Quote from: Sydney_NYC on March 22, 2014, 05:00:12 PM
Even at 43 and loosing some hair I went from this:


July 2012 (I did have a trim in August 2012 to even out where only the sides were trimmed to even things up since I was thin on top). I identified as Genderqueer here, but not Transgender MtF yet.


To this


March 18th, 2014, 3 months HRT and a little over 6 months on Finasteride

I started Finasteride in September 2013 and HRT on December 12th, 2013. I started going full time a little over a week ago. FYI, I started dying my hair red in 2011 (it's naturally light brown with some gray.) I stopped using hair dye in July 2012 and switched to Red Henna.

Now I get all kinds of positive comments on my hair So yes, it's definitely possible to grow hair long later in life. After 4-6 months of growing it out, it was horrible dealing with that awkward stage. I used headbands and Alice Bands quite a bit. After about 14 months, it got a lot easier once I could put it in a significant ponytail. At 7 months I could put it in a small ponytail, but it didn't help much at all. Now ponytails look great and hold hair back on windy days. It was all worth it

Wow! Great results!!!

My hair was exactly like yours and I am also having a good regrowth, but it is coming back so slow that I still can't hide the bald spots too well yet. Seeing your progress made my hopes come back! Congrats!!! ^^

BTW I love seeing people with red hair! I have a friend with blue hair! One day I'll have mine colored to! ^^

Quote from: Natalia on March 22, 2014, 07:32:24 PM
Wow! Great results!!!

My hair was exactly like yours and I am also having a good regrowth, but it is coming back so slow that I still can't hide the bald spots too well yet. Seeing your progress made my hopes come back! Congrats!!! ^^

BTW I love seeing people with red hair! I have a friend with blue hair! One day I'll have mine colored to! ^^

Thank you. I did have a small bald spot on the crown and it's filled it but still a little thin in a small spot, but filling in and look like part the part of my hair.  I still can't part my hair on the side as the temples still are not a feminine line, but they are filling in and isn't too bad. Keeping it parted in the middle makes the hairline look feminine. I've seen cis-women that have it much worse and with me being 6'7", no many people see it, so it doesn't cause anyone to clock me. Unless I have had to show my ID, so far I haven't been clocked since going full time and that's been about a week and half and I've been to lots of places this past week.

Well, I have had long hair since I was 14 (for those about to rock etc..). There are a couple of things that you can do to promote good hair growth. Exercise, and good diet rich in protein. A good bit of cardio to get the circulation going and protein to repair any damage. Any time I have neglected these two important things, my hair suffered. Most pills (anti androgens not included) and things like jello either do not work, placebo effect, or are old wives tales. I am 41 now, so I guess you could say that I have 27 years experience in the matter. Lots of patience, exercise and good diet with protein works.

Good luck,

Nikki

Quote from: nikkit72 on March 22, 2014, 07:58:56 PM
Well, I have had long hair since I was 14 (for those about to rock etc..). There are a couple of things that you can do to promote good hair growth. Exercise, and good diet rich in protein. A good bit of cardio to get the circulation going and protein to repair any damage. Any time I have neglected these two important things, my hair suffered. Most pills (anti androgens not included) and things like jello either do not work, placebo effect, or are old wives tales. I am 41 now, so I guess you could say that I have 27 years experience in the matter. Lots of patience, exercise and good diet with protein works.

Good luck,

Nikki

I have to agree. As a Native american I have had long hair for the majority of my life (since I was a young child). I eat alot of salmon and other cold water fish, My diet in general is high protien low carb and no red meat whatsoever, unless it's meatballs or ground hamburger in spaghetti. I also take a good hair skin and nails multivitamin along with 2500 mcg of biotin as I get the rest from the afore mentioned hair skin and nails multivitamin. In addition I use salon quality shampoos with biotin and especially Keratin. DHT did start to win a little though during the last few years before starting hrt but thankfully I had a feminine hair loss type as I still had the same hairline I had in high school, just some thinning patches on the top left side of my head but as soon as I started hrt that stopped in it's tracks in 3 days then started to reverse. Now those areas are filling in nicely and my hair is growing healthy again. I used to be able to grow it down past my waist and I feel after a year on hrt and regular trims I'll be able to again at 50 years old. In fact, hrt has made me in general feel 30 years younger.
I do part my hair slightly on the side in a feminine style even though it seems to naturally want to part down the middle, lol! I can put it in a long pony from the middle to high on the back of my head and recently I've had to throw away my smaller hair ties in favor of larger ones to accommidate it's new thickness. On this, I'm a very happy girl. And I can safely say that by giving me my hair back, hrt has litterally saved my life.

