Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Now, at some point, (likely in the near future) I intend to get a haircut. Now my hair is, and always has been, a mess. It will likely continue down this path. A while back, I bleached it and went through a rainbow of colors (not at the same time of course) and now it has grown out enough for a more masculine cut. I'd like to chop off the bleached area.

At the back, it's about 5 inches natural. Front about two. My hair's dark brown and quite wavy and on the "uncontrollable" side. I likely won't end up brushing it very often, so preferably something I don't have to style or any bull like that.

Any ideas? I've always had long hair so I'm not sure what will work out.

Nothing says 'I'm a guy' like a ten dollar haircut from a barber.  Flat-top, or 'short back and sides.'

I decided that keeping it short and neat was too much work for me (and I happen to look more masculine in long hair) so I'm not cutting mine. Regardless of what you do with yours, make sure it fits "you".

Can you post a photo so we know what you look like?

The advice I've heard is: short on sides and back, little length left on top, sideburns cut straight across (not into points), back of the neck shaved (tapered or square, depending on if you have a "duck tail"), no wispy bits.

I'm going for my haircut tonight actually, so I'm going through the same "how should I get it cut" stuff as you. I've looked at some pics of haircuts online, but I'm not sure what will suit my face. Might have to just use trial and error, lol. :)

There are virtual sites on the web were you can upload a pix (or download a program - whatever) and try them out.

Quote from: tekla on July 15, 2009, 10:30:24 AM
There are virtual sites on the web were you can upload a pix (or download a program - whatever) and try them out.

I completely didn't think of that. You're a genius, dude. Thanks!

No problem brother.

SilverFang, I just found a great page of info on how to know what to ask for and the different aspects to consider of a guy's hair cut. It's from Hudson's (Google "Hudson's FTM Resource Guide", since we're not allowed to post links themselves...) and it's pretty easy to find from the main page. It's under Grooming, called: Men's Short Haircuts and the Barber Shop. :)

As my dad always said, the difference between a good haircut and a bad one is about a week and a half.

I also suggest going to a barber instead of a hair salon.  If you have facial hair, get a straight razor shave.

Quote from: tekla on July 15, 2009, 08:59:10 AM
Nothing says 'I'm a guy' like a ten dollar haircut from a barber.  Flat-top, or 'short back and sides.'

Agree'd!

Jay

What is this? International FTM Haircut Awareness Week? :laugh:

I went and got some hair chopped off today myself.

I said "Short back, short sides, slight fauxhawk" (height gesured with fingers), and that's what I walked out with.

Mens haircuts are easy to order compared to womens. Far less variables. As a man you do look a little weird if you start defining each and every variable... looking like you have no clue is a sure fire way to get a mens haircut  ;)

I do miss my ponytail... but I couldn't pass with it. I'll be growing it back post-T though :).

As far as style goes I just went with something that was common with guys around the age I pass for, quick to dry, and easy to manage - the first of those points being something that nobody ever seems to bring up.

Actually, short haircuts are more difficult than long hair cuts-- any more variables as far as lengths, angles, etc are involved.

Buzz cuts are pretty awesome, IMO, since it's clean, neat, and you no longer have to brush your hair in the morning. Also, your head becomes fuzzy!  :D

Yep, I was gonna say to go with a buzz cut. Definitely masculine and no hassles, and it dries in like 5 seconds haha, pretty ill. The cool thing about hair is, if you end up not liking it, it always grows back  :)

Quote from: Mister on July 15, 2009, 02:00:49 PM
Actually, short haircuts are more difficult than long hair cuts-- any more variables as far as lengths, angles, etc are involved.

I'm not talking short vs long, I'm talking mens vs womens.

I'll agree that mens long is dead simple, excluding emo / goth / punk hair, of course.

Quote from: Teknoir on July 15, 2009, 02:57:41 PM
I'm not talking short vs long, I'm talking mens vs womens.

I'll agree that mens long is dead simple, excluding emo / goth / punk hair, of course.

short mens and short womens are both more complicated than either long mens or long womens.  ask a hair stylist.

You gotta be careful with a buzz cut. Instead of looking masculine you end up looking like sinead o'connor or demi moore (ala GI Jane).

