Growing my hair out

[Mmindy]

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!

[Elizabeth Star]

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.

[Audrey]

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.

[Elizabeth Star]

@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.       

[Audrey]

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.

[Aurora]

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.

[Audrey]

@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.

[LaurenA]

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.

[Audrey]

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.

[MomTGDaughter]

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. 

[Susan R]

@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?

[Audrey]

@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.

[LaurenA]

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

 

[BillieB]

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

[Elizabeth Star]

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

[Jani]

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.  

[Red_Lauren.]

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.

 

[Audrey]

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.

[Elizabeth Star]

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.

[Audrey]

@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.

[Elizabeth Star]

@AudreyI thinking it probably smelled kind of nice.

[BillieB]

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.

[Audrey]

@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.