Lots of people who still have all their hair wonder why people shave their heads bald.
It might seem like a strange decision to be bald by choice, and I’m sure lots of people reading this will be curious about why people do it.
It’s worth being aware that sometimes the reasons are medical. Always tread carefully if you decide to ask someone why they voluntarily get a bald haircut.
For me, it was an easy decision because I was losing my hair already, but lots of people do it because that’s the look they love.
I reached out to a few fellow baldies on Facebook to see why they shave their head bald.
Do people go bald by choice?
It turns out lots of people are bald by choice. Facebook groups and Reddit forums are full of people who went bald because they like the look, or because it gives them confidence. Meanwhile, some people do it for convenience, comfort, or just for a change.
Of course, not everyone has the option, unless they want to leave their balding head as it is. The decision of whether to shave your head can be a tough one, but it’s usually a better option than clinging onto what’s left of your hair for too long.
But why do people bald their heads if they don’t have to?
Why do some people shave their heads bald?
The majority of people shave their heads bald for aesthetic reasons. There are people who just look better with a shaved or bald head – or at least they prefer it. Others might disagree, but what’s important is what makes the individual feel good about themselves.
For those who don’t naturally look good bald, there are many ways to achieve an awesome glow up as a baldie. I wrote about how to look good with a bald head, but in short if you dress well, put on a little muscle, get a tan and grow a beard, you won’t go far wrong.
There are a lot of benefits to shaving your head. Feeling confident about your appearance is one of them, as it makes a big difference to a lot of people’s happiness. It can be hard to enjoy social occasions if you’re distracted and worried about a bad hair day.
If that is every day, it’s understandable that those people would decide to shave their heads. After all, why not get rid of the thing that’s making you worry, so you’re free to enjoy life?
Here are the top reasons people shave their head bald by choice, according to the people I spoke to online:
Confidence
The main thing I noticed during the discussion was how many people just feel more confident with their shaved head.
It’s pretty typical when someone who is balding takes the plunge and shaves their head. But it turns out there are lots of people with a full head of hair who feel better about themselves with no hair.
One person told me “I instantly loved the look and feel of it and it gave me a confidence and libido boost”.
I had to ask about that last part! The commenter put it down to “feeling more confident about myself and therefore more attractive and outgoing.”
So this person literally feels sexier and more confident, rather than experiencing some kind of follicular viagra-style reaction to shaving his head bald!
Other Facebook users also mentioned confidence as a big factor in the decision to shave their heads:
“I like the look and I like how it feels. Been shaving daily for over 40 years and will never go back to having hair. Being bald has given me more self-confidence.”
I personally have never felt as confident as I have since I started shaving. Once I did it, it just felt right and like I had finally settled into “my look”.
Style
Even when confidence isn’t an issue, a lot of people who are bald by choice seem happier with their appearance since shaving bald.
Of course, the shaved head look doesn’t suit everyone, and one of the main disadvantages of shaving your head is that it’s hard to know what it will look like until you do it. There are a few ways to get a sneak peek though if you want to know what you’d look like with a bald head.
But lots of people try it and love it. One commenter went as far as to say they want to get rid of their hair permanently:
“I’ve always preferred to be bald and if I had the money I’d laser all of my hair out so it never grows back ever again.”
We know that bald heads and beards are very fashionable. One user zeroed in on this by simply stating that their shaved head “goes better with the beard”.
Another commented that they too have a specific look that baldness seems to compliment:
“It always looks presentable (no bad hair days) and in general looks better with my style (a lot of dark clothes, leather jackets)”.
Speaking for my own wife, I know she prefers me with no hair (but that may be because I had a lot of bad haircuts before I started shaving my head!
Luckily I’m not alone, and many people shave their heads at least partly to make their partners happy. When asked why they were bald by choice, this user said:
“Because my husband thinks it’s sexy and because I like how it looks!”
It’s not just partners who can give encouraging feedback. Compliments from friends, co-workers, and even strangers are always good for the ego:
“I have been told by many that I suit being bald which helps, plus my ideal look is bald with beard/goatee – luckily I can grow either so I still have options!”
Finally, if in doubt, trust in experience. This gentleman in his 50s has been shaving his head bald for long enough to know what he’s talking about:
“I’m 55 and have been shaving my head for 30 years. I still have a full head of hair but I look so much better bald.”
So outside of just looking good, what are the other reasons people choose to shave their heads?
A change is as good as a rest
Often, people just get bored and change up their hairstyle a lot. For some, this means occasionally spending extended periods with no hair at all.
One person commented that they “go from floppy fringe to bald by choice, depending on how my mood takes me.”
