I grow my hair out every winter, and cut it every spring. I just got it cut, and a few days later realized something amazingly shitty - I am going fucking bald.

At 26.

My hairline has progressed like an inch back. When I got the haircut, I put my hat back on and went on my merry way. Just spent two days skiing and camping (ski tour) on the divide, with no hat. I burned the shit out of the spots that used to actually have hair. That's how I really realized it... I don't look in the mirror very often... I got the worst sunburn ever, because that spot has never seen the sun.

Any advice? Does Rogain actually work? Let it go and hope they solve the problem in the next few years? Shave it all off and say fuck it. Kill my grandpa? Anything...?

Shave that shit off. Who cares man.

Even though you let your hair grow long, you really never noticed your hairline receding?

Don't shave your head. Too many guys have done that and the "convict" look is a little worn out.

You live in Colorado. Grow it long and wear it in a pony tail. Tell everyone you are a college professor.

That's funny MM. I'm not a damn yuppy though.

Honestly, I never noticed. I wear beanies in the winter (Oct - May), hats in the summer (1 week in August) and a hard hat year round. I almost always have a hat on.

My hairline started receding in high school. They used to call me Sy Sperling, the founder of Hair Club for Men.

Agreed, don't join the cue ball gang. Just keep it short. #3 clippers all around from the local Supercuts for $15 with a tip. If you're brave enough, go out and get a good set of clippers and do it yourself.

It happens, man... just wrap your head around it and get used to it.

I used Rogaine for a little while. It does work, but it's not worth it... it dries out your head, it's itchy, and gives you dandruff.

If mine gets really bad I might shave it - but for the time being I'm just keeping it cut fairly short (so there's clearly no hint of a combover attempt).

If you really are worried, stop wearing hats when possible. Only when you absolutely have to wear a hat. Maybe they restrict blood flow to the head or oxygen flowing around your hair. I don't know.

I don't know if that is the answer, but I have heard some guys blame hair loss on hats. It could be bullshit. When I was young I worked with an old timer who claimed the heat of the ships in the Navy caused him to go bald. He said he spent three years working in a blazing hot boiler room and that caused him to lose his hair. He was convinced of that because no other men in his family were bald. He claimed he had hair like Samson when he joined the Navy.

I guess everyone who loses hair has a theory. Are your family members bald? Mother and father's side? Is your father bald?

How much hair is in your comb after you shower and wash your hair?

Maybe look into Rogaine and Minoxidal(sp). I heard if you start that stuff, you have to keep doing it forever. Not really sure.

Stop wearing hats. Wash your hair with eggs and beer for a while. In fact bring a six pack into the shower and invite the wife.

Seriously... eggs and beer are good for your hair.

Fixed it for you

1. Rogain does work, but does not do it like you would expect. It will for sure give you a migraine-like symptoms. It does not really help the receding hairline, but might somewhat cover the cul-de-sac.
2. I heard some reports of Rogain restoring fur on the Lexus leather seats.
3. Hats, heat, moisture and constant scratching can cause baldness.
4. Chernobyl is not really a good spot for often camping trips.
5. If you are going bald at 26, you are fucked, face it. Get married immediately and don't ever look in the mirror again.

Hope that helps...

I am bald. Have been since I was about 11. I didnt do it for the convict look.

Don't take the observation personally Chia. It in no way means it included you alongside the legions of the newly shorn heads out there.

That look might suit you. It looks good on some people, yet with many others who have gone that route, it doesn't look good.

If you lost your hair at that young age, I'm sure you look fine. You have most likely grown into it and it looks natural. There is nothing wrong with that. Some people look good with their head shaved. You shouldn't worry about it Chia.

For most who do it, the tough looking guys look alright with the shaved head thing. People who are not tough looking guys.... the shaved head thing often makes them look like homosexuals.

Don't shoot the messenger. I'm not saying anything that anybody hasn't already thought or said before either.

I've been bald since my early twenties. Ain't never hurt my action any. I shave my head to the skin. Yeah, I look like a convict. But that ain't never hurt my action any, either. Chicks dig bald guys.

I was worried about going bald, because I had this perfect James Dean/Young Elvis thing going on with my hair. Then I shaved it clean and I magically regained a good chunk of my day. I no longer have to worry about haircuts. I don't buy hair products. I don't have to fix my hair. Ever. My travel toiletry kit consists of a toothbrush, a razor blade, and a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Mint Soap. I can ride my motorbike for nine hours straight, off-road, in 100º heat, and when I get to the end destination, other dudes look like crazy gold rush miners or Jack Torrance, and I don't. Plus, my head is water-resistant. Hot day, covered in sweat, two block walk to a meeting? No problem. Paper towel blot and I'm fresh as a daisy. It's one less thing for some asshole to grab on to in a scrap. And did I mention that chicks dig it?

Personally, I don't see what your concern is. It's just hair, dude. Let go of it.

And if anyone knows his homosexuals...

You might be one of those guys who looks good with the shaved head look.

