Shaved! With head issues...

**leli*b** · 07-19-2013, 12:46 AM

So something came over me yesterday and I shaved my head. I'd been wanting to grow the relaxer out of my hair and after months of cutting shorter and shorter I made an impulse decision and cut it all off.

It started with scissors but was waaaay to patchy looking (I've got some thin/bare spots presumably from traction alopecia) so I grabbed my hubbys trimmer and shaved to bare skin.

Initially, I felt liberated. Then I looked at my head (which I should have done before I grabbed the scissors). My head is ghost pale. I've got some discoloration which I'm thinking are birthmarks... and when the blood rushes to my head it gets all rashy looking.

I am fairly light completed and am considering shooting some spray tan at it... Anyone considered this? I'm also fairly chubby. I want to love this but am feeling not a little regret that I didn't use more forethought before I did this. I'm at work now with a wig on. I'm having paranoid visions of it tripping and it flying off my head. Or my purse pulling it off. Or some other horrible cataclysm occurring.

I'm bummed to realize the extent of my hair loss (alopecia) and realize that this will not likely be a good look until I have several inches of hair to cover these spots. Looking for some encouragement and love.

Hugs

L

**Intellexual** · 07-19-2013, 02:07 AM

Cheers to you at least having the experience of liberating your follicles!

In rather short order a newly exposed scalp, having been shrouded from direct sun, will take on a tone that nicely complements (if not entirely matches) that of the face. That could also take care of unfamiliar blushing/flushing.

As mentioned in the previous question, if you shave your head during the warmer months, you'll often notice a difference in skin tone between your scalp and the rest of your skin. This is because your hair acts as a barrier to sunlight, and as a result, your scalp hasn't had much opportunity to synthesize melanin (ie. tan).

Given sufficient exposure to sunlight, your scalp will tan and will eventually match the tone of the rest of your skin. For most people, a week or two is all it will take, given moderate exposure to the sun each day.

For those who can't wait that long, and can't stand to have a pale head, there are always 'sunless tanning' products, which will help darken your skin until such time as it is sufficiently tanned on its own. I've never used such a product, so I cannot recommend one personally. Check out Sunless.com for product reviews, advice, and more.

Remember, though, that at this stage your scalp is especially vulnerable to sunburn. Don't overexpose your head to the sun just to get a tan. Remember to wear sunscreen if you're going to be outside for any significant length of time. Sunburns on the scalp can be very painful.

Source: http://www.headshaver.org/faq.html#untanned

**leli*b** · 07-19-2013, 02:23 AM

Thank you so much for your reply! I was feeling very lonely and have been googling all day for experiences similar to mine with no results! I've also spent some time admiring the ladies on the short cuts/baldies thread. I want the confidence to rock this but it's gonna take some work!

**issa** · 07-19-2013, 02:31 AM

My hair broke off and left me with patchy near-bald spots in the middle of my head. Not sexy. First I tried to cover it up, then I said "to heck with it" and cut it down to about 1/2"... shortest hair I've ever had in my life! It would at least have been ok if it was even, but since some parts of my hair would grow and some wouldn't, it was a HOT mess. I felt so bummed. I wore wigs for about 2 months until I basically got tired of putting them on all the time and being afraid of what people would say if they saw me without one. Long story short... (1) Hair grows back! Maybe not as fast as we'd like, but it will eventually return. (2) Shaved/short hair looks great! Sometimes we're our own worst critics... I've sat at home and cried, but gone out and got nothing but compliments. Even inspired one of my long-time wig-wearing friends to wear her short, natural 'do. Sometimes what we think isn't accurate. (3) Wigs aren't the end of the world. I have 2 that I really like now, and lots of ladies (young and old) wear them all the time. It's the lowest maintenance hairstyle ever! Mine were "cap weaves", so no pins or anything, and no braiding or tucking since I had no hair.

**issa** · 07-19-2013, 02:36 AM

My pics from earlier this year: http://public.fotki.com/sm116/hr/loss/ (pw: "hloss") ... #58 shows what I'm talking about. The "May" pics are from last year, so basically this is my 2nd involuntary big chop in 2 years due to breakage.

**Intellexual** · 07-19-2013, 02:38 AM

You're most welcome. If you want a lot of videos and such, I've bookmarked lots over the years which are still active.

I've seen so many different videos of people giving honest feedback on how they felt afterwards and even people who were in tears during the process. If you want to watch lots of videos of the sort, let me know and we can start dumping them in this thread or another.

Here's a video so you can see someone's head before, during, and after shaving off treated hair.

**leli*b** · 07-19-2013, 03:13 AM

Thank you ladies! This is my second time going natural. The first time I transitioned with braids for at least 2 years give or take... Even after doing a bc I kept my hair braided the majority of the time and had a hard time adjusting. I thought I accepted myself but would become extremely defensive (aka cussed out some folks) that I felt were disrespectful about me or my hair. I'm still not to the point where I can say I don't give a damn what others think but that is where I will work to be. It saddens me the times I've felt like I was going to have to miss school/work/ life in general because my hair wasn't cooperating. I would love it if you could share your links... I am at work now but will watch in a few hours when I am off.

Last time I was natural I felt somewhat inauthentic having transitioned for so long. It is scary but exhilarating no longer having hair to hide behind.

**ya~akua** · 07-19-2013, 03:20 AM

I too had some scalp issues after a bout with traction alopecia as a result of my locs. When I cut my dreads off, there were definitely places that were a little more scant than others, even with a nearly bald head. I just had to go with it, be confident, and accept the place my hair was at, at that moment. Blessings!