Shaving gray hair: will it come back white? (guys, haircut, brown)

[Selek]

Hi all,

I'm about to turn 60. I'm bald, with the typical ring of male-pattern-baldness hair around the temples and back of my head. The hair on my temples is white, which makes me look older. The hair ringing the back half of my head is gray, which isn't great either, but at least it's not white.

I'm thinking about shaving it all off. The ring of hair is driving me a bit nuts during quarantine, as it's getting long and itchy. (The paradox of bald guys is that we need haircuts more often than people with hair, as what hair we have sticks out more noticeably. An extra inch of hair on a woman with long hair isn't noticeable to me; but an extra inch on me makes me look like a mad scientist.) Also, getting rid of white/gray hair might make me look a bit younger. I used to have a white beard, and shaving it made me look 10 years younger.

My friends, though, wonder whether the gray hair, once shaved, might come back white. They say this happened with my beard: it was brown until I shaved it, then it came back white. A Google search suggests this is a myth. But I'm wondering what you all think. (I'd also welcome more general comments on the advisability of the Bruce Willis shaved-head look!) Thanks in advance!

[OzzyRules]

Why don't you just clip it very short?

[Selek]

I might do that. I'm just curious to see how things look shaved! Also, it might be easier to shave, since I have to do this myself.

[Flamingo13]

Shaving hair does NOT cause it to turn colors!

[Selek]

Thanks! That's the definitive statement I wanted to hear!

[K12144]

The thing to ask yourself is: why would it?