You saw it one morning. A bit more scalp than yesterday. The temples giving way, the crown not holding. Then came the quiet panic, the frantic search: how do I stop this?

Everywhere you turn, one name keeps appearing: Propecia. Just take it, they say. It works.

But before you reach for the prescription, ask yourself: what exactly are you trying to fix? And at what cost?

Because for many men, Propecia hasn't just taken away hair loss. It's taken away much more.

The Side Effects No One Leads With

Finasteride — marketed as Propecia — was approved to treat male pattern baldness in 1997. It works by lowering DHT, the hormone that shrinks hair follicles. That part's well understood.

What's less understood — or less admitted — is what else happens when you start interfering with your hormones. Loss of libido. Erectile dysfunction. Genital numbness. Brain fog. Depression. Anxiety. A creeping sense of unreality. For some, the damage doesn't stop when the pills do.

Dr. Michael Irwig, one of the few researchers willing to challenge the mainstream narrative, found that otherwise healthy men experienced persistent sexual dysfunction long after discontinuing the drug. The FDA has since added warnings. But the marketing machine hasn't slowed.

Most men start taking Propecia to feel better about themselves. What they get is disconnection — from their bodies, their minds, their relationships.

The Bigger Problem Isn't Chemical. It's Cultural.

We've quietly rebranded baldness as illness. As a flaw. As a failure of upkeep. And that's the deeper poison. Because baldness isn't a pathology. But treating it like one has created an entire ecosystem of shame.

There are clinics for it. Telehealth prescriptions. Instagram influencers normalising it. The implication is clear: if you're balding and doing nothing, you're giving up.

You're not. You're opting out of a racket.

This Isn't Anti-Science. It's Pro-Sovereignty.

We're not here to shame anyone who chooses treatment. But let's stop pretending the pressure is purely aesthetic. This is social conditioning disguised as health.

At March, we don't push restoration. Because your scalp doesn't need to be fixed. It needs to be cared for. And your confidence shouldn't come with side effects.

Some men lose their hair. Others lose themselves trying not to.

Being bald doesn't mean doing less. Without hair, your scalp is fully exposed. Every detail shows. What matters is how you look after it.

You need a headcare system. A few simple steps, day and night, will outperform anything complicated and inconsistent.

AM — Hydrate and Defend

Start the day with purpose. Your morning routine should do two things: protect and prepare. Apply a lightweight moisturiser with broad-spectrum SPF. This covers hydration and sun defence in one step.

Look for:

• Niacinamide to reduce redness and regulate oil
• Panthenol to calm and support the skin barrier
• Glycerin to hold moisture
• SPF 30 or higher, with no white cast

White streaks on a bald scalp are hard to ignore. Choose a formula that absorbs quickly and disappears cleanly. If you shave in the morning, begin with a gentle, pH-balanced cleanser. Then hydrate and protect. If you're not shaving, a rinse with cool water is enough.

PM — Cleanse and Rebuild

Evening is about recovery. Wash away the day and give your scalp what it needs to restore itself overnight. Use a mild cleanser designed for exposed skin. Avoid scrubs — physical exfoliants are too harsh and often trigger excess oil or irritation.

After cleansing, apply a serum that restores and strengthens. Look for:

• Niacinamide to regulate oil and reduce inflammation
• Panthenol to support skin repair
• Copper peptides — they help repair microdamage, firm the skin, and even out tone

Massage until absorbed. Skin works hardest at night. Give it what it needs.

Weekly — Maintain the Edges

Once or twice a week, tighten things up. Whether you shave or buzz, keep it consistent. Clean your lines. Clean your clippers. If you shave, finish with something calming: aloe to cool the skin, allantoin to support healing, bisabolol to reduce irritation.

Check your sideburns. Your beard should end where your ear does. No lower.

The Bottom Line

This isn't skincare. It's headcare. Fewer steps. Better results. A clearer head.

