Once in awhile, I will ask a client, “have you ever thought about buzzing it?” and I’m often met with a skeptical eye. There are several good reasons a man should buzz his head, and it is an option that works well for a lot of guys. If not for my talent agent’s protests (I’m both a hairstylist and an actor), I would go with a buzzcut in a second. If you’ve ever thought about shedding your locks for something a little more low maintenance (like Zayn Malik recently did), perhaps my top five reasons for buzzing your head will help you make the decision.
1) It is VERY easy to maintain. Keeping an ultra-short buzzcut is one of the easiest styles to maintain. After you shower in the morning, all you have to do is towel-dry your head and walk out the door. If you’re going to spend time in the sun, I recommend using a little sunscreen on your head (again, very easy) and that’s about all you need to worry about.
The one drawback to the buzzed head is that to keep it low, you’ll need to visit the barber more often, but barbers are pretty inexpensive. If you have a steady hand, you could even give yourself a buzzcut at home whenever you’d like.
2) You’ll save money. Frankly, a buzzcut is pretty hard to mess up and doesn’t require a trip to a high-end barbershop or fancy salon. Your local, inexpensive neighborhood barber can do the trick for around $12. If you want to save a few bucks, you can invest in a good clipper and do it yourself at home for free. Wearing a buzzcut also eliminates the need for styling products and will shave you some additional dough on a product as well.
3) You’ll look like a man. The buzzed head is one of the most masculine looks you can go with.
It gives you a more aggressive edge and says you are a low-maintenance kinda guy. If you’ve never buzzed your head before, it takes a little confidence — but it’s not permanent if you don’t like it. Hair will always grow back. The buzzcut or shaved head works well for most any man with a good face shape, so shaving off your mane is not a huge risk.
For guys who are heavyset or have round faces, the buzzcut may not be your best option, but for most guys, it will work well.
4) It will keep you cool. I’ve said this a million times, but a buzzcut will keep you cooler in the summer because it will allow the breeze to hit your scalp. Much of your body heat escapes through the head and back of the neck, so eliminating most of the hair will allow the heat to escape and the cool breeze to get in. Conversely, I also like a buzzed head in the winter — during cold weather, guys often turn to hats for warmth (which do a better job than hair), but are often left to deal with the dreaded “hat head.” The buzzcut eliminates this problem entirely.
5) A buzzcut will minimize the look of thinning hair and will help hide a receding hairline. The longer hair becomes, the more noticeable the thinning areas are. By buzzing everything short, with a tighter taper on the sides and back, you give a more balanced coverage all over the head. To completely hide a thinning head of hair, shaving it to the scalp will do the trick.
When you are ready to take the plunge, I recommend a visit to your local barber who can help determine if the style is going to be right for you, especially if you are changing your hairstyle dramatically. If you’ve ever thought about buzzing, I recommend giving it a try. As I mentioned earlier, if you don’t like it, it will always grow back. That said, you might just love the way it looks and how easy a buzzcut is to maintain.