Hanging On Too Long, Considering a Bald Head?
If you are like many men with thinning hair, you stress daily about the thought of losing your hair and constantly weigh your options. Perhaps the easiest most frequent path is to eliminate the issue for good. If you have chosen this path, then congratulations, you are on your way to bald acceptance and becoming part of an exclusive brotherhood.
Shaving your head goes beyond simplifying your daily routine. It allows you to take control of your appearance, and with that comes great confidence in showing the world the new you. As you these are virtues that we celebrate on The Rugged Male. That is why we were stoked when the guys at MANTL tapped us to spread the word about their head shaving products.
As you might already know, there are quite a few ways to remove the hair on your head, and each come with their own benefits. We’ll be talking about the most obvious method — shaving at home — in addition to sharing key tips for getting the smoothest, cleanest, most pain-free result possible.
Step One: How do you want to look?
What sort of look are you going for? This will determine the things you’ll need for the next step. Do you want a short cropped look, the closest shave possible, or something in-between? Know what you want before you start. If you don’t quite know, we recommend a conservative approach before taking it all off. You can get closer to the scalp over time.
Step Two: Pre-Shave
Once you have determined the look you want, you need to select your tools.
- Short, but not too tight – think Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting
- Scissors
- Electric Clippers with guards 2 and greater.
- Tight – think Jason Statham
- Again, scissors
- Electric Clippers less than 2 guard
- T-blade electric trimmer
- Clean Shaven – think Vin Diesel
- Scissors
- Electric Clipper with no guard or “zero”
- T-blade electric trimmer
- Single blade razor for people that struggle with razor bumps
- Multi-blade razor for people that don’t struggle with razor bumps
You will benefit from a warm shower prior, or a hot towel applied around the head — this helps to soften the follicles, and reduce the amount of pressure needed to achieve a close shave.
Step Three: Start Shaving
It’s quite an easy process to follow. You always start from longest to shortest — or, from scissors to a razor blade if needed. Start to trim down the longer, thicker hair with your scissors, guarded electric clipper, or T-blade trimmer. The goal is to remove the tangling and pulling by a razor blade along the scalp, and reducing discomfort in the process.
Keeping your desired look in mind, continue to shave the hair down by layers. If you are going for a clean shaven look, work to get the hair on your scalp as short as possible — then, use a razor blade to finish it off with short, smooth strokes. You can use your hand to feel if you have any patches of hair left.
Step Four: Post-Shave
Once you’re satisfied with the amount of your hair on your scalp, rinse and dry your scalp with a fresh towel. Follow up with a non-irritating, hydrating moisturizer, like the Face + Scalp Age Defense Moisturizer. Key ingredients aloe and squalane come together to add and retain moisture on your scalp, while willow herb extract keeps your skin balanced, and manages excess oil. We also recommend applying an adequate amount of SPF during the day, such as MANTL’s Invisible Daily SPF 30. The scalp is quite sensitive, they recommend following this routine to protect your skin.
There you have it, head shaving tips from the experts. We certainly hope you are digging the new you! We also encourage you to check out MANTL – great products and good dudes too. To learn more, visit the MANTL website or their social channels — Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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