A clean shave is a clear statement. Follow these five steps for your best-looking head.

1 — Prepare Properly

Start with a clean scalp. A warm shower softens the hair and opens the pores, making the shave smoother and less abrasive. If your hair is longer, trim it to stubble with clippers first. Clean skin. Short hair. Open pores.

2 — Choose the Right Tools

Use a razor that suits your routine and skin. Cartridge razors offer speed and convenience. Safety razors provide precision. Choose what fits your hand.

I use the Pitbull Gold PRO. It delivers a close, even shave in the shower with almost no risk of nicks. Pair your razor with a cream or gel that offers real glide — it should reduce friction and protect the skin throughout.

3 — Get the Technique Right

Shave with the grain to reduce irritation. Go slowly. Use light strokes. Let the blade do the work. Rinse the blade often — a clean blade is a sharp blade. Use a mirror to check for missed spots. If you wear a beard, blend the sideburns cleanly. They should end at the ear.

4 — Know Your Aftercare

If shaving in the morning: rinse with cool water to close the pores, pat dry, apply a lightweight moisturiser with broad-spectrum SPF. Shaving increases sun sensitivity — protect your skin before leaving the house.

If shaving at night: rinse, pat dry, then apply a serum with active ingredients that support overnight recovery. Niacinamide to reduce redness, panthenol to hydrate and strengthen the barrier, copper peptides to go further.

5 — Keep It Consistent

Shave every one to three days, depending on your hair growth. A regular schedule prevents rough patches and keeps your appearance polished.

A shaved head makes a statement. Make it count.

I remember it clearly: "You're starting to thin."

I was sixteen. Twenty years ago now. But for years, those words never felt more than a day old.

Ask any bald man, and they'll likely remember their moment. We're raised to see hair as status. Losing it? Weakness. Exposure. Something to fear.

And I did fear it. Quietly. Constantly. I waited for the comments. The glances. The validation of my worst suspicions. My hat collection ballooned. Caps. Beanies. Anything to throw a shadow over the retreat.

"Why are you always wearing a hat? Are you going bald?"

You can't win.

Then came the toolkit: the thickening shampoos, the $50 volume-enhancing gels, the $100-a-month finasteride prescribed in a five-minute GP appointment. Why? Because I was afraid. Because I believed what I had been sold.

The Fear Is Manufactured

The fear of baldness is not organic. It's conditioned. And that conditioning is profitable. The hair loss industry is worth over $9 billion globally. And much of that rests on convincing men that they're broken — that a vanishing hairline is a medical emergency.

I've worked in advertising. I know how this works. Bald men are cast in shadow, heads bowed. The full-haired foil, tanned and grinning, appears in perfect light. One is to be pitied. The other, envied. It's nonsense.

Put Stanley Tucci next to any one of their glow-up actors and the illusion falls apart. We are not broken.

The Decade I Lost

I spent ten years in that headspace. Waiting for comments. Wondering if I should wear a hat on a first date. Choosing Hinge photos based on how forgiving the lighting was. Losing libido from the meds. Joking with friends that I needed to fall in love before it was "too late."

The stretch sucked. It shouldn't take a decade to let go.

The Day I Shaved It

I sat down for my usual cut. Tired — not of the hair itself, but of everything around it. The camouflage. The maintenance. The pretending.

"Take it all off," I said. Stephen, my barber, paused. But he already knew. It was time.

I was nervous. I left the salon and went straight to the pub. The feedback was good. The next day, I went to work. Same thing. Nothing collapsed. Life went on. In fact, it got easier. Simpler. More mine.

No more camouflage. No more tricks. Just skin and clarity. I was free.

If you're holding on, ask yourself: what exactly are you holding on to? The fear? The story? The lie?

You will wake up tomorrow. And the day after. And you'll still be you. Stronger. Cleaner. Bald. And free.

Shaving Technique

Scalp Care After Shaving

Sun Protection

Long-Term Head & Scalp Health