Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Growing my hair out


Audrey

Recommended Posts

  • Forum Moderator

The only time I blow dry my hair (Defusing head on low heat) is if I've worked late in the shop and have to shower before bed, other than that I let it dry in a Tee Shirt Turban while I groom my face and ears. I also sleep with my hair up in a high ponytail with a soft oversized scrunchy. I do have to admit that I love how big my hair gets when I blow dry it. It's 80's GIRL BIG and FLUFFY! IMG_E5950.thumb.JPG.76036d7d2f0db5680e843dfc4c096bc2.JPG

Link to comment

Since I started coloring it I've only been washing once a week and usually forget to condition in between. I towel dry mine and put in leave-in conditioner. For the most part my hair is somewhere between straight and wavy but what's new and odd is my bangs curl up, 4-5 locks in quarter size curls. It looks kind of weird almost like I intentionally curl them. I also use a smoothing serum for the frizz. I'm interested to see if all of my hair gets curly over time.

Link to comment
13 hours ago, ElizabethStar said:

Since I started coloring it I've only been washing once a week and usually forget to condition in between. I towel dry mine and put in leave-in conditioner. For the most part my hair is somewhere between straight and wavy but what's new and odd is my bangs curl up, 4-5 locks in quarter size curls. It looks kind of weird almost like I intentionally curl them. I also use a smoothing serum for the frizz. I'm interested to see if all of my hair gets curly over time.

Liz, did you find that your hair changed subtly over time? Your hair sounds lovely!

I'm curious if something like that will happen during my transition. I look at my mother's hair and hers has a slight natural wave to it, I wonder if that will happen to my own hair as it grows longer and with more time on HRT.

Also I'm curious if a leave-in conditioner would be better for me than a normal one. The brand I've been using makes both.

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment

@AudreyIt's been changing slowly since I start hrt. If my hair keeps getting curlier, at this rate, by this time next year my hair will look like Bernadette Peters.       

Link to comment
2 hours ago, ElizabethStar said:

@AudreyIt's been changing slowly since I start hrt. If my hair keeps getting curlier, at this rate, by this time next year my hair will look like Bernadette Peters.       

?

She has beautiful hair if you like curls, so maybe that's a good thing!

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment

Here is my natural hair with curls.  I have been following the Curly Girl Method and found that my hair is type 3a with low porosity.  So it is eaitenial to keep my hair hydrated.

PXL_20201130_165047501.jpg

Link to comment

@AuroraThose are some beautiful curls! I will definitely check out the Curly Girl Method videos and book even though I have very straight hair... I still feel like I could learn a lot frm them about nurturing hair. Curious what products you've found that help with hydration?

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment

This is the second time I have grown my hair out.  The first time it grew out straight and light brown.  I had it dyed auburn once a month.  I loved the color.  When the roots started showing gray I figured it was time to stop the dye job.  But, geez did my hair grow fast back then.  It was shoulder length in less that a years and halfway down my back in another.  I'm sorry to say I got it all cut off in a pique, using "finding a job" as a reason.  So here I am growing it out again.  It's growing a lot slower and it's getting even more gray.  Right now it's at that unmanageable length just past the ears where, no matter what you try, no hair style looks any good.  Not being able to see a stylist doesn't help.  I'm hoping by the time I'm post-vaccine that it will at least be down to my shoulders.

Link to comment
6 hours ago, LaurenA said:

Right now it's at that unmanageable length just past the ears where, no matter what you try, no hair style looks any good.  Not being able to see a stylist doesn't help.  I'm hoping by the time I'm post-vaccine that it will at least be down to my shoulders.

I'm entering this stage of hair growth myself right now. While I share the frustration about all the things that the pandemic has made harder - I'm sort of happy that I can work remotely and stay more at home while my hair gets longer to the point where I can style it for real. Something I'm very much looking forward to!

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

i had my 13 year old mtf daughter take biotin when she started to transition in March of last year. she grew about 10 inches of hair length so far and is has really worked out well. I took her to my stylist in late December to have her hair done and I can tell she felt more confident in her transition as a girl. I would highly recommend biotin, it really helped my daughter. 

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

@MomTGDaughter

I swear by Biotin (Vitamin B7). My hair has grown so fast and I love what it has done for my hair, skin and especially my nails. That was a good choice. I had to get off my supplements temporarily for a recent surgery but I am anxious to get home and restart my daily vitamin regimen. I’m glad your daughter is also seeing nice results. 

 

Susan R?

Link to comment

@MomTGDaughter and @Susan R So true! I take a women's multi-vitamin that has quite a bit of biotin in it among other things. I think it's playing a role in how full and healthy my hair is becoming. People are commenting about how much hair I have so the effect must be quite noticeable to others even if it's too subtle for me to see day to day.

