Hair today, gone tomorrow
We’ve associated hair with power since the era of Samson.
The story goes that as soon as Delilah deprived Samson of his hair, he was sapped of his power and became weak.
It’s no wonder, after being brought up with stories such as this, that men cling onto whatever hair they’ve got.
As they begin to lose their hair many men do everything in their power to halt the process. But the fact is that there is currently no known cure for baldness.
A quarter of men will start to go bald before they reach the age of 30, and by the time they reach 60 over two-thirds of men are bald.
With such large numbers of people in the same situation, you would think that men would be more accepting of the condition, commonly known as male pattern baldness.
But you only have to look at gentlemen of a certain age when you’re out and about to see that many men are living in denial of what is actually happening.
Men will use various techniques to try and hide the inevitable, from the old-fashioned football comb-over to a slightly subtler brushing down of the hair to cover a receding hairline.
But I have to ask the question - do you think anyone is fooled?
The chances are that if you can tell that you’re going bald, then so can everyone else.
What is the big issue though?
I’ve never understood why men worry so much about losing their hair - there’s a lot to be said for men who are follically challenged.
I think that as long as you know what to do when the time comes, there is nothing to worry about.
If you are thinning on top, receding at the front, or have less than you used to around your crown, let me offer you a few tips.
Firstly, do not try and hide the fact that you are going bald by growing your hair longer.
Unless you think that Bill Bailey and Terry Nutkins are style icons, it’s best to steer clear of the ‘long back and sides’ look.
Secondly, think carefully about what products you are going to use.
The gel or mousse that you previously used when you hade a full head of hair may not be the right product to use as your hair begins to thin out or recede.
Wet-look gels tend to bind hair together – if your hair is thinning this can leave you with large patches where your head shows through your hairstyle.
To combat this, try a product such as Redken Maneuver Wax that will bring texture and definition to your hair but will give you a natural looking finish.
Thirdly, give your hair a bit of a boost by using a shampoo that is designed to add body.
A product such as L'Oreal’s Serie Expert Age Densiforce shampoo is designed to protect your hair and give it a more youthful and fuller appearance.
Finally, the best piece of advice I can give you is to come in and speak to us about your hair.
By spending some time with you, we can assess what styles can be achieved with the hair you have left and offer you advice that is tailored specifically to you.
But like I said, don’t worry - going bald isn’t the end of world.
Going back to my original point about hair being linked with power, these days that isn’t necessarily true.
If you think about it, some of the world’s biggest action stars became more powerful as they began to lose their locks.
Think of yourself as the next Sean Connery, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham or Vin Diesel.
Baldness is what you make of it.