I dont know if anyone can help, I'm 38 and have never used a razor to shave. When i was about 15 i tried to shave with a razor and my face looked like one big spot and i thought i'm never doing that again, so what i use and have used since are beard trimmers on a number 0 with no attatchment. Its fine at the moment when i'm in my male shoes but when i start to attempt to go out as my real self make up and all that, it wont be sufficient to hide the hairs, what can i do. When i get a bit of stubble its not dark hairs because i have (had) light brown hair.. I dont know what i am going to do, maybe i'm just gonna have to go for it with a razor and see what happens.

I have read on some of these topics about there not being any face cream for hair removal for men but does anyone have any tips, i'm gonna need help.

vrony 

Hair removal creams don't work on male facial hair, and will just leave you with red spots and pain.  For short term, the best you can really do is use shaving cream for sensitive skin, and a good razor, and then do your best to coverup with makeup.  I don't know much about that though.

I've heard of people using threading and small epilators on their face, but it does sound mighty painful... But, I suppose nothing good was ever easy.

Use a multi blade razor and moisturizer.  Have a gentle touch.  And take a hot shower before hand.

Thanks for the advice so far, I know that using a razor is going to make my skin harder than what it is but i suppose there is nothing i can do about it. I think in the back of my mind I was probably trying to keep my skin as soft as possible all these years because i knew i would one day i would be going on this journey and hoped that it would help by not shaving and having that hard bristly growth but hey s*** happens... Its weired but i'm probably better at shaving my legs than i will ever be shaving my face LOL (I hope i dont get teenage spots)

vrony

I use a Gillette Fusion, The blades get a little expensive but its an excellent razor. Its 5 blades so its very comfortable, I also use the Edge shaving gel, the one with aloe and stuff in it for sensitive skin.

I use this combo for anywhere, legs, face, etc and haven't had any problems.

I use Soleil by Bic.  It has 4 blades and the refills are half the price of the Gillette.  I also begin with an electric, then the razor.  But hey it works for me.

So does the sensetive skin stuff actually work because when i start it will be like when i was 15 again with big red blotches, although that was over 20 years ago and i dont think they had the stuff they have today

vrony

It works for my skin at least, but then again I don't have much facial hair anyway.

If your really worried you might want to look into waxing

Then you are ether pressing to hard or going over the same area too much.  Use a very light touch in one direction.  Then go over it in the other direction.  But use a very light touch.

I've tried waxing and it's mostly a no-go.  The force that you have to use leads to tiny pricks of blood where some of the hairs get pulled out, and it doesn't get all of them either.  If you really can't stand it, you can use a tweezer and pluck them out by hand, which at least for me was less painful and didn't result in any blood pricks -- but that only lasts a couple days if you're lucky, and then you have to wait several more days while the hair grows back in, but before it's long enough to pluck again.

Also, from what I've heard, plucking it out can make it harder to do electrolysis later, so if you're serious about transition, the best thing really is to start electro/laser as soon as you can afford it, and figure out some way to cope in the meantime.

Ouchhhhhhh!!!  I think i will try the razor option for now but plucking the hairs out is making my eyes water although as they say "no pain no gain"
I might just be worrying too much about the razor thing which is probably why i've avoided it all these years.
Thanks for all the advice, I sound like a teenager asking advice from my older sisters.. you would think at my age i would know better, god help me when my son starts shaving.

vrony

I use this to "preshave" before anything with a blade followed by a "normal shave" using my electric shaver. (if using a manual shaver, I "preshave" anyways since it goes further before cleaning, and the razor lasts longer)
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-ES2113PC-Pivoting-Facial-Groomer/dp/B0009DT39C

Try a Philips electric razor, they are far less traumatic on the skin.    You can get one which allows you to apply moisturiser as you go.

If you have the cash, the patience and the pain threshold, get laser hair removal treatment.   The issue of shaving will then be gone.

I believe laser where I am is around $150 a session for face, (that's upper lip and chin).

it would take 4-5 sessions.

Don't know if the pricing might be similar where you are

thanks everyone for the help, once again invaluble. I dont know where i would be without you all 

I'll look back in later

vrony

I've not tried threading my facial hair but I don't know of any effective methods beyond shaving with a razor and that's grossly ineffective.

Sugaring Failed made a sticky mess, Insufficient pulling power.
Waxing failed too The wax has insufficient torque to pull out hairs that closely compacted and that deep in the skin.

Tweezing the buggers out, That's more a desperation move when you've got as much as I have but I have at times spent upto 3 hours of a weekend doing it putting myself through torture it and ended up with huge clear spots for 4 days at least before it begins regenerating. Yanking my upper lip hairs out or hairs near my eyes leaves me reflexively crying

I brought a rotating head epilator to attack it with, I DON'T RECOMMEND THAT AT ALL, keep it for your legs maybe but your face... ugh, it scarcely has enough grabbing power but moreover it rotates much too fast.  so to uproot the hairs you have to really push it hard onto your face, It won't get them all in one go it will rip them out 2-3 hairs per second at funny angles so some bleeding in the follicles might happen, Once you clear an area the skin will be torn to shreds it looked like I had carpet burn on my face and made large extremely unappealing scabs and the hairs would begin to regrow underneath them itch and create huge ingrown hairs and infected boils *shudder* never again.

Then again my facial hair might be different it's very thick and has already regenerated from 6 IPL shots.

For the last 18 months I've used a Norelco (Philips) Arcitec.  Once my face got used to it - takes a week or two for the skin to adjust - I can shave as closely as I did with a razor.  (I'm not sure what happens with the skin during the adjustment time, but the first time I tried it I didn't get a very close shave.)  It has never irritated my skin the way a razor would sometimes.

It also works great on chest and legs.

- Kate

BTW: Just because your face reacted to shaving in a certain way 23 years ago doesn't mean it will react that way now.  Just sayin'.

For me I'm still a teen so I guess I still "have it lucky" but for me I don't get a lot of facial hair but it does come back quick...For me, personally; I use tweezers for my upper lips, eyebrows and the hair around my lip and for my chin I use a razor with about 4 to 5 layers and I do it under hot water in the shower (When pores are the most open) and it works.

With tweezers my eyebrow and upper lip hair doesn't come back for about 4-5 days and the chin doesn't come back until like 2-3 but when it does...I simply use the tweezers to pull off little spots.

Then I just use foundation and boom I'm saved. But I guess also having dirty blond hair and light colored facial and body hair helps too.

Surgi-Wax bikini/brazzilian HARD wax works great actually, its time comsuming and painful the first time, but if you keep up the maintance it gets better/easyer...  there are no strips involved, it will grab nearly every hair the first time... figure 2 weeks before you have to do it again at first... eventually it will be every 4-6 weeks... The trick with it is to do small areas at a time, sections between the size of one to two quarters lined up....