Last Updated on April 19, 2020 by Robert Price
There are many ways to deal with hair loss. Some of these approaches are smart, others are foolish, and some may land you in the psych ward. Which route will you take? Will you be an action star, monk, country singer, president, or none of the above? Keep reading and decide for yourself! Here are the 19 most popular ways to approach hair loss.
1. The Shaved Gym Rat
This is a viable albeit somewhat superficial way to deal with hair loss. You probably know guys who’ve taken this route. They lift their asses off, get ripped, go out and get laid on the weekends, rinse and repeat. Perfectly acceptable, but I think the second approach is better…
2. The Action Hero
You can either buzz it or keep it short if you decide to tackle hair loss like an action star. Your call. Guys who take the action-hero approach to hair loss don’t necessarily need to be buff, but they typically stay fit and active. And they do need to have solid skill-set (very important); they’re also generally interesting, well-rounded people. Real-world examples include Bruce Willis, Tim Feiress, author of The Four Hour Workweek, The Rock, Joe Rogan, and many more.
3. The Enlightened-Bald Path (AKA the Monk)
Monks go hairless for a reason, boys. The Dalai Lama’s bald, as is Gandhi, a distinguished member of the bald hall of fame.That dude who does actualized.org videos is also on the bald-enlightenment path. Humility, curiosity, and intelligence are the three prerequisites. If you have what it takes, this could be a very noble and fulfilling way to approach hair loss.
4. Bald & Bearded
A modern classic, popular among hipsters, musicians, professional athletes, and craft-beer enthusiasts everywhere. Bald & bearded is a state of mind. Works with all body types! Your awesome facial hair will compensate for the lack of hair on your head. Lots of chicks dig this look too. If I could grow a beard, I might consider this one myself!
5. Rock the Crosby
Crosby has been sporting the receding-hairline rocker look for about five decades now! This style may make you look a bit strung out or crazy if you’re a younger dude, but if you’re over 40 and successful, it could be worth a shot! Neil Young has some variation of this at the moment, as do many other aging rockers. The half head of hair, so to speak. Not a bad look for some, especially those who are true rock and rollers at heart.
6. The Lazy Sitcom Dad (or Lazy Gamer)
Not a good way to deal with hair loss! Guys who do this watch their hairs get thinner with every haircut, and they subsequently become lazier about combing & styling it. Lots of slovenly sitcom dads on TV take this route. I’ve seen younger dudes do this too, especially gamer types. They often rock some variation of the “Caesar” cut. The results are never very good, I’m sorry to say. But hey, some of these dudes are successful and happy — so if that’s what they wanna do, God bless them!
7. The Suave Receding Hairline Approach
Josh Earnest, the most ironically named White House press secretary ever, sports the suave receding hairline style and always looks outstanding. I realize he still has pretty much all his hair, though he does appear to have a very mild class 3 pattern on the Norwood Scale. This is one of the best receding hairline styling techniques, by my estimation. Talk to your barber or hair stylist, chances are you can find a suave look that suits your head shape, even if you’re a little bit limited on the follicle front.
8. The Doug Stamper (Just Keep it Short) Route
This is a popular option among older men especially. But it can work for young guys as well. In fact, like Brian Stelter of CNN, you can use early hair loss to your advantage if you’re smart, by sporting some variation of this look. Simplicity is the key. Just keep it short, that’s all! Don’t hide anything, and you may be able to expedite your rise to power and wealth.
9. The Bezos
Jeff Bezos, right, is the founder of Amazon.
With the Bezos approach, you basically shift your focus away from your hair to your bank account. You focus on getting rich. And by doing this, rest assured you’ll forget about your hair fast. And once you’re rich, your hair won’t matter. You can go buy yourself some hair like Elon Musk did when he made his first few millions, or just let your follicles fall, like Bezos did.
10. The Country Singer
Just pop a cowboy hat or old baseball cap on. Problem solved! Plenty of guys with hair wear hats all the time, as well, so it’s not like you’ll stand out as a bald dude if you do this. A hat will cover up your baldness, and perhaps more substantially, give your face a frame. Most of these guys either keep their hair short or buzzed underneath, and they’ll take off their hats on occasion, certainly when they’re with their groupies and/or girlfriends. But not always, the hat could be a nice prop. For those interested, check out this article on the top 8 country singers who hide balding behind their cowboy hats.
