At Home Haircut Question - Best Look For Bald Guy?

[Republic DC-9]

One of my favorite MMM posts mentions how he gave himself a haircut while a homemade pizza was baking.

Inspired by that, (and COVID), I cut both my hair and my wife’s hair at home for big, big, savings….probably $1000s by this point.

She has very thick, curly, lovely hair that is easy to cut and looks great despite me having no training in cutting hair.

I, however, am mostly bald on top and what’s left is wiry and thin and white or gray and silly looking, and the sides and back are the same just thicker. 

I currently am sporting an all-over buzz cut with the shortest guard, what looks better (or the least dumb) - remove the guard entirely and get REALLY short or the short guard, thicker back and sides look.  I like the idea of shaving it all, but worried about maintenance and don’t want to use a blade.  But maybe an electric?

In any case, home haircuts ARE a great way to save!

[Bear Stache]

+1 for home haircuts. I've been doing my own since Covid as well.

Regarding your question, I think both look good, but here's what I would say. Try the shaved look on for size.... if you don't like it as much as you thought, or it's more work than you thought it would be, it's easy enough to let it grow out a week or two, and you're back to the short trimmed look.... no harm, no foul! There's a pretty low cost of failure here for the experiment.

Also, you're braver than me to cut your wife's hair.... in my case, there would be a higher cost of failure if it turned out poorly than I'm willing to risk. I'd rather let her leave her hair to the professionals, but that's our choice. If your wife is happy with your haircut services, that is awesome!

[CowboyAndIndian]

I bought a Phillips electric trimmer when I tried out a beard. This was a life saver during COVID when we did our family haircuts (me and my two sons).

Since I'm balding (who am I kidding, I'm bald), I just stick the 2mm attachment to the trimer and go over my scalp a couple of times a week. It looks neat and saves me a ton of money.

Of course, you can go the comb-over route, but know you will look funny!

[Metalcat]

Look into a proper head shaver.

[BECABECA]

I cut my hair too, and have recently been happy with my ability to give myself a fade in the mirror. Full disclosure, I’m not a guy, or balding, but I like to cut my friends’ hair when they’re around and I personally like the fade look for balding guys. Like no guard faded up into a #1 if you’re quite bald or faded up into a #2 if you’re merely balding.

My father in law went full bic’d in his later years, and that worked really well with one of those special handheld head razors in the shower (way less intimidating than trying to use a regular razor, it’s basically like cupping your head as you rub back and forth). Zero cleanup and he was always perfectly shaved.

[Republic DC-9]

Great advice, thank you!

Before my next shower, I shall try the fade on the sides and back and smallest guard short on the top and see how that goes.

Home haircuts are fun and a great savings, for sure.

[markpst]

If you eventually decide shorter is better, I recommend the Wahl 5-Star Balding Clipper - mine is still working great after probably 10 years. Not as close as shaving your head, but closer than the other clippers. I use mine every 2-3 weeks. My brother shaves his head every day with a cartridge razor - I have no interest in that and the time involved.

My other maintenance when I shave my head is that I use a smaller trimmer to trim my eyebrows and my armpit hair. I push the eyebrows up to expose the longer ones and then trim those. I do armpit hair as well because in my experience less hair there leads to less area for bacteria to cling to and start stinking.

[dcheesi]

I used to shave it twice a week, but I let that go during COVID and I haven't really felt like keeping up with it since. I currently trim with a guard; it's not quite a buzz cut look but pretty short. I also am a big believer in facial hair for bald(ing) guys¹, so I keep a beard with the same guard length.

¹DCheesi's "maturity signaling" theory of men's hair: male-pattern balding signifies maturity, while a lack of facial hair signifies youth; combining the two sends mixed signals to the part of the beholder's brain tasked with judging fitness/attractiveness. Ergo, bald men should keep facial hair whenever possible (since we have little choice about the other thing).

[Samuel]

I just use a regular foil electric shaver to take it down to the skin, typically each morning. Never actually tried a razor as that feels much too fussy for my tastes, seems more likely to leave cuts and/or irritation, and has pretty minor advantages (a couple hours head start on stubble regrowth?).

Takes ~10 minutes. Doesn't need a bathroom or mirror or running water. I'll even listen to an audiobook with earbuds if I feel like it.

Downsides are:
1) Not as close as a razor.
2) Shavers work best on really short stubble so if you go longer than a couple days you might need clippers anyway to take it down to shaver length.
3) Not super cheap. Much cheaper than barbershop haircuts but more expensive than clippers since shavers go through blades and screens more rapidly. And the initial outlay can be expensive, I've found the cheapest options are the least comfortable and competent.

[Sibley]

They make head shavers. They're not expensive, though I suppose you should check what the ongoing cost would be to replace the blades. I do generally think that men with receding hairlines at some point are going to look better bald. If you go the head shaver route, do that in the shower for easy cleanup.

I have been told by a bald guy that you need to balance the bald head with hair elsewhere, ie beard/mustache. Can't comment further however.

[sonofsven]

When I was more punk rock than I am now I shaved my head with standard clippers with no attachment.
It gives a nice soft stubble, and it feels great when you rub your head. Luckily my head wasn't too weirdly shaped, and I'm outdoors enough so it would get a little color. It's cold in the winter, though.
I did that for years, now I'm more vain so I go to a barber and pay $30 bucks every few months.
I like the barber, and supporting a small local biz.
So that's what I would recommend: regular clippers and no attachment.