Once I began hrt after 3 days in it was like my body had been starving for it all it's life. I can't thank my Endo, and all my sisters here on Susan's enough.

Ally

Ally,

I'm part native american and that help with the facial hair as it was thinner compared to most people with Anglo-Saxon ancestry (my other part.) Like you, my body seemed to react so positively to HRT, it was like it had been waiting for this since puberty.

-Sydney

Quote from: 930310 on March 22, 2014, 12:48:04 PMI cut my hair short about two months ago and I kind of miss having long hair now. It's just so hard for me to get a proper styling on it.
I've measured how fast my hair grows and it's about 1.78 cm/month.

That seems a little fast, .5" (12.7mm) per month is about average, but I guess everyone grows at a different rate.
I expect I'll have to wear a wig for a while, considering I want a good 18 inches of hair or so, and mom had it nearly buzzed off (down to .5") before high school graduation in May, so I "should" be around 5.5" now, but am somehow at 6.5" Not sure if that's to do with the fact that my hair is REALLY thick (Italian heritage) or not, because my roommate's hair is probably the length I'd want it before letting it go, but hers does not grow hardly at all, and she has really thin hair.
Looks like I'm going to be wearing a wig for probably a year now, unless there's magical hair growth pills, which are all hoaxes. Don't try them. Those that do increase the growth of hair increase the growth of ALL hair, including body hair, and that generally isn't wanted.

Quote from: Sydney_NYC on March 22, 2014, 11:15:21 PM
Ally,

I'm part native american and that help with the facial hair as it was thinner compared to most people with Anglo-Saxon ancestry (my other part.) Like you, my body seemed to react so positively to HRT, it was like it had been waiting for this since puberty.

-Sydney

I thought you might have some Native American in you but wasn't sure at first. Yes, being Native American does give us a head start on ridding ourselves of the facial hair. I actually have less leg and arm hair than most cis women have. And hrt is giving me my head hair back. I actually bought a few clips today, something I thought I'd never be able to use again but here I am. Let's just say hrt has made me a very happy girl, especially since I've been living full time for a few years before starting my hrt. I had bought wigs thinking as I got older I'd need them. Now it looks like within a year I'll be able to style my hair as I choose without fear of my scalp showing through.

It took 4 years. I shaved my head in March of 2010, and started growing it out. I got it cut one last time in october of 2011 for a part in a play. It was about 4" at its longest part there.
I haven't cut it since, and it is now a happy 29 inches. I need a health trim for split ends, but this is the longest i've ever had it by 6".

Also, while you're growing it, you're gonna get to a point where it's too short to tie back, but not long enough to stay out of your eyes/mouth.
Stick with it! Dont cut it again, because it'll always take almost 6 months to get past this awkward point.

Quote from: WFane on March 23, 2014, 08:55:32 PM
Also, while you're growing it, you're gonna get to a point where it's too short to tie back, but not long enough to stay out of your eyes/mouth.
Stick with it! Dont cut it again, because it'll always take almost 6 months to get past this awkward point.

I have found that wearing a bandana or a headband really helps with that.....until you get in the shower and try to shave your legs while conditioning lol.

No, not all. Just let them grow naturally. Adjust the style while it's growing. Depends what length you want. It took me 1 year and a half to have them long again (10cm under my shoulders). Also try different shampoos and conditioners. I use L'Oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening shampoo for the volume and L'Oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Shine conditioner.

Sonia

Quote from: WFane on March 23, 2014, 08:55:32 PM
Also, while you're growing it, you're gonna get to a point where it's too short to tie back, but not long enough to stay out of your eyes/mouth.
Stick with it! Dont cut it again, because it'll always take almost 6 months to get past this awkward point.

I know that feeling all to well...

"Is it difficult to grow long hair?"

