Tips for the androgyne in progress

[elementgreen]

I've been looking into "partial" transitioning for a while now, and at the moment I seriously cannot afford to see a GID doctor (I can barely pay my bills as is). So, in the meantime, I'd love some tips as to how I can feminize/neutralize myself.

Right now I'm trying to fight a quickly receding hairline. Started when I was 18 but for some reason I didn't really notice until age 20. It's not terribly bad right now, and with my current hairstyle I can totally hide my forehead (and still look somewhat cute). But, it's getting worse and my bangs are getting thinner and harder to style. My dermatologist recommended Minoxidil, but, already with one application I can't really stand the side effects. My eyes are baggy, I feel really light headed... Don't think I could do this for the rest of my life. I've always had issues with medications and their side effects anyhow. Surely somebody here has had to combat a receding hairline, and any kind of personal advice would be awesome! I'm deathly afraid of my MPB >.> 

I'm also a little confused as to what route I should take when trying to remove my body hair. I want to shave it all off, but I don't know what I need to use... Is there some kind of all purpose body cream I can use to shave in the shower? Should I just totally avoid shaving and go for waxing?

[Sarah]

Hi Element Green

I'll tell you what I know about shaving and stuff but as for the hair stuff my suggestion is just talking to your stylist they should have a few ideas. FYI this is going to be a big post

Tell your stylist that you want to grow your hair long and you want to set a platform for it to grow right, next time you go and try to avoid close cuts around the ears. Also you could maybe even go for the lesbian bed hair style it works for me for making my face look a little more rounded.

OK now the shaving... its a biggy. I haven't tried waxing but I would suggest talking with a few or your girl friends to find out where they go. OR .... If you have a lot of body hair (1-2+ cm, i.e. on chest, under arms, etc) I suggest shortening it with an electric razor first so it is easier to shave. Then using a hand razor in the shower, you can buy some that have vitamin E and aloe soap blocks around them and that helps prevent cuts and irritation, but I still suggest buying some anti-irritation after-shave or moisturiser for that.

Also you could go and have your eyebrows waxed. Again talk to the girls they know the reliable places. BTW you would be amazed at the effect just eyebrows and the right haircut can do. Oh almost forgot with shaving your facial hair try and find a pre-shave oil it does wonders with getting a really close shave that SHOULD... unless your hair grows REALLY fast... last all day and perhaps two.

P.S. try exfoliating your face and using more moisturiser throughout the day it will soften your skin and give a more feminine appearance. And finally if you want to push the bounds a bit on femininity then you could try some foundation that is as close to your skin colour as possible (either use liquid or find a powder) and apply it very thinly/sparingly it will get rid of some blemishes and help with contouring your face slightly.

Hope this helps

Hugs and Best of Luck
Andria

[elementgreen]

Hi Element Green

I'll tell you what I know about shaving and stuff but as for the hair stuff my suggestion is just talking to your stylist they should have a few ideas. FYI this is going to be a big post

Tell your stylist that you want to grow your hair long and you want to set a platform for it to grow right, next time you go and try to avoid close cuts around the ears. Also you could maybe even go for the lesbian bed hair style it works for me for making my face look a little more rounded.

OK now the shaving... its a biggy. I haven't tried waxing but I would suggest talking with a few or your girl friends to find out where they go. OR .... If you have a lot of body hair (1-2+ cm, i.e. on chest, under arms, etc) I suggest shortening it with an electric razor first so it is easier to shave. Then using a hand razor in the shower, you can buy some that have vitamin E and aloe soap blocks around them and that helps prevent cuts and irritation, but I still suggest buying some anti-irritation after-shave or moisturiser for that.

Also you could go and have your eyebrows waxed. Again talk to the girls they know the reliable places. BTW you would be amazed at the effect just eyebrows and the right haircut can do. Oh almost forgot with shaving your facial hair try and find a pre-shave oil it does wonders with getting a really close shave that SHOULD... unless your hair grows REALLY fast... last all day and perhaps two.

P.S. try exfoliating your face and using more moisturiser throughout the day it will soften your skin and give a more feminine appearance. And finally if you want to push the bounds a bit on femininity then you could try some foundation that is as close to your skin colour as possible (either use liquid or find a powder) and apply it very thinly/sparingly it will get rid of some blemishes and help with contouring your face slightly.

Hope this helps

Hugs and Best of Luck
Andria

Thanks! Will have to look into all of those things. I would grow my hair back out but my hair line is too high for that style to look any good : / I wonder how long it will be before it gets so bad that I can't hide it anymore 

[Lo]

I would definitely second going to see a good hair stylist, as they will be able to help you find a cut that will achieve the look you want while working with the hair you have. Many cis women suffer from hair loss too (you almost wouldn't know it since it's not a popular thing to talk about at all), so a stylist should know how to give you a feminie cut that counteracts your hairline. If they're worth their salt, that is.

You might also start looking into women's headwear too, like hats and head scarves. There are a wide range of styles that are in right now, from things like this to this.

[Randi]

For removing body hair I highly recommend the combination of a Seiko PS-335 personal trimmer and an ES-412 shaver.  Available on Amazon or at DonnerSpring.com

Randy

I'm also a little confused as to what route I should take when trying to remove my body hair. I want to shave it all off, but I don't know what I need to use... Is there some kind of all purpose body cream I can use to shave in the shower? Should I just totally avoid shaving and go for waxing?

[ativan]

If you are going to shave body hair, don't use the same 3 or more multi-blade shavers that are for facial hair.
They will pull to much hair out and then cut. You risk ingrown hair as a result.
Stubble is just a way of life (seems like just minutes to me) unless you get the hair removed with laser or such.
Use, at the most, a double blade and use as little pressure as you need to get the job done.
Even if you have to go over the same area more than once, use as little pressure as you feel comfortable with.
That will keep you from irritating your more tender body skin.
Rinse and moisturize, always, when done. And then more after you dry off.
I use one of those vibrating ones for my face (5 blade) and a different but still vibrating one (double blade) for body hair.
You just don't have to use as much force to shave as cleanly. Less skin irritation.
Use body wash that has a lot of moisturizer built in. Olay makes some that I like, with shea butter.
Everyones skin and hair is different, so you may have to experiment a little.
Ativan