It seems they’re not alone, as another said that they have long periods with hair followed by months of being bald:
“I’ve been shaving my head on and off for several years now. I shave it off for a few months and then grow it back for a few.”
By the way – it’s a myth that shaving your head makes you go bald. This person isn’t speeding up hair loss by shaving, that just isn’t possible. Hair loss occurs as a result of what happens to the follicle below the skin – shaving happens above the scalp and doesn’t impact hair growth.
While some flip-flop between hair and no hair, it seems others intend to make the change more permanent:
“I’ve always had a full head of hair, & long hair for almost 40 years, so I wanted to experience & be bald for the rest of my life.”
Bald > Gray?
While I like the idea of being a silver fox, I found out that not everyone prefers gray hair to no hair. It seems some people dislike the salt and pepper look so much that they went for the full shave instead:
“My hair turned white when I was in my 30s. Didn’t like the look… so I shaved my head and haven’t had hair on my head since I was 35.”
Medical reasons
Of course, while many are making the choice to be bald entirely because of personal preference, there are some whose decision is influenced by other factors.
“I have a receded hairline but still thick hair on top so I could grow it out. But having hair makes the aggressive scalp condition I have much worse and in 2020 the flakes from the scalp gave me severely complicated conjunctivitis.”
It turns out this user is describing a condition called blepharokeratoconjunctivitis, which is described online as ‘a chronic inflammatory disease of the palpebral margin associated with secondary conjunctival and corneal involvement.’
As nasty as this experience sounds, not every medical reason is quite as serious. There are semi-medical advantages such as the fact that bald people don’t get lice, and some which avoid other inconveniences:
“For me, I always get a really itchy scalp when I grow hair, whether I wash it once a day or once a week. “I also hate using hair gel/wax and, if longer, having to tie it up and have bits pulling on my scalp and such.
“Shaving seems to exfoliate my head, now nothing feels better/cleaner than a freshly shaved bonce.”
There are other people online who are happy to admit that they just find it much more convenient to shave their hair off completely:
Convenience
I received a few replies along the lines of “It’s much less of a hassle”. Not everyone has great hair that magically falls into place without a lot of work:
“My hair was extremely hard to manage, it was thin and light so styling it was just a time-consuming chore.”
For the feels
When you first shave your head, it can be an odd sensation. When you get used to it though, it’s something a lot of people love:
“I like the way it looks and feels. I also enjoy the “ritual” of shaving it.”
This contributor summed up another advantage of being bald that hairier-headed people will never experience:
“Fresh bald head on a cold pillow in summer is awesome!”
Lifestyle reasons
Finally, there are other reasons people choose to shave their heads that relate to a specific lifestyle.
One Facebook user who is into combat sports answered that “it’s more convenient for fighting and hard exercising.”
This makes sense, as grappling with an opponent is no doubt physically demanding enough without having to worry about your hair accidentally being pulled.
With this in mind, it’s easy to imagine that there would be lots of specific reasons for being bald by choice that relate to niche hobbies and interests.
Do bald people choose to be bald?
While there are lots of people who could have a full head of hair but choose to be hairless, bald people themselves are making a personal choice every time they shave their heads. The alternatives might not be great, but it’s still a conscious decision.
Unless bald people are suffering from alopecia, they are unlikely to be completely bald. Around the back and sides of most bald people’s heads, you’ll be able to make out a shadow of stubble where hair still grows:
If they let it grow, they’d have a horseshoe of hair around the back and sides while being bald on top. In this sense, even people who look completely bald are actually bald by choice.
However, none of the alternatives to shaving it off are particularly appealing, in my view.
For example, bald people could just leave their hair to grow naturally, which generally looks a lot worse. When it comes to attractiveness, some people find bald ugly, but most people find balding ugly.
Other alternatives demand a lot of time, money, maintenance, or all three. These include wearing a wig, having a hair transplant, or even getting SMP (Scalp Micropigmentation).
Lots of people are having hair transplants these days, and while it’s easier just to embrace the bald, not everyone is prepared to accept that they have to shave their heads (and rightly so).
Summary
There are lots of reasons people shave their heads and become bald by choice, but most can be distilled into a few key categories.
Most people are either choosing to shave their head bald because they like the look and it makes them feel confident, or for convenience.
Shaving your head bald for the look can be a permanent decision, but often people are bald by choice for a while before growing their hair back for months at a time.
Then there is a small majority who choose to be bald either for medical reasons or to suit their lifestyle or hobby.
Whatever your reason for being bald by choice, it’s important that it’s your decision and that you’re doing it for yourself. If you’re curious and want to know more, find out what you need to know before shaving your head.
And if you decide to brave the shave, make sure you know the proper technique for shaving your head with a razor.