You can have a short cut but too short and it shows of the feminine shape of your head. The cut that works for me is short on the sides and back then increasing in length from the back of my head to the forehead.

ask a hair stylist.

Sure if your some sort of gay or metrosexual.  Real guys go to a barber, read field and stream talk baseball and don't care.

Quote from: Mister on July 15, 2009, 03:03:44 PM
short mens and short womens are both more complicated than either long mens or long womens.  ask a hair stylist.

Hmmm.... I think we may be expressing opinions on slightly different topics here.

Let me give what I said a few posts back a recompile...

Quote from: Teknoir on July 15, 2009, 01:36:53 PM
Mens haircuts are easy to order compared to womens. Far less variables.

Bleep bloop bleep bloop.... ding!

I have found that I have needed to define less variables to the "stylist" in order to get what I want when ordering a mens cut as opposed to a womens cut.

Anyway - this is getting a bit drifty. I'm going back on topic.

Buzz cuts are a good suggestion for low maintainence - but not everyone can pull one off. You have to be especially careful pre-T. In some cases they have been known to make some people look more feminine. It depends on the shape of your skull and the shape of your face.

Instead of going for a full on buzz cut, you could always get it cut with the electric razor with a "guard" on it. It'll be short and easy to look after (not as short as a buzz cut). It'll also give you an idea if a buzz cut would suit you, without it taking as long to grow out.

Short sides & back, a bit longer on the top, sideburns cut off straight seems to be a pretty common male haircut.  A buzzcut that is the same length all over can emphasize a feminine skull, as others have said.  Keeping the hair a bit longer on top (maybe 1" if the back/sides are 1/4") seems to prevent that from happening.  It requires minimal work, except for the fact that you'll need a haircut at least monthly to keep it short.  Or you could just be me, stop caring, and leave it go for 6 months.

I go to a barber.  Willy's on 22nd.  Fade and a shave, every 3 weeks.

There used to be a barber shop where I worked, but it moved and I miss it.  Now I go to a barber shop near my house.

Quote from: tekla on July 15, 2009, 08:23:39 PM
There used to be a barber shop where I worked, but it moved and I miss it.  Now I go to a barber shop near my house.

I'm telling you, Willy's is the way to go. 22nd between Mission and Valencia.  I get a cut, shave and quick massage for $20, with tip.

I'll make a note of it, I go out to Valencia on occasion to the bike store.

Quote from: Teknoir on July 15, 2009, 01:36:53 PM
As a man you do look a little weird if you start defining each and every variable... looking like you have no clue is a sure fire way to get a mens haircut  ;)

That's what I do.  Seems to work like a charm.. Except for once.  This guy kept telling me I "cut the points out of my hair".  I had no idea what he was talking about but I had told him basically want I wanted and that I wanted it squared.  Apparently the points were my sideburns, which I abruptly found out when he hacked them into what my bf affectionately calls "dyke burns".  So that was fun to get fixed.  Apparently square didn't include my sideburns?  Whatev.

Good luck with your hair.

So I just got back from getting my hair chopped. Wow, mega improvement...

Here's a couple pics (keep in mind, this isn't a "do I pass" thread... I know I don't, and I'd rather not hear all the things that don't pass about me, kthx):

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc1%2Fhs134.snc1%2F5728_109217446366_589966366_2625923_2291987_n.jpg&hash=7ff9f0693dbef0faf6f48d3c34fad206fb51a27c)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc1%2Fhs134.snc1%2F5728_109216501366_589966366_2625916_5056304_n.jpg&hash=1af661eaa373a7664d4dbaa3e0fd2fb2fa7ebd07)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc1%2Fhs154.snc1%2F5728_109222711366_589966366_2626002_8078939_n.jpg&hash=daa0165ec9543ad1a52b82717478ac029f585d97)



And for comparison sake... (ugh)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fphotos-ak-sf2p%2Fv231%2F193%2F26%2F589966366%2Fn589966366_846975_6350.jpg&hash=61b714cda6aab5588c2d46d23ec9ce7a94a7d4ea)

It would look more regular guy if you parted it on the side and combed it over, rather than up.