Glad to hear biotin is helping your daughter too. I'm sure she's so grateful to have a loving parent like you on her journey, and I hope she's happy with her new hairstyle after last month's appointment!

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment

I've been taking biotin for a couple weeks so far.  Also using a biotin shampoo and rinse.  My only hope is for better nails since my hair has grown from a crew cut to collar length since last march while I can't stop my fingernails from developing splits.  Even LED polishes don't help.  Here's hoping :)

 

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

I shaved my head for the pandemic because I could not get to the barbers, now that I have decided to transition, do I buy a wig until I can grow it out or just bite the bullet(and save the money) and grow it out? I have some time before I start HRT, my hair is super straight, no curls, the last time I wore it long was 20 years ago. The style I want is fairly short but will require product to do what I want because my hair just lays flat. The picture is the style I am thinking of and a wig I found online

RP_Lizzy_MochaccinoR_525x700.webp

Link to comment

Pixie cuts are cute but you probably wouldn't need it for too long before your hair grows longer than the wig.

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Wigs are a good stop gap for those with hair to grow.  Hair generally grows about a half inch per month so it wouldn't be long for your hair to be where you can manage it comfortably.  

Link to comment

I will admit I didn't read all the replies, so if I repeat any thing I'm sorry.

 

I don't think you really have to find a trans friendly salon in today's world. Woman, or gay men typically don't care. whats matters is you are comfortable. If not find one till you are. Once you find one you like don't move. They sorta become a sister to you the more you see them. 

 

Yes she or he will ask a lot of questions, and that is typical. Believe me they don't care About your gender. They care about the hair, so they tend to ask personal questions with out you knowing. Like what do you do for living, what's your hair care routine etc. Its so they know how to help you maintain it and so they can cut it. So its maybe easier for you to take care if it. Like for me. I work in a hot sweaty factory. Which tends to dry out my hair. Mine dosn't go all out yet. Because she knows it gets tied back most of the day, and I don't have time to do any thing with it. 

 

Expect a akward phase for about two years. Nothing you can really do about that. It just takes that long for hair to grow to a length. Where you can start playing with different styles other then a pixie. 

 

I also suggest learning how to take care of it. Its not like male hair. Where you can use dish soap to wash it. Get ready to spend 40 bucks for shampoo and conditioner, and what ever else you might need. I know when I went on hrt. My hair went from a hard oily mess. To less oil, and softer. Let your hair air dry also after a shower as munch as you can. 

 

I can't give munch advice on hair texture. Because I don't even know which one is my real texture. Right now is almost straight with a slight wave. Because of the dryness of winters. Come April may. My hair becomes wavy/curly. Because of the humidity. 

 

Enjoy the journey. It will be frustrating a lot of times, but find a good hair person, and enjoy your hair.

 

Link to comment
5 hours ago, Red_Lauren. said:

I don't think you really have to find a trans friendly salon in today's world. Woman, or gay men typically don't care. whats matters is you are comfortable. If not find one till you are. Once you find one you like don't move. They sorta become a sister to you the more you see them. 

I think I found my hairstylist, in fact it was unexpected... my electrologist said in my last session with her that her sister does it for a living and would be happy to work with me! So I talked to her on Zoom and made a plan to go see her in a few more months when she feels she could do more with my hair. By then it will be almost a year since my last short haircut, and given how fast my hair is growing, I'm pretty excited about my upcoming makeover!

 

5 hours ago, Red_Lauren. said:

I also suggest learning how to take care of it. Its not like male hair. Where you can use dish soap to wash it. Get ready to spend 40 bucks for shampoo and conditioner, and what ever else you might need. I know when I went on hrt. My hair went from a hard oily mess. To less oil, and softer. Let your hair air dry also after a shower as much as you can. 

I'm embarrassed to admit what the most caustic thing I've ever used to wash my hair was. Never again! Now I'm an Aveda girl through and through, and my hair looks and feels so much healthier for it. I do blow dry though, but I avoid high-heat settings. Texture-wise, it's still fine and arrow-straight, no noticeable change since starting HRT, but we'll see what the more humid months bring next summer.

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment

Was it gasoline? I had an incident while changing the clutch on an old Datsun. My hair was down to the middle of my back at the time and I ended up with a whole transmission worth of gear oil soaked into it. There was just so much oil dripping everywhere. Tried to wring it out but no use. I panicked and grabbed the gas can. Thankfully my land lord saw what was happening and stopped me before I got too far into it, she gave me a bottle of Dawn dish soap. I don't know how I survived my 20s.

