18
Mar
2009
…today I worried about going bald
I come from a family of baldies. It’s mainly a problem for the men, so to have made it into my thirties with a fully covered pate is a blessing. Both of my grandads were bald, and on my father’s side, his brother and both of my cousins were finished with the barber by twenty.
To be fair, my dad has hung onto his locks for a decent period. He’s in his sixties now and sports something of a comb-over, but he had a decent trot.
My hair, by contrast, has always been somewhat abundant. I used to grow it long when I was in my teens and early twenties, and by long I mean shoulder length. I have some terrible shots of myself back then with 12 inches of hair hanging limp and greasy from the very top of my skull and the back and sides shaved close. Not my best look.
More recently I have persisted with the simple to maintain “short back and sides” with a deliberately scruffy, textured look, or variations on this theme (like the longer-in-the-middle “Hoxton fin”. My hair loved to be cut and sometimes I would get a trim every fourth week, indulging in the routine of scalp massages and fruity scented products.
But last summer I noticed something scary. This photo;
This was back in June and I was very concerned about the sudden retreat of my hairline. And that was that. I was immediately a balding man, worried about becoming completely slap.
From staring at my hair line in endless mirrors (the lift in my building is the worst culprit), I have noticed that there are a few lone stragglers, clinging desperately to my scalp some way below the masses, refusing to give up their place on the beach. Should I pluck these out to hide the truth, or should I nurture them in the hope that others will join in?
What does this have to do with Dubai? Well, I mentioned my consternation to my boss a little while back and he told me that the water in Dubai sends you bald. My immediate response was, “bollocks”, as he is a known wind-up merchant. He was trying to convince me that the pH balance of the water in Dubai, or some other condition brought about from desalination, led to the destruction of mens hairlines accross the United Arab Emirates. I was half ready to believe him when he said the fatal, “I got an email about it.”
So having ignored him, imagine my shock at the barber the other day stating that the water in Dubai, “might be why you’re receding, Sir. It is very bad for hair!” Is there any truth in this? Should I start using Evian in the shower?
I’m growing my hair out at the moment, by the way.