Perhaps the most common question that hits our email box is that relating to the “grain of the hair”.

A very simple explanation is, you will either shave against or with the grain of the hair. The illustration clearly explains the differences between the two.

Please keep those questions coming and we will answer them in future articles.

Some find a beautifully clean shaven head a thing of beauty, while others are turned off at the blinding glare a shiny bald gives off. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, understanding how a bald gets its shine comes down to two things, how smooth the scalp is and how much oil the skin and scalp produce.

Smoothness

The head is typically the shiniest after a clean shave. This is because the scalp is smooth and stubble free, resulting in a shine depending on the lighting. As stubble grows back, the scalp is less smooth breaking up that shiny reflection.

Natural Oil

The skin, not just your scalp, produces a lot of oil – mainly for protection. Not everyone produces the same amount of oil on their scalp. Some people have oily hair, dry hair and then the normal hair. Without the hair soaking up the oil from the scalp, the oil would just build up on the scalp.

Those are the two elements that determine a shiny bald head. If a person produces a lot of oil on the scalp and has a clean shave, they will have a greater shine than a person with a dry scalp.

Creating A Better Bald Head Shine

To increase your bald head shine, shave frequently and keep it close. If your scalp is naturally oily, great. If your scalp is naturally dry, consider a leave in moisturizer or skin care lotion.

Reducing Bald Head Shine

To rid your bald of the shine, do not shave closely and wash your head frequently with hot water and shampoo. Be aware that you are removing the skins natural protection. This can cause the scalp to go dry and look flaky. Consider using a wet rag frequently to reduce the flakes and dryness.

Meaning of “Shadow” – the area in which you can visibly see the outline of where the hair used to be.

For those who are intentionally bald, having a shadowless clean shave is the ultimate goal. However, achieving that goal is not a natural process.

There are a few factors that can contribute to a shadowless clean shave look:

• Male Pattern Baldness taking over
• Electrolysis and Hair Removal Treatments
• Makeup

Shadow exists because the hair root still exists after shaving. As long as the hair root exists, there will always be a shadow. See illustration of hair root.

Electrolysis and hair removal treatments kill the root, resulting in less shadow. However, if that is what your ultimate goal is, there are less expensive and less painful ways to go about it such as makeup or foundation that closely matches your skin tone.