11. The LBJ (Receded & Slicked Straight Back)
This style exudes dominance and masculinity like no other. If you can pull it off with confidence, you’ll start bedding women like Gene Simmons in 1975 before you know it. James Gandolfini, another member of my bald hall of fame, rocked the slicked-back style, and he had way less hair than LBJ. Gandolifi always looked terrific, and women loved him. It’s an alpha-male look, no question. Works especially well on large, imposing men. Scott Cann sports this look though, and he’s about 5’5, so it’s an option for smaller guys too.
12. The Putin
AKA the bald villain. Or the bald badass. Or Hillary Clinton’s worst nightmare. If you’re on the Putin path, power is your sole objective. You’re morally bankrupt for the most part, and you’re willing to sacrifice your friends and allies in your pursuit of glory. So yeah, you’re a horrible person. But on the bright side, you’re a man of action, and your baldness will be an asset, not a liability.
13. The Dude on the Couch
AKA the wacky bald guy! Or the Crusty the Clown! We all know a zany bald dude with a mullet, mohawk, or other interesting hairstyle. You can be the life of the party with this look! People can’t ever really make fun of you, because your hairstyle is jocular enough as it is. This could be fun! People in your office may not take you seriously as a person, that’s the main drawback. But you can bust out this style periodically for entertainment, if nothing else.
14. The Combover
Don’t do it! Enough said.
15. The Despondent Balding Basement Dweller
Okay. H’s clearly not depressed or balding, but maybe he would be depressed if he were going bald, because that isn’t covered on his mom’s insurance plan. This ad repulses me to the core of my being.
This is not a good path: using hair loss as an excuse to not participate in life. Check out this article if you’re struggling with hair loss-related stress or depression: Beat the Balding Blues – Overcome Your Hair Loss-Related Stress and Insecurities in Two Weeks.
16. Fight It Obsessively
Many men let hair loss control their thoughts and lives. They get totally obsessed, spend hours on hair loss forums, research the latest treatments, and develop a variety of psychological disorders as a result. They just go nuts, basically. Not a smart way to deal with balding, and it will only lead to suffering and failure.
17. Fight It Intelligently
If you’re going to fight hair loss, this is the way to do it. You learn the basics of hair loss, research the top treatment options, make a plan to fight it, and stick to that plan. You don’t get obsessed or start monitoring your hairline every day or even every week. You tackle the issue logically, not emotionally, realizing that most men lose their hair at some point.
18. Seek a Cure (So You Can Look Like the Cure When You’re 50)
Robert Smith and company have remarkable hair considering their ages.
You’ll find an endless supply of hair loss “cures” online. There are also proposed new-age remedies only available in certain countries via sketchy doctors and herbalists. Many have sought a cure for hair loss, but nobody’s succeeded to this point to my knowledge. You can treat hair loss and get your hair back via transplantation if desired, but that’s about all you can do. This approach to hair loss will cost you money and time and ultimately lead to disappointment.
19. The Shatner
So yeah, last you can wear a hair system. A toupee, as it’s sometimes called. Nothing wrong with this approach! Modern hair systems are usually undetectable (not the case with Shatner’s system, though). The system will frame your face, and it may help boost your confidence. Nothing wrong with that! Women wear wigs all the time. It’s become stigmatized for men to wear wigs for whatever reason, but it shouldn’t be, and to hell with the stigma. If wearing a hair system makes you happy, go for it.
So which approach will you take to hair loss? Which approach is best? Cast your vote with your explanation in the comment section.
Robert Price is a writer, consumer advocate, and hair loss researcher with thousands of hours of experience in the field. His goal is to keep you out of the hair loss rabbit hole, underworld, or whatever you want to call it. He founded Hair Loss Daily, the unbiased hair loss blog, in 2016. You can learn more about Robert in the my story section of this website.