Link to comment

@ElizabethStar Oh no, that sounded like it was a disaster! As long as we're sharing stories... it was powdered laundry detergent (Tide, to be exact). Not one of my smartest moments. It took weeks to get the smell out of my hair and there was definitely some damage to the texture and color.

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment
9 hours ago, Red_Lauren. said:

 

I also suggest learning how to take care of it. Its not like male hair. Where you can use dish soap to wash it. Get ready to spend 40 bucks for shampoo and conditioner, and what ever else you might need.

Thanks for the advice, I am just getting started. I am just about out of my male product, my plan is next week on my trip to Target getting shampoo, conditioner, women’s deodorant and Biotin w/collagen supplements (my nails are atrocious) back when I wore my hair long I just let it air dry I knew even as a boy that high heat was bad news for hair. I will have a while before I need a stylist but a friend of my daughter is one I plan on talking to.

Link to comment

@ElizabethStar Maybe at first it wasn't so bad smelling like clean laundry, but Tide gets noxious and probably toxic after a while. The other thing is I had dandruff-like flakes falling out, which was probably my scalp protesting my stupidity. Yes, younger me did some dumb things but somehow I'm still here.

 

@BillieB Good luck with your shopping trip! You might experiment with a few different products over time to see which ones help the most with your hair. Travel size ones give you a chance to do so while spending less money, something I learned too late after buying full size ones that I ended up not liking. The standard size of what I use now (Aveda cherry almond shampoo and conditioner) cost just under $40 for both and last me about six to eight weeks, less now that my hair is longer. Getting guidance from your daughter's friend is a great idea for the future!

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   5 Members, 0 Anonymous, 97 Guests (See full list)

    • April Marie
    • Betty K
    • MaybeRob
    • MaryEllen
    • Miss Cormac
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.5k
    • Total Posts
      767.2k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      11,942
    • Most Online
      8,356

    taxicab
    Newest Member
    taxicab
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Amyjay
      Amyjay
      (58 years old)
    2. bettyjean
      bettyjean
    3. Breanna
      Breanna
      (52 years old)
    4. Emily Ayla
      Emily Ayla
    5. JET182
      JET182
  • Posts