Difficult? No. Not if you JUST want long hair...but if you want fast growing and healthy hair...that's when things get difficult (and notably more expensive )

Here is "Danniella's Super Awesome List of Trans Hair Care Stuff That I Totally Didn't Just Steal off of Like Lots of Other People's Hard Work, Research and Effort!"

...

(the title needs work)

This should compile the best advice I have gained, and what seems to be working for me so far, organised from the least expensive/time consuming to the most...

Be Careful of Heat! :
As a guy, I used to wash my hair in scorching heat and then blow dry it with a hair-dryer on the highest setting, then after a quick brush/comb I was finished and ready to start my day!...OMG I was so bad looking back on it!

Think on it this way...your hair follicles are just like any other pores on your skin, heat makes them expand and open up. So if you bath in really hot showers etc, and/or use a hair-dryer on a high heat setting, then just leave your hair, or even worse brush it, you will find yourself pulling out lots of hairs that are perfectly healthy, strong, and most importantly in this scenario, long! This is simply because your hair's grip on your pore/scalp is GREATLY reduced when the scalp is under such intense heat.

To remedy this, if you have hot showers, when you finish up, turn the shower to cold and blast your scalp for a bit (not just your hair, I KNOW it's cold and feels like a shock, but it needs to be the scalp, sure as hell helps wake you up in the morning too).

This will seal the pores and prevent your hair from coming out when it shouldn't. By the same token, you will now probably realise just why hair-dryers have a "cold" setting After using the hot setting, cool down your scalp with the cold setting before doing any serious brushing or styling...BETTER YET! Cool your scalp and then do something else, put on clothes or make-up, BEFORE you even touch your hair (wrap it up in a nice girly manner with a towel if you want ) That way you are guaranteeing that all your hard work isn't going to all come out the instant you use your brush.

Scalp Massaging: Get a partner or do it yourself, even just 10-15mins a night. Stimulating blood flow to the follicles in your scalp is a very important part of growing your hair fast, if you encourage a healthy blood-flow to your scalp you will greatly increase the speed of your hair growth. (this is why you may notice that allot of salon hair care products for hair growth make your scalp feel warm or tingly when applied, they are just chemically heating your scalp to increase blood flow) not to mention it feels awesome ^^

Diet: Fish oils etc are good for strength and thickness of your hair (which is what you REALLY want if you are going long, you need to reduce the amount of breakages and split ends) If you don't have much in your diet, a supplement will service, but you should really be eating more fish anyway

Regular Trims: Yes you should still go to the salon even when you are growing your hair! Do not just let it grow for 2 years and expect a good result! As it grows, your hair splits at the ends, but continues to grow. Even just getting a cm or two off every every 4-6 weeks is normally enough. Without this, your hair will still grow, but it will be in a terrible, nigh on unusable condition when it finally does get to the length you desire. Keeping it healthy, thick and without split ends is paramount, and regular trims are the only way to ensure that. Express to your stylist that you are growing it out and, so long as you have a good hair dresser and not a hack, will be able to provide you with cuts etc that will look good, and not hinder the growing process.

Good hair products: Check with your salon for recommendations for your hair specifically, everybody's hair (and more importantly when discussing Growth) scalp is different. You should get professional advice to make sure you are using the right products for you...But be prepared...most supermarket brands are just utter garbage. It's more expensive, but once you start using lovely high quality salon products, you will see and feel the results, and never want to go back!

Fiasteride: Yup, it really helps with receding hair lines, but be aware that on average it can only bring your hairline back to what it was around 7 years ago, you won't get much more than that. So look back to photos of yourself from 2007, that's around what you can realistically expect after around 6-8 months on finasteride. (as a bonus feminising effect, it gives you longer and thicker eyelashes too!). You only need a very small dose though, don't go overboard or you will just be throwing your money down the drain.

Biotin: Increases the rate of hair and nail growth that's for sure, BUT BE CAREFUL! I very rarely see people post about the negative effects of Biotin. Yes it will grow your hair fast, but it can and will RUIN your skin if you are not careful! :S Unless you drink like an absolute fish 24/7 you will get acne breakouts and your skin will become much greasier. Like I say, I tried it for a while and yes it works, but beware the side effects, and ask yourself if they are worth the extra inch or so per month.

In addition the 5000mg doses people often recommend are far more than you need, I would suggest, if you are wanting to include biotin in your plan, that you look for a multivitamin tablet that includes a smaller dose instead of taking big doses. This is allot more common than you think.

