Other than Buddhist monks and nuns, I'm not sure if holy people of other faiths shave their heads bald. Tonsure or the practice of cutting your hair or shaving your head for religious purposes has been around since the medieval Catholic times but was abandoned in 1972 by the papal order. In Buddhism, during Pabbajja when people renunciate and leave their homes to live among ordained monks, it's normal to shave their heads. In the Vinaya-pitaka, it is stated that monastics must use a razor to remove the hair, not scissors unless medically necessary; and there should be no grooming of hair including plucking or dyeing of grey hair. Nevermind the reason why; I'm not sure if it has anything to say about keeping a beard though.
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