new thread
I have been lurking here for quite a while. I love to look at all of you with your thick, long hair... I too, used to be one of you, before nature and society decided I was better off bald.
I grew my hair long in college, and kept it that way until I was 25, when I started to clog my shower drain. After three visits from the Roto Rooter guy to unplug the drain, my short-haired, balding landlord said "you are going bald, so you might as well cut it" followed by "the next plumber visit will cost you".
Off the the barber I went, and I had my mane cut short. As my hair got thinner over the next couple of years, it got shorter and shorter. At 30, I went and shaved it on the advice of friends, since that was what "balding guys do", they shave it.
For almost every day for the next ten years I religiously shaved my head smooth.
And I have decided that I am tired of it!!!
Everywhere you turn, men with less than the requisite number of hairs on their head are told it is wrong, ugly and shameful. Either cover it up or shave it off!!!
What is wrong with accepting the fact that most men go bald. Some sooner, some later. Some more some less.
So, I have decided to grow my hair again... maybe even long enough for a ponytail.
What do you guys think? Should the balding shave? Grow it?
Thanks,
Sam
You have come to the right place!!!!!!
First of all....WELCOME!!!
As for growing your hair, you have nothing to lose. We only require one thing, pictures. And Lots Of Them!!!!!Well, we dont require them, we just really like them;)
The first thing you should do is go buy a strainer for your bathtub drain. They can be gotten anywhere for less then $2 and will eliminate any reason to cut your hair again!!!!
peace and happy growing
clayton
Grow what you have as long as you want Sam, that will show those guys who are so self-ashamed of their own lack of hair and or youth :) I imagine that the sight of lots of hair by some who no longer have what they did is very upsetting to them (and I can't say I blame them because I have never faced it). Shaving does make balding less obvious (I meant to do this, its not age lol).
Good luck with growing out there are plenty of gentlemen here who will undoubtedly agree with you, follow your heart Sam and welcome to the MLHH.
Hello Sam...
Welcome to MLHH .. The best place around. You'll find great people and advice here to help you through all your hair stages.
We do like pictures.. it helps with giving advice and really gives us a good idea of where you're at with your hair. So ... post away my friend. Next; if you haven't seen a good dermatologist; you may consider this.. DavidN has great info on dermatologists and the latest treatment for balding and/or thin hair. He has great info on just about anything hair related for that matter!
Anyway ... again.. welcome to the board. Keep us posted. We're here to help.
Be Blessed ...
Tristan
When I lost my wisdom teeth, I did not tell the dentist to go ahead and pull all the rest of 'em!
And similarly, just because you've lost hair in some areas, this does not mean you have to lose it everywhere. Grow and celebrate the hair you have!
Bill
Even if you only have a few hairs, do what you please with them.
Of course, your landlord does have a point about plumber visits. If you are the cause of clogs...and frequent clogs...this is not something a landlord should just deal with every couple months just because you want to have longhair and you want to let it go to the drain. Perhaps instead you should have had some way to filter the hair from going down the drain or had some daily routine of clearing any hair that got down there in the first place.
No one short feel obliged to shave. Certainly many with MPB do so and look none the worse for it. However that is no bar to long hair if you want it and feel comfortable with it.
Love them, one balding longhair in particular. Having long hair despite the societal expectation that says he can't was one of the things that attracted me to my fiance Bill in the first place. Go ahead and have the hair you want, Sam.
Elizabeth
I think that's a really sweet picture. Too bad more people aren't like that.
Jeffrey.
Oh yeah, that's why I never see you. :)
Haha, seriously, we need to have a Bay Area get-together on a week-end sometime.
Cool!
Looks like he and I have similar bald patterns.
Sam
Great Reply!
You're making me envious. Where's my longhair lover? Still single after all these years.
Carol
Yes. You will probably need tougher skin than you did even the first time you grew your hair but who cares what idiots think.
Damm! He shaved his head....
Sam,
I am going bald and I have long hair. I am not to worried as it is bound to happen to me anyway. So if I can't have hair on top, I can make up for the loss by growing the sides and back long.
Mike
Mike,
Awesome. You look younger than I. Thanks for posting the pic.
Sam
Naturally, I'm sort of biased, but I say let it grow. It works for me!
Brice,
Thanks for your support and thee pic.
You will inspire me.
Sam
Tried to send an email, it did not work.
So, what is your "hairstory"? Balding first, long hair first? How long have you had long hair?
When did you start going bald?
Sam
Dunno. You can send me mail directly: brucew at brucew dot com
Long hair in my teens and early 20s (it was, after all, the 70s), corporate cut through my mid 40s, now growing again since May 2000. The ends get ratty, mainly due to tangles when bicycling, so with trims every so often, the length in the pic is about the max for me.
