Althouse: The combover of the new century.

April 5, 2006

The combover of the new century.

Dan gets a buzz cut.

23 comments:

reader_iam said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 4/5/06, 8:07 AM
reader_iam said...: You go, Dan!

"Aging" (but you're still young) gracefully is highly underrated these days.

vh: goeto

"One is a bit better at catching obvious typos after one's child 'goe[s] to' school in the morning."

Heh.; 4/5/06, 8:37 AM
Maxine Weiss said...: Yes, a man who's balding should just...go bald and shave it all off.

My problem is with people that have good hair and are needlessly cutting it.

Young people. There's a complete lack of creativity/individuality. And, these are people who have nice thick hair, and a good hairline.

Why are they chopping it all off?

Peace, Maxine; 4/5/06, 10:11 AM
Der Hahn said...: The opinion of a bald(ing) middle-age white guy:

It's just as obvious as a combover, and just as obviously over-compenstation.

No white guy since Telly has been able to pull off the cue ball look without a uniform. Maybe Bruce Willis, on a good day.

You're losing your hair. It's natural, just deal with it.; 4/5/06, 11:22 AM
Synova said...: My kids aren't shaving their heads because of thining hair but for a fundraiser for childhood cancer research. It's one thing to shave your head when you're bald anyway. I hope they can raise enough money to make it worth it. I have pictures on my blog (down a few posts by now), and links. My daughter as hair to her waist!

Might I say, though, that Dan's hair looks very nice. :-); 4/5/06, 12:10 PM
Dan from Madison said...: Synova: you are too kind.; 4/5/06, 12:29 PM
sonicfrog said...: I sometimes break out the razor and do a smoothie. I use Mach-3 razors. Yes, they are more expensive, but with those I can make it through the whole procedure with one blade. Every time I get cheap and buy discount blades, I go through three or four blades to do the same job. Plus the cheapies just don't shave as clean.

A few disadvantages to the buzz / smoothie cut:

1) They will expose the huge cavernous dents in your head.

2) If you play heavy metal guitar, you no longer have the long hair to swirl around whilst on stage. And the lack of hair draws even more attention to the hideous spandex!

3) Don't do a fresh smoothie in the middle of summer and then go jet skiing all day. Trust me. It's painful!!!; 4/5/06, 12:52 PM
Jennifer said...: White guys can't pull off a buzz cut? Visit a military base sometime!; 4/5/06, 1:30 PM
Synova said...: I thought Brendan was talking about a smoothie.

The remark about dents made me laugh. One of the kids who is thinking of doing the cancer fund raiser with my kids had part of his skull removed and replaced when he was tiny and his dad is struggling over the decision to let him shave his head or not because the scars and dent will show.; 4/5/06, 2:53 PM
Synova said...: Hm... maybe that doesn't sound very funny. I guess you have to know the kid.; 4/5/06, 2:54 PM
X said...: I protest. Giving in to fate and cutting your hair short once you realize you're going to lose it anyway is dignified. Combovers are anything but. Besides, the bloatee is the combover of the age.; 4/5/06, 4:34 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Real men don't use any "product" in their hair aside from shampoo and conditioner. Ditch the gel and hairspray."

Ridiculous! Why is conditioner fine but gel forbidden? Once you start using conditioner, you have no right to make any rules. It used to be unmanly even to use shampoo. Just look at the word: shampoo! Sham! Poo!; 4/5/06, 4:37 PM
Palladian said...: I've shaved my head close since I started losing my hair at the age of 20. I don't understand the weird notion that shaving your head is somehow a "coverup". You're making yourself completely bald! How does that cover anything up? I do it because it looks tidier than having that ring of superfluous hair around the back of the head. I don't use a razor though, I hate the shiny, super-shaved look. I did that once but it was stingy and painful (I hate shaving!) I have also had a short beard for a long time because I hate shaving! and it gives better definition to my chin which is a tad weak on its own.

And there's nothing unmanly about being fastidious in grooming, whether that involves pomades, gels, perfumes, skin cream or simply soap and water. It's all about the end result and moderation. This reminds me of the post about men affecting the hipster dishevelment; being an adult means taking care of your appearance in a modest and fastidious way. There's nothing "manly" about looking and smelling like a slob (nothing hip either!); 4/5/06, 5:05 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Gel is closer to a traditional man's product than conditioner is. Trad products: pomade, oil. Conditioner is the new thing. I just don't get excluding gel and including conditioner. Conditioner is about making your hair soft and manageable. Gel is about training it.; 4/5/06, 6:23 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Conditioner was originally called "creme rinse." Does that sound manly?; 4/5/06, 6:24 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Detangle? What nonsense! You have a comb for that. The original "creme rinses" were advertised as a no-more-tears idea for children who found combing too harsh. The big brand then was Tame.; 4/5/06, 6:57 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Brendan: You've confessed to being a total wuss at this point. There's no going back.; 4/5/06, 7:57 PM
MadisonMan said...: Comb? Who am I? The Fonz? We must live on different planets because I haven't seen or used a comb since grade school.

No comb here, either. Or brush. I wash it, shake it, and go. The wonders of natural curls. Too bad it's thinning.; 4/5/06, 8:16 PM
Dan from Madison said...: So the big question Ann, yea or nay on the buzzcut? Inquiring minds want to know! Especially mine!; 4/5/06, 9:15 PM
Ann Althouse said...: 1. I favor the curls, and if that is the reason for no comb, that's fine. It's just that hairdryer...

2. The buzzcut is great. The title to the post should not be taken to mean the buzzcut is bad like a combover. It's just the new approach to dealing with balding. It's better. It's what you should do! Complete shaving is also fine, but I realize there is the dented or misshaped head problem. That's really quite unfair, to get stuck balding and to have a badly shaped head. Still, no excuse for combing over.; 4/5/06, 9:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Why do a combover whe you can use that spray paint stuff they advertise on the infomercials late at night???

Ridiculous! Why is conditioner fine but gel forbidden? Once you start using conditioner, you have no right to make any rules. It used to be unmanly even to use shampoo. Just look at the word: shampoo! Sham! Poo! - Ann

Actually, the best hairdressers will often advise their male clients to not wash their hair at all. Your hair has natural oils which are the best conditioners of all. Just rinse your hair with water. And if it smells bad, just use a little conditioner.

Shampooing your hair every day will make it very dry. Once every one or two weeks is all you need.; 4/5/06, 10:19 PM
Dan from Madison said...: Brendan - Ann nailed you with the hair dryer thing. I will tell my wife tonight that I look like Matt Lauer. She will be thrilled! Maybe I can fill in for him sometime.; 4/6/06, 6:16 AM
Jennifer said...: Wow, to think my husband is both extra manly and following the advice of the best hairdressers. To think I gave him a hard time for not using shampoo!

Dan - I think the cut looks great. You'd fit in just fine around here at Ft Bragg.; 4/6/06, 6:27 AM