HRT: HRT will ofc help with your hair loss and growth, Anti-Adrogens break off the DHT in your scalp and prevent it from re-forming (the same thing finasteride does), so you will see some improvement once you begin. But as will all things HRT related, the are not magic pills, and taking them alone will not result in beautiful flowing locks of hair

So yeah, there are a bunch of things you can do, what you choose, and how much you do it is up to you, and ofc YMMV

After doing all of the above (aside from taking biotin) The following pictures show my own growth.


Bit blurry, and small...but getting good picks of me pre transition is hard...


Me 4 months later

My hair is actually longer than it looks in the second picture, as I applied volume and curled/styled the lower hanging parts. When straightened, it's almost at my chin on the sides, past my eyes at the front, and just touching the top of my spine at the back. It went from very short, fairly thin and brittle with around 3cm receding hairline, to nice thick and healthy hair, with my hairline having moved forward around 1.5cm. All in, it has grown around 11in -12in inches in 4 months (around 2-3 inches per month, which is far above the average 0.5in - 1in per month) and that is still with haircuts once every 4-6 weeks.

Hope this helps ^^

It took 2.5 years from buzz cut guy mode to where it is on my avatar. I get split ends cleaned up every 2-3 months. It takes FOR-EV-ER but you just gotta let it go

Sarah, your hair looks great for only being 2.5 years in. If I let my hair grow as long as yours I wouldn't be able to have it all flat and nice. I get really wild hair and it's almost impossible to control it if it gets much longer than what I have in my profile picture. No matter how much I brush it and treat it with conditioner and other remedies, it still lives a life of it's own.

There's about 18 months growth in my profile pic. It's a little bit longer now, although not much unfortunately - it seems to be falling out nearly as quickly as it grows now. I use minoxidil and progesterone cream on alternate days, which seems to help.

Quote from: Danniella on March 24, 2014, 08:03:41 AM

Be Careful of Heat! :
As a guy, I used to wash my hair in scorching heat and then blow dry it with a hair-dryer on the highest setting, then after a quick brush/comb I was finished and ready to start my day!...OMG I was so bad looking back on it!

Think on it this way...your hair follicles are just like any other pores on your skin, heat makes them expand and open up. So if you bath in really hot showers etc, and/or use a hair-dryer on a high heat setting, then just leave your hair, or even worse brush it, you will find yourself pulling out lots of hairs that are perfectly healthy, strong, and most importantly in this scenario, long! This is simply because your hair's grip on your pore/scalp is GREATLY reduced when the scalp is under such intense heat.

Ah... So that explains why I shed two handfuls of hair every time I take a (hot) shower...

If that was the case I would be bald.

Been growing my hair since I was like 14 or something. It reaches down the small of my back, the last time I had to get it cut was because I was going on holiday and the time before I kept getting my arms tied up in it when I tried to swim. Oh and I have super hot showers and use the hair dryer all the time and have had no problems with losing any hair at all since I started finasteride a while ago, let alone since HRT.

Quote from: HughE on March 25, 2014, 05:41:28 PM
There's about 18 months growth in my profile pic. It's a little bit longer now, although not much unfortunately - it seems to be falling out nearly as quickly as it grows now. I use minoxidil and progesterone cream on alternate days, which seems to help.

You should consider finasteride it brought my hair loss to a complete halt. I am only 25 but it had started to drop out a bit fast for my liking, till I took that stuff, then it stopped falling out completely.

Quote from: xponentialshift on March 25, 2014, 10:03:47 PM
Ah... So that explains why I shed two handfuls of hair every time I take a (hot) shower...

It might well be ^^

Quote from: Seras on March 26, 2014, 02:49:49 AM
If that was the case I would be bald.

Been growing my hair since I was like 14 or something. It reaches down the small of my back, the last time I had to get it cut was because I was going on holiday and the time before I kept getting my arms tied up in it when I tried to swim. Oh and I have super hot showers and use the hair dryer all the time and have had no problems with losing any hair at all since I started finasteride a while ago, let alone since HRT.

You must have VERY healthy hair naturally, heat is definitely an enemy, hence why there are so many "heat protect" sprays etc you should apply prior to straightening etc.

Have you got any pictures of your hair?

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