hey guys and dolls,
For those of you who are post-op/post-HRT, do you find yourself showering more often? Or find showering to be a whole new experience?
I shower like twice a day now. Before, I avoided it as much as possible and a whole shower where I was completely naked at once was rare. I either just got in and washed the lower part with my shirt on or got in with a binder/bra on. The result was going around in a soaked, mildewed undergarment all day. But I didn't notice because the alternative - starting off the day completely naked and thus completely demoralized was worse.
Now I know what a shower is supposed to be. It's no longer a torture chamber. I haven't showered or bathed properly since I was 11 years old. Who knew a simple shower could be so good? I'd live in the shower if it were possible. The feel of water spraying down over my entire body at once is nearly religious. For the moment I am under a waterfall in a tropical paradise, a complete body cleansed and invigorated. I am no longer a series of disembodied parts repelled by water, but a whole being. My shower curtain is the passage to heaven.
Anybody else feel like this now?
I can go longer without and do when I can get away with it but it's purely 'cos I don't want to re-do my makeup ;)
Still have to shave an awful lot though so that forces regular hygiene upon me.
holy crap nero i never thought of this before i loath getting in the shower i usually push the limits of socially acceptable non-showering before i force myself into it basically when the outside of me is worse then the undercloths part. i usually try to wash my hair in the sink daily because it dosnt involve disrobing wtf lol a new symptom of gid to funny in a sick way
jessica
Post T I showered every day and now pre I still shower every day its like a habit however I do notice that I sweat a lot more when I work out so week days I have been showering twice one in the morning one post work out.
Jay
My showers are longer, yes.
Jay
I shower at the gym right after working out, and yes I skip less days now that I'm becoming a manly man lol.
Frankly I feel very fortunate that I grew up in a sort of subcuilture that made me very comfortable with my body, my parents used to go naked in the house, I grew up in a family of 5 so we bathed in batches often, grew up in a warm environment near the ocean so wearing little was a norm, and was very physical, wrestling and so on. So I don't feel the dysphoria as much as a bunch of you guys from the sound of it, it's not that I hate my body so much as that I simply want it to be more male.
I don't really wear deodorant since starting estrogen. Laser hair removal + T removal = I'm actually pretty rosy most days.
Showering, however, yes. I usually went 3 days between showers because of my long hair, it was obnoxious to deal with and if I had a sweaty day I'd just kind of sponge off on the key areas. Now I've started just pulling my hair up all the way and showering every day or two and enjoying it.
To be honest, though, I think it was mostly my hair... as strange as it is, once the anxiety went away by starting HRT, I really don't like my long hair. I'm 23 and have had long hair for about 17 of those years, so... I think I'm just sick to death of it. For many years, it was all I could hold onto for femininity, and now, I feel I have much more.
Estrogen changed the way my body smells. It went from the musky male scent, to a more neutral scent. And I perspire alot less. So I shower every other day or so. And then that is for the sake of my hair.
Nope. I have always showered at least once a day and I still do.
I gave up showering altogether. ;D I do however take a bath, in the tub, at least once a day. It's a great time to relax, collect your thoughts, and center yourself. Cleansing the grime of the world and day to day living off of oneself is as important mentally to me as it is physically. Doesn't have to take any longer than a shower, I just like them worlds better. And then there's those times when you want to feel especially nice, and use a relaxing fizz bomb thingy and maybe sprinkle some rose petals around yourself in the water (available cheap at the local supermarket). I wash my hair at least every other day, usually more often than that, and switch up on various body wash stuff. I don't smell like a man anymore, but smelling better is only half the reason I love baths so much.
It depends on how much time I have. If I have time to relax in a nice bath I'll do that. If I'm in a hurry or washing my hair I'll shower :icon_chick:
if it wasnt for body odor being socially unacceptable, i wouldnt shower. but i do anyway about every 3rd day. sometimes more often if i sweated. so no, i dont shower more now that im on T/post top surgery. along the same lines as enjoying showers because of body/mind congruence, i do enjoy wearing less clothing and looking at myself lot more. i guess it just hasnt manifested into a "i like to shower more" thing.
Yeah I had to get a better deodorant, recommended by my friend Dave.
I bought some Lady Speed Stick yesterday :laugh:
Both the checker and the bagger looked at me questionably. So the checker asks...
"Did you find everything okay?"
I looked at my list and replied...
"hope I didn't space anything."
They both just smiled :laugh:
have always showered at least once a day. Now that I am on T have to shower twice most days I just sweat a lot especially if I work out or if it's a hot summer day.
Trust me on this, the most you shower, the more other people like you.*
*At least in the US, offer not good in France.
Well I'm not on T yet but the shower definitely brings out the dysphoria. I shower after workouts. On a side note, it's so much easier with short hair.
SilverFang
Tekla if we ever meet, I'll be sure to skip several showers so I can drench you in man-scent.
I love feeling the water run through my long curly locks :icon_chick:
I wish I could afford one of those waterfall showers and have it decorated with sea shells and stuff :icon_yes:
Other than getting older and the one obvious annoying exception, I love the way my body is shaping up :icon_chick:
Virginia - I've observed this "Did you find everything?" and "Do you need help outside?" stuff in the supermarket, and it's really random. Big strong guys asked if they need help out, someone buying ONE item being asked if they found everything..... I think the managers are just "on" the employees to ask this every so often, and if there's a slight lull they do it to keep their "quota" up. The mutual smiles may have been about their only having an hour left on shift then they're gonna go play pool together or anything. Honestly.
I'll call BS on that. Perhaps for the Safeway kids (and I'm not even sure about them, Safeway has pretty good hiring standards) but most of the people I know really like what they do, and are very into everyone else likening it too. When I ask people that, I really mean it. And they know it.
In other things ---- if you don't like your body, close you're eyes and shower. If people are already set not to like you, why give them one more reason?
Safeway pays well, and most supermarkets yes do have decent morale, but I have observed this random stuff and I stand by what I say.
And do you ever give any constructive advice or are you the resident sniper with no life?
I'm really surprised you are still allowed on here.
Quote from: Alex_C on October 05, 2009, 12:22:31 AM
Safeway pays well, and most supermarkets yes do have decent morale, but I have observed this random stuff and I stand by what I say.
And do you ever give any constructive advice or are you the resident sniper with no life?
I'm really surprised you are still allowed on here.
I would like to give reference to rule 15 :P
No, I do not shower any more or less than before HRT.
I have never sweat a lot, and the times that I did it was pretty neutral. Now, I barely sweat at all.
I shower once a day, every single day (very very rarely do I skip a day). My hair doesn't bother me. I get up 3 (about) hours before I need to be anywhere so I have time to shower, do my hair, do my makeup, etc.
For anyone who is curious, I shampoo my hair twice a week, and condition regularly.
There's a change in body smell, from guy to girl or girl to guy, and that may make a person want to shower more. I got the "hug treatment" by a somewhat sweaty shirtless guy at a gay bar recently and I put up with it, but I was surprised, he smelled just like me.