    • Susan R
      Love it! This is great news. We need more of this to combat the excessive hate-filled rhetoric and misinformation. 👍
    • Susan R
      The experience was the same for me @April Marie. I slept much deeper and I woke up each morning feeling so much more restful sleeping with forms solidly in place. For me, wearing breast forms at night started when before I was a teenager. I had no access up to modern breast forms and certainly no way to buy mastectomy bras back then. I wore a basic bra my mom had put in a donation box and two pairs of soft cotton socks. I have some crazy memories of things I did in my youth to combat my GD but regardless, these makeshift concoctions helped me work through it all.   All My Best, Susan R🌷
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Colorado isn't exactly a Republican place, and won't become one anytime soon.  I think those folks might be better off not spending their time playing Don Quixote.    We certainly have our share of California "refugees" moving into where I live, so I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing Coloradans too.  I suspect the trend over the next few years will see the blue areas getting more blue and the red areas getting more red as anybody who can relocate tries to find a place where they fit better.   
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Well, at least it'll be a place some folks could choose.  Options are a good thing.
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      My family would have gobbled that jar up in a minute or two.  When we do have pickled herring, its usually for Christmas.  I didn't grow up with that particular dish, but I grew up in a Greek family so I like just about any kind of fish if I can get it.  However, ocean fish and freshwater fish taste so different.  We usually have more catfish and tilapia to eat than anything else.    What I can't quite get used to is the tons of cabbage my GF insists on eating.  When you live with a Russian, there is always cabbage soup.  Always.  When I first moved in with her, breakfast was "shchi" for soup and either bread or "kasha" which is a bowl of boiled buckwheat with butter and salt.  Those dishes can be made in any number of ways, some are better than others.  In the winter, it can even be salty and sour like kraut.  Not exactly sauerkraut, but packed in tubs with vinegar and salt so it keeps partially for the winter.  But I drew the line when the cabbage soup included pieces of fried snake one day.  😆
    • Ashley0616
      Good evening to you as well @Mmindy   That is awesome that you have support from her side. My dad has communicated with me once and that was because he was forced to. His new wife wanted to spend time with my kids. He hated me so much he was in the process of taking my rights away as a parent to my two boys. He was talking to a lawyer and I called him out on it. I don't love him at all. I'll respect him because I wouldn't be here without him but I wished I had another father. My uncles don't talk to me and unfriended me on Facebook. Almost all cousins except for two are still Facebook friends but they don't give me any support. My mom said she won't support me with that but she has said that she loves me. I have nieces and nephews that are still Facebook friends but they have yet to talk to me. I have one sister that supports me out of three. The other's disrespect me by deadnaming me. They have never called me their sister. I think for them they think it's still a phase. They don't ask questions about me being trans. I have to bring it up and on the look of their faces they don't look comfortable about it. 
    • Mmindy
      Good evening @Ashley0616,   I just got offline with HP tech support trying to get my printer tool box icon locked to my tool bar. This is one of the most important features of my printer that I like because it keeps track of ink, paper, and scanned documents. I'm diffidently not a computer geek.   I'll catch up with the other bookmarks next week. We leave to go home for the Easter Holiday with our families. Saturday with her side, and Sunday with my side. What's odd about that is I'm out to more of her side and they're reluctantly supportive. My side on the other hand are less supportive, and my sister just under me in age will not acknowledge my being there. She will be constantly moving to keep from dealing with me. I'm dead to her.   Hugs,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋  
    • Ashley0616
      I used to follow baseball and the team I would cheer for is Boston Red Sox. My favorite player was Papi. He was an awesome guy and even held a child during the National Anthem. I haven't watched baseball for a long time. It just died off to me. 
    • Ashley0616
      That stinks that nothing transferred, and no bookmarks were saved! 
    • Ashley0616
      I'm doing patches for now but I think soon I'll go to shots because it's hard to alternate when you are doing two xx patches at once. Unless she gives me Estradiol and progesterone
    • Sally Stone
      Go Cleveland Guardians!  I love baseball and I loved playing it when I was younger.  
    • Sally Stone
      My view is we are "dependent" on government, because as a society, we are too lazy to stay actively involved. So, we let politicians do our bidding for us.  I think we'd be in a better place government wise if we policed the actions of our politicians.  We elected them; they work for us.  Sadly, we are allowing them to run amok.  We are where we are because we have chosen to let politicians make all decisions without us.  Remember "by the people, for the people?" That was the intent of our democracy.  Today, however, it is "by the politicians, for the politicians," the people be damned. 
    • Mmindy
      "Play Ball! Batter Up!" is the closing line of the National Anthem as far as I'm concerned. It's the call of the Home Plate Umpire and signals the start of the game. I grew up in the TV and Radio broadcast of the St. Louis Cardinals. Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Tim McCarver, and Mike Shannon, were the voices on my transistor radio. KMOX 1120 AM pushing 50,000 watts of Class A clear-channel non-directional signal. It could be picked up all across MO, IL, IN to the East. KS, OK, CO to the West. IA, MN to the North, and KY, TN, AR to the South. There has always been a rivalry against the Chicago Cubs, in the National League. As for the American League, I have to pull for the Kansas City Royals. I've also been a Little League Umpire, and fan of everything the Little League stands for. Going to Williamsport, PA and seeing the Little League World Series is in my top 10 things to do on my bucket list.   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • Mmindy
      Good evening everyone,   I don't think my mother ever cooked a meal that I didn't like. We also had a kitchen where mom fixed the food, dad filled your plate, and you eat it. It wasn't until our baby brother was born that we could have Pop-Tarts for snacks. Before that all snacks had to meet mom's approval, and in her opinion wouldn't prevent you from eating supper.   Well my day started off on a good note, but has become frustrating because my IT person didn't transfer my saved videos I use for teaching. Then I found out that they didn't save any of my book marks for websites I use frequently.   Best wishes, stay motivated,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • MaeBe
      The number is relative to method of deliver, the time of the dose, and when the blood is drawn. However, I do want to keep away from DVT and other potential issues. I assume I may be getting backed down from my current dose, but my doc told me to stick with the higher dose, so? I also wonder if this has anything to do the my breast growth and mental changes that have been happening over the past few years, like I have some estrogen sensitivity so a little goes a long way or something? I don't have enough data to postulate, but who knows!   With weekly, subcutaneous, shots you expect to see big swings of serum level estradiol from shot to peak to trough. My doctor is interested in mid-week testing (for E and T levels only), which would be post-peak blood serum levels but they will be higher than trough. Most, if not all, resources I've seen online is to measure at trough (which I might do just to do it next time) along with a SHBG, LH, and other metrics.   This is from transfemscience.org for Estradiol valerate in oil, which is very spiky compared to some other estradiol combinations. It's also for intramuscular, which will have a slower uptake and is usually dosed in higher volume due to the slower absorption rate from muscles. They don't have subcutaneous numbers, which I would expect to see similar spikes but higher levels at similar doses due to the relatively higher absorption rate direct from fat.   Are you doing pills, shots, or patches? And when you do get your levels checked are you getting that done when your levels are lowest or some other time?
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...