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shaved heads
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:14 pm
by Chadtuba
Think I asked this a couple years back, but here goes again. Anybody else here shave your heads smooth? If so, would you share any tips or tricks to a good shaved head or do you know any better ways to keep it smooth?
I've been using a Gillette Mach 3 razor for years and have been happy with it but just recently purchased a
http://www.headblade.com/Merchant2/merc ... ode=razors to try out. Not sure what I think of it yet but only tried it once before we left on vacation. Didn't want to bring it to the lake and risk another cut on the head and then a swim in the lake so will try it again next week.
A couple years ago on a whim I tried a treatment of Nair

Do not do this no matter what anybody else may tell you. It burned like heck for 3-4 days every time I got in the shower and didn't do a good job at all.
Any other schools of thought out there? Bald brothers unite

Re: shaved heads
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:31 pm
by TexTuba
I use a Braun Series 3 to get it nice and clean. After that, I use a Mach 3 to make sure my head is completely hairless. The trick, I have found, is to always shave in the same directions every time. For example, I shave the sides of my heads from the ear towards the top of my head. I shave the front of my head from the scalp towards the back. That way, for ME, it stays shorter for a longer period of time. I hope this helps a little.
Ralph of the BB

Re: shaved heads
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:42 pm
by bort
I did it once, in winter, before going to Minnesota. Bad idea. i had no idea how much heat I really lost though my head every day!
Used a Mach 3 though, and it worked great!
Re: shaved heads
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:50 pm
by ZNC Dandy
There was a time when I shaved my head bald. I found the best to be the Mach 3 Turbo. I bought a Headblade, but it cut me up like a hobo. Mach 3 works faster, and covers more area. Plus they seem to use superior steel. Always shave in the shower if possible.
Re: shaved heads
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 12:16 am
by Chadtuba
Had the same experience just the once with the headblade but willing to give it one more shot before I chuck it into the file 13. I do like the headblade shave cream and clear head though. I always shave in the shower, wouldn't think of doing it any other way. I do have to shave every 2 days, just wish I could find a longer lasting solution, but such is life sometimes.
Re: shaved heads
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 12:46 am
by Dan Schultz
There was a torture device on the market a few years back called Epilady. The original ones used a spring to snare hair and yank it out. I see they are still around:
http://www.epiladyusa.net/epilators.html
Re: shaved heads
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 6:03 am
by JHardisk
I've been shaving the ol' noggin for just over 5 years now. (I wish nature would just finish the follicles off already!) Mach 3 seems the best and most economical way to get the job done. What surprised me when I first started shaving it was just how expensive it can get to go through a pack of razors monthly! Has anyone tried one of those alleged mach 3 sharpeners? With a Mach 3 blade, I can count on it lasting about 2 times. Each blade costs roughly 2 bucks, so my blade bill is about $30 a month!

Re: shaved heads
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:18 am
by Donn
I haven't been really tempted to try it (since I was 19 or so), but as the hair thins out, it eventually may be the lesser of evils.
I'm surprised to hear from tuba players who shave the cranium, because I thought most of you also shave your faces, and - I don't know about the muscular vs. fat distinction discussed above, but beard and/or mustache seem to me to be nearly universal among skin tops.
Re: shaved heads
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:51 pm
by tubaguy9
I've shaved my head for the summer of the last 3 years...sort of a seasonal thing for me, shave it to help me cool off, grow it out to keep me warm.
I started doing so in Drum corps, because our hats stuck better to our bald heads
Here's what I use: My favorite would either be the Fusion or the Quattro...but it seems blades wear out quicker on the Quattro. Both work well.
The tip to a shiny head is to use aftershave after eating.
Re: shaved heads
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:26 pm
by Chadtuba
JHardisk wrote:I've been shaving the ol' noggin for just over 5 years now. (I wish nature would just finish the follicles off already!) Mach 3 seems the best and most economical way to get the job done. What surprised me when I first started shaving it was just how expensive it can get to go through a pack of razors monthly! Has anyone tried one of those alleged mach 3 sharpeners? With a Mach 3 blade, I can count on it lasting about 2 times. Each blade costs roughly 2 bucks, so my blade bill is about $30 a month!

A couple of years ago I started buying my Mach 3 (or turbo Mach 3) blades off ebay in bulk. As with anything else on the bay if you bide your time you can get the blades significantly cheaper. The last batch I bought I believe I got 80 blades for around $1.10 apiece. I can sometimes get 3 shaves but lately I've only been getting two out of each so I guess I better start looking for the next ebay deal before I run out and have to pay retail for em to get by

Re: shaved heads
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:26 pm
by Chadtuba
As far as the facial hair thing, I've had a goatee for a few years now and just recently added the full beard, no mustache. Not sure if I'll keep the full beard or not but for now its there and I'm too lazy to do anything else about it

Re: shaved heads
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 12:16 am
by Kevin Hendrick
Up on top, the trick is to leave the stubble just long enough that the mosquitos impale themselves when they try to land (for those outdoor evening concerts) ...

Re: shaved heads
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:26 am
by Kevin Hendrick
knuxie wrote:At -50, why would you want a shaved head???
Ken F.
Better compression ratio, maybe?

Re: shaved heads
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:45 am
by Kevin Hendrick
schlepporello wrote:knuxie wrote:At -50, why would you want a shaved head???
Ken F.
So the quadruple layered toboggan cap will stick like it's attached to Velcro.
It's a fact.
That's true -- no super-glue needed ...

Re: shaved heads
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:42 am
by tbn.al
JHardisk wrote:What surprised me when I first started shaving it was just how expensive it can get to go through a pack of razors monthly! Has anyone tried one of those alleged mach 3 sharpeners? With a Mach 3 blade, I can count on it lasting about 2 times. Each blade costs roughly 2 bucks, so my blade bill is about $30 a month!

Simple solution. Rinse the blade well and then hit it with the hair dryer for 30-45 seconds before you put it away. This is a tip from frugal guru Clark Howard that really works. I went from 3 face shaves to 10 on a Trac II. It's not the wear that destroys the blade, it's the corrosion.
Re: shaved heads
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:23 am
by Chadtuba
Kevin Hendrick wrote:schlepporello wrote:knuxie wrote:At -50, why would you want a shaved head???
Ken F.
So the quadruple layered toboggan cap will stick like it's attached to Velcro.
It's a fact.
That's true -- no super-glue needed ...

I tell you what, it works that way for sure
As far as why, well let me tell you a story my friends: A few years ago I received some pictures for my beginning band Christmas concert from one of the band moms. The pics were taken from the audience point of view so they of course showed my by best side. As I looked at the pics I saw this bald spot on the back of my head that I did not know what there

I decided that if I was going to go bald that I was gonna go bald on my own terms.
I grew my hair out this past winter after I moved to ND and found two more spots so its now off and gonna stay off. I have a good supply of sunscreen for the summer and a couple of nice winter hats so all is good.