Can being bald be a job?

How to overcome hair loss by shaving your head

Nicolas is an entrepreneur. But above all he is a unifier. And all bald people who embrace their heads can follow him. Nicolas created the Bold Club. He was able to find that little extra something, the confidence perhaps, that would unite those who have a lot less hair. And who have decided to shave it all off, so as not to hide it any longer. He tells us how he himself gradually eased into this exposure, and how he came up with the idea of creating this community of skulls in solidarity, with services, advice and customized products to add some more joy to everyday life. And even planting trees. Yes, being bold is a lot of ideas, elegance, and pride... that can be maintained.

How did you experience your hair loss? 

I was in my early twenties and it was very hard for me. You wonder why; you compare yourself to others; you lose confidence. Until you shave it off and it doesn't become a problem anymore.

When did you decide to shave your head?

It was quite gradual. As the hair went, the clippers shaved shorter. But I remember one summer clearly: I was with my best friend who was also losing his hair, and we decided to give it a close shave. We said: let's do it together. It was the first time I saw myself shaved. We took a photo. My girlfriend at the time thought it looked really good, so I thought: okay, this is the new standard. 

In fact, we motivated each other, we made each other feel better. That's really where the "roots" of the Bold club were laid, by saying: bald is better. At the beginning, it was just a promise, a conviction. We had a bit of a manly caricature. We thought: that's it, a man is simple, that's all there is to it. Unlike all the men who spent hours in the bathroom with their locks.

Did it change a lot in your look and in your daily life?

Since then, I've always had a beard. Because yes, it doesn't grow on top, so it will grow on the bottom. At least you have control and it looks better than being completely hairless. 

Otherwise, we've all more or less told ourselves, there's an order to stay in shape, to work out. Being bald can be classy, only if you don't have a belly. Maybe it's a pressure that some people put on themselves, but that's the way it is. You're missing something, so you try to look good. 

And then there's another dimension: shaving your head is complete exposure. Hair allows you to hide, to give yourself a style, or to be like everyone else, whereas a bald head makes you stand out. And that, at the beginning, is not easy. You feel alone, or like the ugly duckling. And in order to accept this exposure, you have to develop additional social skills: from humor, to self-confidence, to charisma. This vulnerability must be accepted, embraced, and overcome. 

Why did you create the Bold Club? 

To give back confidence to thousands of men and women who are losing their hair. We want to help them get over this hurdle, to tell them that it's not serious. On the contrary; we're going to make it easier, and even desirable. Someone who accepts it, looks good. It's scandalous that society as a whole makes these people feel that it's a problem.

And we want bald people to feel represented. We're going to offer eco-designed products specifically for our members (like this mattifying cream), benefits (a Bold card) and services dedicated to us. Before, brands did not consider bald people at all, except as a handicap that must absolutely be corrected with cosmetic surgery or unhealthy products.

And this idea of the forest? 

We’d like to go even further. We would like to plant trees with the products sold. To have our own forest. Since it doesn't grow on our heads, we want it to grow elsewhere, to try to have a positive impact on the climate. That's my personal hobby, and it's shared by the Club. And what I like is to turn an idea into reality.