Always had a high hairline at the temples, but it started thinning in my late 30s and fell out in earnest in my early 40s. At the time I was sporting a corporate cut, had a screen over my shower drain and still clogged the pipes. My landlord wasn't too happy with me either.
I know some guys with bald spots who grow their hair and put it in a pony tail. Society says it's unfashionable so I say all the more reason to do it.
If your one to be bothered by other peoples comments then don't cause they will comment. However if your of a mind to do what you want and screw them then go for it. Attitude is a big part of the equation.
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
You are right!
I had attitude when I shaved... not I should have the same with whatever hair I have.
Sam
You should grow your hair out. You obviously want to and that's why you are here. If anyone doesn't like it then tell them to kiss your ass! Well, that's what I would do.
jeffrey.
Jeffrey,
Thanks for your support...
Sam
Welcome Sam, my friend !!
My hair is thin and definately thin on top.....but I have lots of healthy hair on the sides and back.....so why cut off the good stuff? HA!
Since I have been on my longhair journey, I have been particularly sensitive about my thinning hair and my age (60++). However, with the support of the members of this forum I have persevered. I am delighted with and enjoy my long hair. With the aid of a hat (which I normally wear)I feel it looks pretty darn good and the overall look belies my age. I live in the SouthWest US where the lifestyle is quite casual......many men my age with thinning hair are sporting braids, ponytails and long flowing locks......
So, go for it, enjoy it and stay in touch with the folks on this board.....we will always give encouragement. This Board has evolved into a positive "Feel-Good" Place that rivals Disneyland ! HA!
I look forward to following your progress...
Walter White Tail
Thanks for your support!
Sam
I agree with the supportive comments, the ones I have read at least, and want to add that it is important to also keep in mind that there are procedures today for overcoming or mitigating hair loss that were unavailable 30 or more years ago. While not cheap, they are certainly better than the old methods such as toupe's and hair weaves. they are:
1. Topical: Minoxidil (Rogaine and Avacor I think)
2. Oral: Finasteride (Propecia)
3. Hair transplants.
I urge you to investigate these possibilities. Things aren't as bleak as you may have thought. You have the rest of your life to enjoy the results.
Also important, for every proven method listed above, there are many that do nothing except scam you for your time and money. Lotions, potions, herbs, laser hats, magnets, vitamin pill supplements, vitamin and herbal shampoos/conditioners, super cheap Propecia on-line (No prescription required!) ad nauseum will not do anything but give you some hocus pocus entertainment and get you to waste hundreds of dollars.
Thanks Rob,
I have come to accept my baldness. The idea is not to be ashamed of it, but to embrace it.
Sam
Bruce Schneir, well known computer security specialist and cryptographer is a balding long-hair. I saw him give a talk in person one time in Washington DC, a rather stuffy place at times, and was pleasantly surprised.
Bruce Schneir
Wow, except for the hair, he and I could be brothers... he even looks to have the same bald pattern I do (form the front).
Thanks.
Sam
I say go for it! If you don't like it once long, the solution is simple.
Here is a photo of one of my favorite half-bald longhairs...CJ Grimmark of the band Narnia.
Wow,
Cool hair!
THANKS!
Thanks for the great support... don't want to clog the page thanking everyone for their great support.
It will take a couple of days to see how much hair I actually have since I shaved it last (yesterday AM).
Sam
Hey Sam: Great post. Sounds like a new chapter in your life has begun. You asked...so...I think you should grow it out. At 51, my hair is thinning at the crown. My younger brother already has a pretty good bald spot there so I suppose my time is coming. That having been said, I've been growing my hair out again for a bit over 2 years, getting great results and loving it. I've shaved my head before, several times. I like that look and feel too but you can't have it both ways, eh? I've never grown it more than 3 years and this time I'm committed to growing it for 5 and then seeing how it looks/feels. As for balding longhairs...I've seen MANY in passing and quite a few more notable ones, including David Crosby (one of my heroes) and Dog the Bounty Hunter (lol). As others have said, it is more common these days to see balding longhairs, which to me means more men are doing it and liking it. Oh sure, there are some who would say, and in your case have said "shave it." But if nothing else, we here at the MLHH support each individual's right to express themself in the way THEY choose. So I encourage you to follow your heart brother... because it seems to be calling to you in a BIG WAY! Grow Man Grow - Da Bruce'ster
You sure wouldn't be the first guy with long hair in back and much less in front:
Not every 18 year old woman will tell you this, but WHO CARES?
Your hair is something- a part of who you are. Who is there to please but yourself? At this young age, I have learned it's more important to "let the you shine through" as they so gayly put it... The people you want to know will befriend you whether you are a young male with a full head of long hair or a 60 year old man with but 20 hairs hanging on for dear life.
Hails!