This is turning into a weird week - ever since I was more "out" at Exeter Pride last weekend, and after seeing the psychiatrist for the first time, my sense of how I want my body to be is getting much stronger, and I've been finding myself more and more uncomfortable being covered with body hair (I'm a pretty furry semite at the moment).

So I've just ordered a Braun epilator (that you can use in water). This will be a long, slow, and wince-some process, but I really need it to happen, and want to be in control of it - and I bet it'll work out cheaper than all the waxing I'd need otherwise. I'll let you know how it goes .

Hi yoxi,

You may find getting a wax first, helps. Instead of pulling out large areas of 'male' hair with an epilator.

I found epiltors to be torture. I prefer having my upper lip zapped than the pain of using an epilator on my legs.  By waxing you could then start to epilate with shorter, but not too short hair. I think one of the problems I had was that the hair was so long it curved around the  pulling out bit and you get several whammies for each time the hair is pulled. You don't need professional waxing get a friend or some friends and have a waxing party. Really good way of bonding

Hugs

Cindy

Cindy is right about hair length, if the hair is more than about 1/8th of an inch it starts to get painful.
I used an electric clipper with a No.1 guard. 
First time is painful, second not too bad as the hair grows back at different rates.  I now use mine weekly and it is not bad at all.
Karen.

Oh yes, I'm abosolutely going to use my industrial-strength beard-trimmer all over first . The word on the street is that these "use them wet" epilators are less painful, and better at pulling stuff out since the skin is warm and relaxed (and its owner is less tense!). We'll see. I may have to hold a discrete waxing party for my hard-to-reach parts...

Hi Yoxi, I was just thinking about all my body hair and how I can take care of it, so thank you for posting this.
What is an epilator?
If you pull the hair out will it grow back?
if I wax my arm hair does that mean it will grow back even more and more if I keep waxing or shavint my arm hair.

Hay Yoxi I am sorry for kinda hijacking your post so wadaya say you all come over here to Hawaii for a waxing party:)
Hay thanks "girls" or in Hawaiian Mahalo nui loa "Wahine"
Aloha.

Jennie

Hi Jennie,

I love Hawaii.

Since I'm almost hair free except in a few unfortunate spots can I reply? Sorry Yoxi, not stealing your thread. An epilator is a little bit like an electric razor except it has  either a rotating wheel or something similar that grabs the hair and pulls it out. The hair does grow back but after a number of applications it is much finer. Waxing is similar in that a cloth covers warm wax that you have spread across hairy skin, tearing the cloth off pulls the hairs out. Again the grow back but again with repetitive treatments there is less hair. Laser destroys the hair follicle and will permanently or for a long time remove tha hair. Again you need to have a number of treatment, and it only works on dark pigmented hair. I have a virtually hairless face now and it has taken 5 (I think) treatments. Electrolysis is putting a very fine needle into the hair follicle and passing an electric charge through it that destroys the hair follicle. It is usually regarded as the 'gold standard' for hair removal. Of course it takes a long time to do and often people use it to 'clean up' hair they cannot get rid of by other methods. You can also shave but the hair grows back quite quickly, depending upon you hormonal status etc. And there are hair removal creams such as Veet. All hair removal tends to work for longer if you are on anti androgens to kill testosterone production. T makes you hairy . Which of course the guys tend to like and the girls don't 
Many girls say they get a lot less hair growth after HRT,  they may not bother about getting their legs and arms treated until they see the effect. Facial hair is largely untouched by HRT, unless you can get it pre-pubescent.

Electrolysis, laser, waxing and epilation can be painful from the mild to the tears. Depending upon your pain threshold, the part of the body and where you are in your hormonal cycle. Prices also change dramatically from salon to salon. Go somewhere you feel comfortable and can relate to the technicians.


Laser and electrolysis has to be done in a studio by trained technicians. Some parts of your body you can wax your self but again most go to a studio, you cannot wax your own back . Some areas are more sensitive to treatments than others and you should not use hair removal creams on your face or bottom. They are caustic and can burn you so you should do a test patch first..