Certainly, you can't say it is for everyone. Not every guy has the face or head shape for that type of look.

Shahram... I'm not trying to be an ass, but are Iranian dudes predisposed to be challenged in the follicle dept. after 25 years old? About 80% that I have met are Kojaks.

You don't need Shahram to answer that question Mosi.

The answer is NO.

Iranians are just as predisposed to baldness as anyone else. I'm actually willing to bet a higher percentage of their men have full heads of hair compared to Europeans. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

I've heard that if someone is a homo going bald, the boyfriend's sperm can do wonders. Not for the hair though.

MM do not worry. My grand pa (who was bald) used to say "God only mada a few perfect heads, the rest he covered with hair."

The hardest part is acceptance. Once you get through that - and it can take days, years, or forever depending on the individual - you're good.

I was first alerted to the issue when a friend observed, "Hey, you're getting a little thin on top, huh buddy?" So here are a few observations based on my experience, which started in 1985 when I was in my mid-twenties, like you:

1. For some reason I still don't understand, bald guys are fair game for obnoxious comments. Would you ever dream of making a rude remark to a co-worker's face about a physical feature they have no control over? It takes an inconsiderate a-hole do that and these days you'd also be risking an unpleasant trip to HR. But people fire away about baldness, whether subtle ("Do you have a hat? It's cold outside.") or not so subtle ("I knew it was you coming from the glare off your head.") Yeah, those are actual examples that occurred in the last six months. There have been others, more than I can even remember over the 20 or so years since I first started losing hair.

2. Be prepared to discover a whole new world of discrimination. I'm speaking generally here so there are of course exceptions, but you'll now notice that the good guys in TV shows and movies have good hair while many bad guys are bald or balding. Want to be President? A game-show host? TV anchor? In general, it ain't happening if you're bald or balding. But...

3. Don't take it personally. It doesn't mean something's wrong with you or that women won't find you attractive. Some won't because some have almost a fixation on good hair, but think about it - surely you have some standards of your own you apply in finding women attractive, right? So to some it's a turnoff, to some it's a turn-on, and to most, it's a non-issue. They're more concerned about who you are.

4. I'd also go with a buzzcut as opposed to shaving but that's just a personal preference. Ironically, what hair I have grows ridiculously fast.

5. Consider some facial hair for balance. I wear what most call a goatee (technically it's a Van Dyke, a goatee is chin hair only). What sucks is that my facial hair grows out mostly gray now. I can't win for losing.

6. The drugs aren't worth it. They're expensive, marginally effective and haven't been around long enough for anyone to know the long-term effects of using them for two or three decades. It also affects other aspects of your life. If you give blood, they'll ask if you use Propecia, and there are some prescription drugs you can't take due to drug interactions.

As I said to start, in the long run your best bet is to accept it, decide on your new look, and move on. People give off vibes and if you're self-conscious and weirded out by it, others will pick up on that. Be confident and at peace with yourself. I'm not saying it's easy, especially at age 26, but it's the best path for the long haul. Keeping it in perspective helps; when I see people with real disabilities or disfiguring scars, well, only being bald seems like a pretty good deal.

Maybe astronaut John Glenn said it best: "The good lord only gave men so many hormones, and if others want to waste theirs growing hair that's up to them."

Just be thankful your not a woman. I started losing my hair when I was ten. I have Alopecia. For those who dont know what it is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alopecia_areata
You guys losing your hair now think you have it tough. Try being 11 and people thinking you have cancer and kids making fun of you. Thing Is I am at the point now that if I could have the remaining hair on my head permanetly lasered out I would. Razors are expensive these days.

There is a big relation to hair follicle shape and baldness. If your hair follicles are flat (curly hair) you are not as prone to baldness as if they are round (straight hair). Wearing any sort of hat for long periods is also attributed to baldness, but I don't know why. Throw in genetics etc. and there you go. My cousin lost his hair at around 19. He went through severe depression over it. I've been close cropping or shaving my head bald for ages though sometimes I let it grow out a bit. Right now I'm a cueball.... I don't have a "baldness" problem yet and it doesn't seem to run in my family but I doubt I'd care one way or the other....

Some bald guy said something like that to me once. I told him grass doesn't grow on rocks.

All kidding aside, I don't worry about these things. I have hair. I'm even shocked that it hasn't turned gray. My brother's have had gray hair for a while and my father said he went gray in his thirties.

There is also a difference between balding and the shaved head look.

Bluesky is right. You have to feel comfortable with the look. If I thought I could get away with it, I might shave my head. It's zero maintenance.

Mine man.... You might also want to look into a different brand of shampoo. Some are not good and can contribute to hair loss.

Glad I still have my full head of hair (and no gray) at 37....the no gray part irks my wife.

I've got some dandy scars that a bald head would really showcase....two places have been stitched up, one from a car wreck, and another from sledding under a barbed wire fence when I was a kid.

Insert lobotomy jokes here.

Well that explains a lot

Suck it chrome dome.