Hair Club for Men

An Oldster Friday Open Thread for the fellas—about graying, hair loss, baldness, and and interventions to address them. How have you dealt with changes to your hair that have come with aging?

Readers,

The topic of changes in men’s hair as they age, and how they deal with them, was suggested to me by my uncle (who, ironically, at 82 happens to have an impressive full head of silver hair).

As a culture we don’t talk much about men’s hair issues that arise with aging, the stigmas associated with them, or male vanity in general. Which is what makes it a great—and important—subject for us to delve into.

There’s the matter of coloring one’s gray—much more common among women than men. I suspect that for men, there’s both a stigma associated with graying—because it’s evidence of aging, and ageism affects everyone—and with coloring one’s gray, because it might make men seem vain, rather than stoic in the face of getting older. I remember growing up, seeing commercials for Grecian Formula for Men (which apparently still exists), designed to only make hair look less gray—you didn’t want to be seen caring enough to completely color over it.

According to a survey by Mintel, while 35% of women in the U.S. color their hair, only about 10% of American men do. Most of the men I’ve known who color their hair are rock musicians, whose black dye, or platinum-bleached hair with dark roots, seems intended to look almost blatantly artificial, in a kind of punk way. I’ve also seen plenty of actors coloring their hair for younger roles. There are also the (few, that I’ve seen) men who have fun with hair color, dying their hair in one bright color or another (or several at once).

Left, Jon Hamm, the gray-haired civilian at Sundance; Right, Hamm last year in a promo photo for "Your Friends and Neighbors," with his hair dyed black.

Then there’s the matter of hair-thinning, and full-on balding. According to a study by Medihair, some 85% of men experience hair loss, as opposed to 33% of women. In 2022, the market for hair loss solutions overall was $52.37 billion. That includes: oral medications like Finasteride and minoxidil and new ones that are apparently being developed; topical treatments like minoxidil foam and special shampoos; vitamins like biotin; platelet rich plasma injections; hair weaves; wigs and toupees; and various kinds of transplants—was $52.37 billion. That market projected to reach $88.18 billion by 2030.

The late Sy Sperling, founder of Hair Club for Men, in an ad from the ‘80s.

But most of the men I know personally who have lost much of their hair don’t pursue those treatments, instead opting to closely (or completely) shave the hair that remains around the edges. Many of them are also big on wearing hats.

And it’s also worth noting that somewhere along the line, attitudes towards men’s hair loss and baldness went from being a punchline to a symbol of a particular kind of sexiness, aka “the bald, virile type.” In 1989, Beau Bridges’ character in The Fabulous Baker Boys caught shit from his brother Jeff’s character for trying to cover his bald spot with some kind of spray paint.

Fast-forward to now, when we have Walton Goggins embracing and defending his receding hairline on SNL.

Actually, for some time now, bald actors like Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, Duane Johnson, Keegan-Michael Key, and Stanley Tucci have been considered sex symbols.

Clockwise from top left: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, Duane Johnson, Keegan-Michael Key, and Stanley Tucci.

Even though a lot has changed, I imagine hair loss and baldness are still sensitive subjects for many men, especially at the times when changes in their hair initially arise.

I’m interested in knowing about that. If you’re a man who’s open to sharing about your choices regarding graying and hair loss with age, I’d love to hear from your here. In the comments please tell us…

How old are you? Do you have gray hair that you color over? Do you color over it completely, or use a tint, like Grecian Formula, to darken your gray? Alternatively, have you stopped coloring over your gray? When and why? What about hair-thinning and balding? Have you experienced either? If so, have you tried interventions to reverse it? Which ones? Did you formerly use something, but stop? What has influenced your choices? What have been the results, with regard to how you feel about your appearance—and how people have reacted to your appearance? Answer as many or as few of these questions as you’d like! (If you’re commenting, please also do me the favor of hitting the heart button ❤️ for algorithmic purposes. Thank you!)

Thanks to those of you willing to chime in on this topic. 🙏 As with all such topics, I believe the way to dispel stigma is to be open and honest, which encourages others to be open and honest as well. - Sari

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