Bald is beautiful: More men embracing shaved heads
Barber Brandon Robertson, owner of Canonsburg Barber Shop, shaves the head of customer Lenny Meider. Sept. 13 is National Bald is Beautiful Day, which recognizes an increasing number of men who are embracing bald heads. (Photo by Karen Mansfield)
Lenny Meider visits barber Brandon Robinson at Canonsburg Barber Shop, where he regularly gets his head shaved. More men are opting to sport bald heads. (Photo by Karen Mansfield)
Courtesy of Barbiere
Courtesy of Barbiere
Barber Johnny Interval provides a head shave at Barbiere, Interval’s Washington barber shop. Interval has seen an uptick in the number of men who are embracing bald heads.
Sept. 13 was Bald is Beautiful Day. Barbiere, a barber shop in Washington, provides head shaving services for men embracing the bald look. (Photo courtesy of Barbiere)
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Lenny Meider’s head is slathered with shaving cream as barber Brandon Robertson, owner of Canonsburg Barber Shop, leans over him and draws a straight razor across his scalp.
When Robertson is done, Meider – who minutes before had enjoyed the hot towel Robertson had applied to his head – has a glassy, smooth head.
“I like it,” said Meider, who started shaving his head about five years ago after it had thinned. “I didn’t have that much hair left, and I was living in Pittsburgh and the barber I went to said, ‘Why don’t you get a bald cut? You’ll look like Telly Savalas.'”
A shaved head has become an increasingly popular solution to hair loss for men who aren’t eager to try Rogaine, hair transplants or laser therapy.
Robertson has seen an uptick in the number of shaved heads requested by men at his shop as a new generation of men opt to be bald rather than wear a toupee or sport a comb-over.
“Some guys try to cover it up and some guys go along with nature, which is what I advise,” said Robertson. “The more you try to cover it up, the more noticeable it is.”
Sept. 13 was National Bald is Beautiful Day, a gentle reminder that people are beautiful the way they are – bald or not.
Johnny Interval, owner of Barbiere in Washington, said celebrities – among them, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Stanley Tucci, Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Statham – have embraced their baldness, making it more acceptable for dudes to shave their heads.
“It all started when Michael Jordan started shaving his head, and it got more popular when more famous people started doing it,” said Interval. “Now, we’re seeing a lot of guys with a bald head and a big beard, a well-groomed beard.”
Customers who request the head shaves at Canonsburg Barber Shop are typically in their 30s to 50s, Robertson said.
There are some trade-offs to sporting a bald head: It can be chilly in the winter. Many men keep a slight buzz cut during those winter months for a little protection or wear a ski cap. And in the summer, sunblock is essential.
“When it’s hot, I wear a hat. Or I use sunscreen because if I don’t, I look like a tomato,” said Meider.
The most common cause of hair loss is hereditary balding. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 50 million men and 30 million women in the U.S. are affected by the condition, and there’s no denying it can be emotionally distressing.
The American Hair Loss Association estimates that Americans spend about $3.5 billion annually to attempt to treat their hair loss, including using FDA-approved medications such as minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia), and scalp micropigmentation (SMP), a relatively new procedure that is used to create the illusion of shaved hair, stubble, or greater density on the scalp.
Interval’s shop is stocked with moisturizer and products specifically for the scalp.
At Barbiere, the signature head shave includes 30 minutes of head and face pampering featuring lather, hot towels, a straight razor and finish cut for a glassy, smooth finish.
“More barber shops have opened up recently where guys are coming in to treat themselves: They get shaved and they enjoy a beer or a whiskey. It’s an experience,” said Interval.
Robertson and Interval acknowledge that losing hair can be a painful psychological blow.
“I think it’s a very big decision (to shave your head), and it’s very hard to decide to do that,” said Interval, noting Barbiere barber Kerri Interval “has guys 80 years old with three hairs left and they won’t let it go. It’s a security blanket.”
But, said Robertson, “It’s hard for a lot of guys, but the more you embrace (being bald), the better.”