The Balding Handbook: mourning the death of your hair

Drawing on his own hair loss experience, David Frank Stern has used Kübler-Ross’ ‘five stages of grief’ to create The Balding Handbook.

This is a self-help book with a difference, it describes the balding process through Kübler-Ross’ five stages of mourning; Denial & Isolation, Anger & Rage, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.

Although David is in a better place now, his painful hair loss journey is a familiar one.

Stage One – Denial and Isolation. Within this section, David delicately discusses topics like ‘the bald man’s crack’, AKA baseball caps, yet also tackles harder head-wear like fedoras, sombreros and Indian headdresses. David claims that if you own more than six hats or spend more than five minutes rearranging your hair into any combover-type style, you may be in denial.

Stage Two – Anger & Rage. There’s no doubt that the balding man will often need an outlet for his fury. Stern provides some cathartic exercises to help with this, like defacing your bald ancestors’ graves or ripping the heads off Ken dolls, which surprisingly verge on the comedic side.

Stage Three – Bargaining. By stage three, balding brothers are looking to a higher power, begging god to give them their hair back. In this stage, Stern takes his suffering brothers through the entire sales process.

Stage Four – Depression. By now, you’ve realised that your hair loss is permanent and a feeling of hopelessness overwhelms you. However, Stern lets you know where to turn for words of comfort. He also encourages you to seek recovery by finding other bald brothers.

Stage Five – Acceptance. Your journey ends with a renewed sense of energy and purpose. Stern offers tips on writing obituaries and reinforces the fact that there is power in numbers.

The book is available to buy from www.thebaldinghandbook.com