A Guide To Balding Men's Hairstyles

It’s unbelievable how difficult it is to find any decent information on the internet about balding men’s hairstyles. 

You’ll know this yourself if you’ve ever tried to do a search on Google for ‘balding men’s hairstyles’, ‘hairstyles for balding men’, ‘balding hairstyles’ or any other amount of variations on the theme.

This is surprising considering how many balding men there are who deserve a decent hairstyle as much as any one else…

So… faced with this injustice I’ve put together my own guide to balding men’s hairstyles…

It’s a fact that 95% of all balding or bald men suffer from male pattern baldness.  Male pattern baldness usually starts with a receding hairline at the front and is frequently accompanied with thinning at the top.

Over time, this thinning turns into a full fledged bald spot, and the bald spot grows to cover the head, apart from the sides and around the back.

Regardless of this, as long as there is a single hair left on my head I’ll still demand a stylish coiffure.  So, what balding hairstyle options are available?

The worst balding men’s hairstyle is the comb over.  This is the classic look beloved of men of a certain age whereby the hair is grown longer on one side of the head and ‘combed over’ the bald area to the other side.

This strategy only spells disaster even in the slightest of breezes and is to be avoided at all costs.

But assuming you already know this, what are the other do’s and don'ts to balding men’s hairstyles?

The first common mistake is combing the hair straight back.  This may cover bald spots, but it only exposes the forehead and draws attention to the receding hairline.

The second is growing your hair longer at the back to make up for what's lacking on top.  This unbalances the head and draws even more attention to the scalp and the baldness.

Younger men with thinning hair might be tempted to use gel… but this isn’t recommended.  Gel clumps your hair together and reveals the scalp.

Likewise, growing your hair long in an attempt to cover up actually causes hair to separate and show more scalp.

So, what are the do’s?

Get more natural looking fluff to your hair by using mousses and conditioners.

Grow your remaining hair by a few inches, get it layered and brush it forward to break up the receding hairline.

If your hairline isn’t receding too badly, but the top of your head is thinning, you can get away with keeping the front long and combing your hair straight back to cover the bald spot. 

Eventually however, your bald spot will expand.

The ultimate balding men’s hairstyle when faced with a shiny bald dome, is to go the whole hog and shave it off or at least a very close trim.

You’ll probably be amazed at people’s reactions and the compliments you’ll get – the shaved look is a totally acceptable balding hairstyle these days.

Start with electric clippers like you find in the barbers. After you've clipped the heavy stuff, lather up with shaving gel.  This gives you a closer, smoother shave than shaving cream.
 
Then using a razor, start at the top and shave down with the grain taking care at the back -  it’s recommended to watch what you’re doing with a small mirror.

Shaving your head only takes a few minutes and you don't need to do it every day (two to three times a week is fine).

Taking care of your new shaved head is much like taking care of your face. Wash regularly with moisturizing soap, rather than a harsh deodorant soap that can dry out the skin on your head. 

Also use a good quality moisturizer after every wash – cheaper moisturizers will just clog up your pores.

For the summer, find a moisturizer with a sun protection factor of at least 15 to avoid sunburn on your head. And you'll need a warm hat in winter to maintain your body heat.

If shaving doesn't tickle your fancy then you can always opt for a hairpiece as a last resort - though I wouldn't recommend it :-)