, order soon.

Quattro legal, after all

According to this press release, Schick-Wilkinson Sword just won a victory in court against Gillette. A while back, Gillette had claimed in court that the Schick Quattro razor infringed on Gillette's patents.

"We are very pleased with the court's ruling that QUATTRO does not infringe Gillette's patent," said Joe Lynch, President, Schick-Wilkinson Sword. "Gillette has been very aggressive at attempting to impede the launch and sale of QUATTRO around the globe.

Gillette was also required to repay Schick-Wilkinson Sword's legal costs by the court.

Schick-Wilkinson Sword recently shot back at Gillette with their own court case.

M3Power vs. Quattro, yet again

Given their recent legal battles, I thought I'd post a different type of conflict between these two razors.

kltv.com put the Schick Quattro and the Gillette M3Power "head to head", so to speak. Their conclusion? They liked the M3Power. I didn't find any serious difference between the two, myself, so I tend to go for the cheaper one.

High tech and razors

In an article titled When we really don't need new technologies, Andrew Kantor writes:

The fact is, razors aren't computers. You can't introduce a faster or more powerful model. Once your face (or legs) are smooth, they're smooth. Period. That M3Power razor is not going to cut my face any closer; the hairs just can't get shorter than zero. It's technology for technology's sake and nothing more.

Has he got a point?

It's an interesting question. With Gillette being taken to court due to some claims about their latest razor, it's worth asking, certainly.

Of course, there is something he left out. Shaving isn't just about getting the closest possible shave, though that's what tends to be advertised. Shaving products can improve by making the experience more comfortable, and if technology contributes to that, then it's not just technology for technology's sake.

But that still leaves us with the question, does adding this kind of technology to razors really benefit the consumer, or is it simply a ploy to make more money from gizmo-obsessed consumers?

At least one person who emailed me about the M3Power suggested that it's not about the closeness for him. He finds the M3Power's vibration feature to be soothing and feels less irritation as a result. He considered it worth the price.

For me, I think there's more flash than substance ot the M3Power. I still prefer the regular Mach 3 for my shaving needs.

To protect and shave

Is Your Scalp a Constitution-Free Zone?

Here's a curious item: in the United States, it's apparently legal for the authorities to remove your hair. That's right, the cops could shave your head, and there's nothing you can do about it.

And make no mistake. Under the Third Circuit's approach, the police can shave the hair of anyone who appears in public at any time. They do not need to have any reason whatsoever for suspecting the unwitting shavee of a crime.

Of course, I don't object to shaving one's head, but I figure it should be a choice left up to the individual, not something forced upon them by the authorities.

Granted, this isn't the type of thing that's too likely to happen to most people, but it's scary to think that it can happen.

Looking for a stocking stuffer?

Plumpstocking.com names Pacific Shaving Company’s All Natural Shaving Oil as the best stocking stuffer for men, according to this press release. If you've seen my review, you know I wouldn't mind getting this for Christmas. Shaving oil is that perfect small gift that any man would love.

Old razor blades

In this story by the QCTimes' Bill Wundram, the author shares a story about discovering thousands of razor blades that he had used over many years.

FOR 25 years, after safety razor blades were dulled by my whiskers, I would drop the blades into a little slot in the back of our metal medicine cabinet. Through that quarter-century, this little repository grew rusty around the edges, but of course, I kept dropping my used blades into the slot.

...

Now I know what happened to them. When Mike Bush, present owner of the house, remodeled the bathroom he tore out the medicine cabinet.

"Down in the wall, resting on a cross-joist, were these thousands of razor blades," he said to me. "I presume most or all were all used by you. Here, take them."

Doing some math, he figured he had 3 pounds of razor blades, which worked out to 2,495 blades. He also figured he used each blade twice, so they represented 13.67 years of daily shaving.

It almost makes me curious about how many razor blades I've gone through in my life, and how many more I'll go through before I don't need to shave anymore. Not curious enough to try to figure it out, but it's my idle thought for the day.

When the bald get hungry

If you're bald, Gary's Uptown Restaurant and Bar in San Jose, California wants to give you a free lunch.

That's why, every Wednesday at Arnold's white-tablecloth eatery, bald guys -- and gals -- eat for free. Gratis. Nada. Nothing.
That's right, a full meal free for the follicly challenged. Partial baldness earns a partial discount. Bad hair transplants? A 10 percent surcharge, he jokes.

It's too bad for me that I live in Winnipeg. If I ever make the trip down to California, though, I'll think about stopping in.

M3Power in court

According to this website, Wilkinson Sword (maker of the Schick Quattro) has filed suit over Gillette's marketing claims for it's M3Power razor. Apparently, Wilkinson Sword wasn't buying into the claim that the M3Power's micro-pulses actually made the hair stand straighter.

Colin Hutchison, European vice president for Wilkinson Sword, says Gillette's claims about their new razor seemed improbable to them. Their scientists examined the razor and found Gillette's claims to be incorrect.

Undoubtedly, Gillette will fight this in the courts, but it should be interesting to see how this plays out.

Personally, I'm with Wilkinson Sword on this one. I doubt very much that the vibration feature (micro-pulses sounds so silly) actually makes the hairs stand up. I'll be really curious to see if Gillette can produce any evidence that it does what they say it does.

Shaving heads for charity

The possibility of shaving someone's head seems to be a good motivator for some people, something that Principal Chad Carmack of Dickinson High School (in Delaware) recently discovered.

Apparently, school officials were trying to figure out how to improve their previously dismal efforts at raising funds for the United Way. From the article: "At one point during that conversation Carmack laughed and said, "what do you want me to do, cut my hair?""

That seems to be exactly what people wanted.

School nurse Donna Watson, clippers in hand, approached Carmack with a wide grin. Students began chanting "All Off! All Off!" as she started shaving Carmack's head. Others, cell phones pressed against their ears, called friends to report every move Watson made.

Way to go, Principal Carmack.

Under the helmet

REUBEN DROUGHNS, Broncos Running Back

"I've been shaving my head twice a week since my freshman year in high school. I do it myself. I do it every game morning or on Saturday night before the game. It makes me feel good and tough. It gives me that edge. I'll always shave my head."

What's under my helmet

A bet is a bet

Never make a bet you're not willing to follow-through on. Ken Waltz made a pact that if the Red Sox won the World Series, he'd shave his head. He never figured it would happen. But nothing's impossible.

Shaving one's head is not something I would recommend. Now people can call be chrome dome. People can rub my head for good luck (bad luck if you're me). I'm afraid to go outside without a hat on for fear of getting a sunburn or having the sun glance off my head and blind someone.

So apparently he didn't like it. But the photo included in the article actually doesn't look too bad. Maybe if he gives it a chance, he'll grow to like it.