[simonsez]

I shave my head with no guard on average once a week.  It takes less than 10 minutes including clean-up.  It's part of my self care routine and I genuinely feel great afterward.  It's like your wellness before and after a 20 minute walk - whatever your level was, it will be higher afterward.

If doing your own is new, you will get better over time and the good news is that if you miss a spot - it's very easy to fix.  Just feel around with your hands, especially on the back of your head around the medulla area, before you leave the house.

I like a tapered beard with shaved/bald head, personally, though some change in beard length is fun/seasonal.  It makes the face look less fat in case that is a concern.  At the top of the sideburns use a 0.5 or #1 and gradually make your way to the goatee area with a #4 or or higher there.  And if you're a hirsute mammal that has jawline whiskers starting to stretch toward the area under your earlobes, just do one extra vertical buzz with no guard (or razor).  Same goes for whiskers on the high side of your beard in the cheek area.  Clean lines look....well, cleaner!

[Republic DC-9]

OP here, thanks for all the suggestions!

I went with the shortest guard on the top and no guard on my old Wahl clippers on the back and sides.

It looks less silly than before, I think, and strangely keeping the hair that I do have left on the top very short maybe makes me look a LITTLE less bald than a bunch of long, wiry strands up top.

And I certainly no longer have to worry about messy hair! 😂

[Dicey]

I cut my hair too, and have recently been happy with my ability to give myself a fade in the mirror. Full disclosure, I’m not a guy, or balding, but I like to cut my friends’ hair when they’re around and I personally like the fade look for balding guys. Like no guard faded up into a #1 if you’re quite bald or faded up into a #2 if you’re merely balding.

My father in law went full bic’d in his later years, and that worked really well with one of those special handheld head razors in the shower (way less intimidating than trying to use a regular razor, it’s basically like cupping your head as you rub back and forth). Zero cleanup and he was always perfectly shaved.

I can attest that @BECABECA's haircut looks fantastic!

DH is very balding and doesn't have a heavy beard, so he is clean shaven, which I love. His son has a full, bushy beard and a rapidly receding hairline. Ot looks good on him, but I definitely wouldn't like the look on his Dad.

[happychineseboy]

do you guys clip your hair in the shower? or outside on the lawn?

I am trying to figure out a convenient way to deal with the mess without destroying my plumbing/relationship with neighbors

[BECABECA]

do you guys clip your hair in the shower? or outside on the lawn?

I am trying to figure out a convenient way to deal with the mess without destroying my plumbing/relationship with neighbors

I typically cut mine in the shower or over the bathroom sink. Both scenarios I scoop up the bulk of the hair and put it in the garbage, washing the remaining little bits down the drain without any plumbing incidents.

[dcheesi]

do you guys clip your hair in the shower? or outside on the lawn?

I am trying to figure out a convenient way to deal with the mess without destroying my plumbing/relationship with neighbors

My wife recently bought me this:

https://www.target.com/p/beard-bib-gray-bullseye-39-s-playground-8482/-/A-91618885

Now I know how pets feel wearing the "cone of shame", lol!

[Nutty]

I cut my hair in the backyard and rub a towel all over trying to get all the loose hairs off.  A set of clippers with the #3 guard on top and #2 on the sides.  Start on top and work down.  DW trims (edges? cleans up around the neck and ears) me in the kitchen since that is the only place I could convince her.

I'll touch up in the bathroom over the sink and clean everything after that.

The savings is weird.  I was getting 3 haircuts a year ($90) and would go from short to shaggy.  I'm getting a little more consistent doing it myself.  I'm just too lazy to coordinate my schedule with the barber and hate waiting in lines.

Best look?  What ever makes your wife happy. 

[simonsez]

do you guys clip your hair in the shower? or outside on the lawn?

I am trying to figure out a convenient way to deal with the mess without destroying my plumbing/relationship with neighbors

Over the sink.

I have an old measuring cup, in the shape of a nesting doll of sorts (or one half of it anyway), that I flip upside down and place in the bottom of the sink.  Clean-up involves 2-4 individual sheets of TP to clean 98% of the hair and that goes in the trash, the remaining is so small (due to the frequency of the haircuts with the hair never being long) I just wash it down.

[seattlecyclone]

do you guys clip your hair in the shower? or outside on the lawn?

I usually cut it over the middle of the bathroom floor and sweep it up with a broom when I'm done. Then I take a shower and some little bits of hair go down the drain, but not much.

I still have a pretty decent amount of hair up top but it's definitely trending toward baldness. The fully bald look seems to work for some people but I just don't think I'd like it on me. I'll probably just go with a very short clipper buzz cut when the time comes.

[markbike528CBX]

Just Bic^tm it!   :-)

Once or twice a week in the shower, with a multblade disposable that I use for months at a time.  I use Edge shaving gel.
I was worried about doing it, but it turns out shaving my head is less effort than my face.

I resisted the idea (from my wife), but then one of her colleagues, twenty years younger and totally shaved, convinced me.
Worried about the headshape, but no problems.   I no longer have a hairstyle, I have a headstyle.