Men and Hair Loss: I Don't Want to Be a Joke | Christopher Erstner - 009

HAIRPOD™

When men start to lose their hair, they may feel like there’s nowhere to turn. In this episode of HairPod, our host, Kevin Rolston, and cosmetics/beauty expert Christopher Erstner discuss how our culture impacts your average man’s journey with hair loss. Listen to Christopher’s personal journey with hair loss and how he fits into a larger story about investing in how you feel about your appearance.

Christopher’s Journey

• Christopher first reckoned with his hair loss in his twenties. He ended up shaving his head and investing in hats he liked.

• Hats had limitations: he couldn’t wear a hat to his sister’s wedding.

• He knew he wasn’t interested in hair plugs or a toupee – at the time, these solutions were not very convincing and were often the butt of ridicule.

Changing Your Appearance as a Man

• There isn’t much space for men to say things like, “I don’t like something about my appearance. I’d like to change that.”

• Women have always been expected to be “well-kept” – making changes to their appearance has been relatively common in our culture for many decades.

• Now, more hair loss solutions are available to men, and those options are of higher quality than those from decades ago.

Sharing His Experience

• Christopher is always aware of his system. While most people don’t think much about their hair system once they’re used to it, Christopher’s experience fitting wigs makes him really conscious of how his system looks.

• He doesn’t come out and tell everyone about his system, but he is open with people who see his appearance and comment on how perfect he looks. He wants people to understand that his appearance is something he has worked on and developed.

• While Christopher is open about his system, he understands why many men feel like they can’t be. Men don’t often have space to discuss their hair issues.

• In the cosmetics industry, Christopher works with many female clients, and occasionally, their husbands feel comfortable speaking to him about hair loss because they know he has experienced it himself.

Thanks for listening to HairPod. We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please leave us a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d like to connect with us on social media to share your story, check us out on Instagram @HairClub. HairPod is a production of TSE Studios. Our theme music is from SoundStripe.