Don't Touch The Hair

When I was young, I had a beautiful head of curly hair. Being a rock and roll singer, it was also quite long, cascading down my back. It was sort of a part of my trademark look. Of course no one ever mentions that there are very few men that are blond still having long hair when they are older.
 

I took pretty good care of that hair, but surely not enough. When you are young you don’t think about things like hair masks or oils. To the 20 somethings with a lush mane, a good shampoo and conditioner plus daily brushing is more than enough, and even that gets forgotten at times.

As I got older, I tended to wear it a bit shorter, but never to the extent of what you might call ‘short’. Then at some point during my 30s, I really noticed how my hairline was receding. I used to cover it by wearing a bandana tied around my head, but I reached a point where ‘why not just shave it’ became inevitable.

It really did take some nerve to go to a barber and ask them to trim it to a number 1, after which i would shave it smooth. “You have a perfect shaped head to shave it” the barber said. I had never considered that, but was thankful. Of course, when I got home and shaved it, due to a complete lack of sun exposer, it was as white as a baby’s bum. I wore a bandana for week or two in order to hide this, but that also meant that it got no sun.

Acutely feeling the loss of what I’d once considered an integral part of me that actually made me ‘me’, I went into the sun and promptly burned my shiny dome. After a few weeks, it was all pretty normal again - but I can honestly say that I have never completely gotten over the fact that I no longer have a full head of curly blond hair. But really, the only older guy that I can think of that has retained blond hair is Robert Plant, former lead singer of the band Led Zeppelin. But he has millions, so perhaps it is science assisted.

So yeah, it still makes me a little sad today, but the main difference is that I have come to terms with it. I have learned to embrace it. Sure, it can be a real pain shaving it smooth every other day, but the reality is that I actually look a lot younger than I would with a fast receding hairline. It certainly isn’t as much fun, as there is only one choice of hairstyle, but it does offer a clean and sleek look.

Do I miss it? Of course, but I don’t miss the care and feeding nor the errant hair in my mouth. Has it changed my confidence level? Perhaps initially over the first few weeks, but after that no. I came to realise that my hair was no more apart of my identity than my feet.

One day, I may look in to some of the products on the market to regenerate hair growth, but for now I am quite content to be who I am. In fact, the clean shaven head has now become my look.