I 100% agree with Braedon. The short on sides and back, cut straight across at the sideburns, and slightly longer on top is great. Especially for people with roundish puffy faces like mine. The length on top makes your head seem longer, and the shortness on the sides thins it out. And I will say, it helps me pass well (as a 12 year old boy). I would not recommend a buzzcut or crew cut. Those look kinda bad pre-T, imo.

I just get a fade which is basically what everyone else is explaining.

Shorter on the sides and the back and longer on top. depends on what you prefer. I usually get 1/8 of an inch (also known as a 1 in clipper talk, lol) on the sides and the back and an inch on top.  Try diff. lengths and styles. The barber will do whatever you ask them to do.  And one length of a certain style may not "fit" you where one a little longer or shorter will.

Look through diff. styles online or in a hair style book, pick a few and start with one. It's kinda fun to explore.

Quote from: tekla on July 15, 2009, 10:36:09 PM
It would look more regular guy if you parted it on the side and combed it over, rather than up.

this, and it's way too long.

Quote from: Mister on July 16, 2009, 10:12:10 AM
this, and it's way too long.

Maybe, but it's already a big step for me and I'm really happy with it. I'm not trying to pass yet everyone, just trying to feel more like "me" and for right now, this fits the bill. :)

I personally think you pass when you've got your cap on.

Quote from: Monty on July 16, 2009, 11:01:10 AM
I personally think you pass when you've got your cap on.

Awesome, thanks Monty! But as soon as I speak it would give it away. lol

I think once I actually start *trying* to pass I'll be a little more concerned about the little details and such, but for now, I'm totally happy just to finally walk out the door feeling comfortable and content, like I don't have to explain myself or apologize for myself to anyone. It's really great. :)

Quote from: Braedon on July 16, 2009, 11:09:46 AM
Awesome, thanks Monty! But as soon as I speak it would give it away. lol

I think once I actually start *trying* to pass I'll be a little more concerned about the little details and such, but for now, I'm totally happy just to finally walk out the door feeling comfortable and content, like I don't have to explain myself or apologize for myself to anyone. It's really great. :)

Haha, I think a lot of us have that problem.

Yeah, just take it one step at a time. When I got a gender neutral haircut, that was good enough for me. Sometimes I passed, sometimes I didn't, but it held me over for a good long while.

Thanks for the suggestions. I likely won't go for the crew cut (not a dyke) or the male-specific haircuts (I'm pre-pass.) So a more gender neutral cut would suit better, since I'm still rather trapped in the metaphorical closet. I also still live with my parents and there's not much I can do about that.

That was a big change in those pics, looks good man.  I have a fauxhawk and i notice i pass a lot more now than i did when i had my surfer curls, but i do miss them sometimes.  I use to pass probably about 75% of the time and now it is super rare for me to hear any type of female pronouns.  Hair cut looks good though dude, if i suggested one thing, i would say maybe take a little more off the top next time. 
Jet

Quote from: jet3 on July 16, 2009, 04:19:32 PM
That was a big change in those pics, looks good man.  I have a fauxhawk and i notice i pass a lot more now than i did when i had my surfer curls, but i do miss them sometimes.  I use to pass probably about 75% of the time and now it is super rare for me to hear any type of female pronouns.  Hair cut looks good though dude, if i suggested one thing, i would say maybe take a little more off the top next time. 
Jet

Thanks, I appreciate the compliments. I definitely do feel way better, and that's my biggest concern right now, rather than passing. I can see *me* in the mirror (even if I have to mentally "whitewash" some of the secondary sex characteristics out of the way) for the first time in my life.

I do agree though that next time I should get it shorter. But for now, baby steps... ;D

Quote from: Braedon on July 16, 2009, 04:25:20 PM
Thanks, I appreciate the compliments. I definitely do feel way better, and that's my biggest concern right now, rather than passing. I can see *me* in the mirror (even if I have to mentally "whitewash" some of the secondary sex characteristics out of the way) for the first time in my life.

I do agree though that next time I should get it shorter. But for now, baby steps... ;D

I totally get that.  I remember when I first got my hair cut short, I went from hair down to my hips to a "pixie" cut.  It was definitely a fem cut, but it just felt so great to have all that hair gone.  I loved it, and it felt so much more like "me".  Wished I'd done it years sooner.