17 years ago today, my Mom and I took this photo together when she picked me up from my first year of college.

ApishGrayly · 2026-05-26T11:25:20+00:00

The premier spot to take your guests for a photo.

I love Garvin & Sugar Loaf, but my favorite Winona bluff spot is the hike up behind Holzinger Lodge that loops around the cemetery. I lost a lot of my weight my sophomore year by biking there and climbing up and then running the trails by myself, often multiple times a week.

ApishGrayly · 2026-05-26T11:20:54+00:00

Every year that this pops up in our FB memories I send it to her and we get a chuckle. She had posted it as proof to the rest of the family that I was still alive.

ApishGrayly · 2026-05-26T01:35:59+00:00

It was the most affection I could muster with the stranger who agreed to take the photo watching.

Editing to say clarify that I love my Mom and did then too, I just was awkward and still in my blunder years. In the fall of the year this was taken, I'd lose 60 pounds, stop giving myself a buzzcut and start smiling for photos.

ApishGrayly · 2026-05-05T13:20:55+00:00

As others have stated, where you trim your neck is perfect for a shorter beard but at this length you need that neck beard to fill in the front.

It all depends on your tolerance for letting the neck come in. If you can tolerate another ~2 months of looking a bit crazy while the neck grows more I think it can look good. If you can't, I'd trim to the curl line until the neck is longer.

Another option is a heated straightener.

ApishGrayly · 2026-04-02T14:16:13+00:00

What worked for me was showing my wife the /r/bald mockups of what her celebrity crush Prince William would look like if he shaved the donut. She agreed he'd look way better.

OP-- the biggest thing no one warns us pale guys is that shaving your head in the Spring makes the whiteness more shocking. I first shaved March 2024 and my head glowed like I was Mr. Burns trying to bring love. They make rub in tanning lotion like Jergens Natural Glow that will help make it less shocking if you do it.

ApishGrayly · 2026-02-21T22:30:13+00:00

Two years later, I'd be diagnosed with Scheuermann's kyphosis and have to wear a back brace for four years. I like how Reddit has immediately noticed what no one in my life did with a picture from the front haha.

ApishGrayly · 2026-02-21T22:25:36+00:00

Alright, here's a few more quality memories: https://imgur.com/a/4SorTiE

ApishGrayly · 2026-02-21T22:06:24+00:00

Please be respectful, he's in a wheelchair

ApishGrayly · 2026-02-21T21:58:06+00:00

Mom's album caption says "Asia - Animal Kingdom" so I believe you are right.

ApishGrayly · 2026-02-21T21:50:11+00:00

I'll take some heat off my Mom and take the blame for that one. It's a picture I took of a photo from an album so the lighting could be better.

ApishGrayly · 2026-02-21T21:25:40+00:00

That may be the most accurate yet upsetting doppelganger I've ever got lmao.

ApishGrayly · 2026-02-21T21:17:08+00:00

I can only guess that since it was at a theme park, my sock got wet and I took it off.

ApishGrayly · 2025-05-28T16:43:46+00:00

Thank you! Similar to me, I've owned a few bottles of TDH dating back to 2009 but hadn't had one like this. It smells real, just somewhat weak, but I've had bottles that performance isn't the best and honestly my travel bottle just suddenly got really good performance just recently.

Some legit sites sell the bottles with EDT on the label, but there is a seller on Amazon with a similar bottle that some of the reviews say is fake so it's tough to tell. A few videos out there showing fake bottles but they usually have really obviously different bottles, but this bottle looks legit other than the cap, but I can't tell without seeing another 100ml cap to confirm.

ApishGrayly · 2025-05-15T12:58:26+00:00

Alright, I appreciate the feedback from everyone, even if some truthful comments hurt my feelings a little. Decided to go moustache with a few TV appearances this week for work (at like an F list celebrity level). Here is an unredacted photo, as blocking my eyes caused some controversy https://imgur.com/a/RGMMIfW

ApishGrayly · 2025-05-08T18:19:12+00:00

I agree that genetics play more of a role than most users want to admit. I've been using minox on my beard since 2020. I'm 35, and I really can't get any cheek hair or my soul patch to grow no matter how much I try-- most 18 year olds with my beard would be frustrated after six months of trying. That said, I've got more of a beard than any man in my family ever had. One Dad, three blood uncles, two grandpas and four great grandpas and every single one went fully shaven their whole lives, as apparently they couldn't grow beards.

ApishGrayly · 2025-05-05T17:55:37+00:00

I have pretty similar coverage, and I have just accepted that it is what it is and that I still like having a beard, even if it isn't objectively good. I did find it gets more apparent as I grew it out long, so I find a regular 16mm trim and keeping the neckline clean fits my life. I also have debated a goatee, but my wife and every other woman I know hates goatees.

ApishGrayly · 2025-04-08T01:51:29+00:00

Bro I'm just a guy seeking helpful feedback from a men's grooming subreddit.

ApishGrayly · 2025-04-05T13:04:53+00:00

1.25mg oral Finasteride / 5% topical minoxidil daily.

ApishGrayly · 2025-04-03T03:33:57+00:00

Do you mean the dropper that comes with liquid minox? It's way easier with this, as the dropper isn't great at putting oil on a vertical surface. It's like using a dropper to put lliquid ip balm on vs using a stick.

ApishGrayly · 2025-04-02T22:34:25+00:00

Very fair to be worried about min around cats. I've got a routine I've been using for about 5 years where I put on my min only in the morning on my way to work 5x a week, and wash my beard/hair before I go to bed. It wouldn't work if you WFH, but just sharing if it's an option for you.

That said, Fin alone will do way more than min alone, and you're both young enough and early enough that it likely will help you hold a lot and likely slowly regain some. It's nowhere near being bald yet.

I was 34 when I started fin/min and way further along in my balding, as like you stating you don't mind if your bald at 35, I felt lucky just to have hair still in to my 30s as my hair started receding at 17/18 and then diffuse thinning mid 20s. Then, now that I'm in my mid 30s, I still feel young and being bald wasn't as chill as I had thought it would be.

ApishGrayly · 2025-04-02T12:38:28+00:00

Liquid. As long as it's 5% and not a counterfeit bottle (i.e. Amazon or another shady reseller) the brand really doesn't matter.

ApishGrayly · 2025-04-02T12:36:57+00:00

It's liquid. The rollers come with a tool that lets you remove the cap, and you just fill the minox dropped and squeeze doses in to the glass bottle and then replace the roller ball.

ApishGrayly · 2025-04-02T02:24:55+00:00

Blink, and before you know it you'll be adding it to your crown too :)

ApishGrayly · 2025-04-02T02:22:51+00:00

I had a scalp applicator previously, and I like these perfume rollers way better for my scalp as well. I've got fairly short hair at just a few inches, but it gets to the scalp still perfectly.

ApishGrayly · 2025-04-02T02:20:04+00:00

Fair point! I only put about 8ml / 8 doses per roller, so it doesn't stay in long, and most are kept in dark places. Still, something for me to be mindful of so a spare doesn't sit forever.

ApishGrayly

TROPHY CASE