Barnet

A few years ago we had a client with a perfect bald head. It was flawless and beautifully proportioned, and my colleague, Neil, and I used to joke that this client actually had a full head of hair but that his barber had convinced him to shave it all off on the basis that "you've got a beauty under there, mate."

Of course, what's going to happen with one's hair is a potential source of anxiety for any young man, particularly if your older male relatives are poorly lawned. One can't help but wonder just how much hair one will be left with (even in the case of Melvyn Bragg's relatives, where the answer might be "too much").

And it's not just about the end result, it's the journey, too. My hair has been steadily thinning on top for the last few years. I tried to have a grown up conversation with my last barber about this but he insisted that I still had a full head of hair and that it wasn't thinning. My current hairdresser* finds the topic a little uncomfortable but is willing to enter conversation about damage limitation. (The photo shows her efforts today, which I'm quite pleased with.)

What would be really great, though, would be a chain of barbers for men going through this difficult transitional phase, where one could have a frank and open discussion about one's situation and where it was headed. The walls could be decked with encouraging portraits of chaps who'd successfully made it through and there could be an online shop selling chamois leathers and wax for gentlemen who'd completed their journey. That would provide something to look forward to.

*hairdressers: same as barbers except with a hairwash and more talk about holiday destinations.