Making Short, Unruly Hair Feminine

[Guest ValerieD]

Is there anything I can do to make my short hair look feminine? While I'm trying to grow my hair out, it's moving at a glacial pace because it's wavy/frizzy and I'm going full time in a month whether it's ready or not. I'm concerned I won't pass if my hair isn't long; in the past when I've gone out (Halloween, mostly) it seems like whether I pass is determined by whether or not I wear a wig. I REALLY don't want to wear a wig when I'm full time (it's hot and annoying, especially since it's costume grade synthetic; it's also somehow manages to be even more difficult to keep neat than my regular hair!). My hair is currently just below my ears, so still well in short/guy range. It's also very difficult to keep neat; it just does whatever it wants unless I brush it immediately after a shower, causing breakage. Once it's dry, it just sits however it wants and there's nothing I can do about it; this also causes me to have to wash it every day.

[MackenzieB]

You could visit a stylist and see what they might be able to do. I have some similar problems with my hair. My hair is baby fine and very wavy/curly. If I brush it that just makes matters worse. So I just use a hair pic on it. I only was mine twice a week since the oiliness of it has nose dived due to hrt. I never towel dry it as wet hair is very fragile. I just pat it with a towel and then let it airdry. And it's easily damaged with heat so a blow dryer is out of the question. Never tried a curling iron on it. I use a green tea conditioner which has been working great on it. So my routine is to get up,, fix it a little with a pic and then hair spray it to keep some kind of control to it.

[Guest]

Hello Valerie,

I'm in my third year of growing my hair out. It will never be long, just to fragile to expect that. It's started to straighten out as it gets longer (and I spend more money at the stylist's), but when it was shorter, it was the essence of unruly. I kept it in a loose afro, or, as I called it, my birdsnest hairstyle. Instead of brushing it out, I just used a pick, to make it roughly even all over, and used hairspray to hold it there.

Love, Megan

[Charlize]

Sorry dear i can't help you here. I'm bald as a coot and shave my head so that a wig will work better. Its something i've got to live with. My parents used to give me crew cuts so "my hair would be thicker" but i know its because they knew i wanted to be a girl. I never got to enjoy my own long hair as a girl. Oh well there are worse things. I'd go to a stylist. It helps to do that even with a wig so that its right on you.

Hugs,

Charlie

[Guest Lizzie McTrucker]

Find a stylist you feel comfortable coming out to and ask them for their suggestions. Their job is hair and making hair look good so they can recommend styles as well as products to use for styling. Just don't buy the products they have for sale right there at the salon. Make mental notes and go buy similar products at the store where they're cheaper.

[Guest Maria_B]

My hair used to be super frizz.

What I did to stop the frizz: Stopped brushing my hair wet, let it air dry, and only wash it once a week. My hair is coarse, thick, and ringlet curly, but these days, not frizzy.

Also, it may sound like I don't wash it enough, but my personal balance I've found is once a week. My hair smells clean, and looks very healthy. I do not feel oily at all.

[MackenzieB]

My hair used to be super frizz.

What I did to stop the frizz: Stopped brushing my hair wet, let it air dry, and only wash it once a week. My hair is coarse, thick, and ringlet curly, but these days, not frizzy.

Also, it may sound like I don't wash it enough, but my personal balance I've found is once a week. My hair smells clean, and looks very healthy. I do not feel oily at all.

Same thing here. Prior to hrt I absolutely had to wash it every day or it looked oily. Now I do it once a week at the most. I could probably go longer but I like to get the rest of the products out.

[Guest Kendra K]

My hair used to be super frizz.

What I did to stop the frizz: Stopped brushing my hair wet, let it air dry, and only wash it once a week. My hair is coarse, thick, and ringlet curly, but these days, not frizzy.

Also, it may sound like I don't wash it enough, but my personal balance I've found is once a week. My hair smells clean, and looks very healthy. I do not feel oily at all.

I've often heard that soaping/shampooing every day is bad for the skin (drying it out in the case of soaps). In the shower, do you just not get it wet or do you get it wet, but just don't shampoo?

[Guest Maria_B]

I get it wet so I can finger comb / wide tooth comb all the broken or fallen hair out, but don't shampoo.

[Guest Lizzie McTrucker]

I've often heard that soaping/shampooing every day is bad for the skin

It's bad for your hair unless you use a lot of products in your hair.

Soaping is good if you use a moisturizing soap like Dove or a moisturizing body wash.

Me personally I don't shampoo my hair every day but I do use conditioner on it.