Happy hair free times
I'm in Australia so Hawaii is special because the Waikiki sand is shipped in from Australia, which I find hilarious. 
Hugs & Aloha

Cindy

's okay, I feel neither hijacked nor hijilled . I've been away on a singing weekend, and am recovering today (not much sleep!) so I'm only just getting to my browser.

I'd love to join you for a depilation party, but Hawaii is 7300 miles from me, so I'd need to start rowing now. There's no painless way to remove hair. If you can't afford laser/electrolysis, the wax/epilator options are cheaper but non-permanent - but they do reduce the hair and make it grow back finer meanwhile. I went for an epilator because I'm pretty damn furry, and I figured it would cost less in the end than the wax mountain I'd need in order to achieve the same effect (and probably take less time too, what with all the faffing around with wax and heaters and strips of cloth and and...) - it's an investment in smooth .

and ofc hrt and good AA take their toll on body hair prior to srs for most us

i was fortunate enough to loose almost all mine and what little i epilate , i really enjoy that though ive grown to embrace it 

Quote from: yoxi on April 13, 2011, 06:09:32 PM
my sense of how I want my body to be is getting much stronger, and I've been finding myself more and more uncomfortable being covered with body hair (I'm a pretty furry semite at the moment).

The same thing happened to me. I never did like wearing the fur suit but after I started coming to terms with myself I couldn't take it any longer.

Like Cindy had mentioned if you wax or shave first, the hairs grow back at different rates so you're not pulling out as many with one pass and I doesn't hurt as bad. I can barely feel it when I do my arm and leg below the knees, guess I'm lucky that way.

Please do let us know how it works for you and if you figure out any good tricks.

Folk here were quite right, going straight into the epilator from scratch is bloody agony! I trimmed all my hair first, but maybe I shouldn't have started on my chest, which is quite sensitive.

Anyway, I'm just going for shaving for the moment, and maybe Veet or something like, and then I'll try the epilator again once the hairs have got more used to being messed with.

Quote from: yoxi on April 19, 2011, 06:57:43 AM
Folk here were quite right, going straight into the epilator from scratch is bloody agony! I trimmed all my hair first, but maybe I shouldn't have started on my chest, which is quite sensitive.

Anyway, I'm just going for shaving for the moment, and maybe Veet or something like, and then I'll try the epilator again once the hairs have got more used to being messed with.

I've tried the chemicals- veet and nair- and I don't have the patience for them (nor did they really work). After six weeks on AA's and a week on estrogen, I've noticed my hair growth isn't so aggressive. I don't think I'll be able to avoid the laser. For now it's the razor.

Also, the AA's seem to have an effect on my head hair. I was freaking out as I started to notice more of my hair falling out than I usually notice- what I think is happening is a thinning of my incredibly thick curl.

I'm going to minor hijill your thread: When do you think you'll start HRT, friend?

As soon as the guy who gets to say I can, says I can .

Seriously, this is building in me in great waves now. I think I said this elsewhere already, but when I first visited this forum, I wasn't really able to empathise with other people's stories about their dysphoria. But in the last couple of weeks, especially since I saw the psychiatrist and therapist (and felt like they and I were taking me seriously), the sense of discomfort and urgency is building up in me.

I feel like I've woken up in the wrong body.

I'm not overwhelmed by this (yet), but it is stirring me up a lot, and when I see the psychiatrist again next month, I'm going to need to talk to him about time-scale and whether he's willing to recommend HRT yet.

Quote from: yoxi on April 20, 2011, 02:21:24 PM
As soon as the guy who gets to say I can, says I can .

Seriously, this is building in me in great waves now. I think I said this elsewhere already, but when I first visited this forum, I wasn't really able to empathise with other people's stories about their dysphoria. But in the last couple of weeks, especially since I saw the psychiatrist and therapist (and felt like they and I were taking me seriously), the sense of discomfort and urgency is building up in me.

I feel like I've woken up in the wrong body.

I'm not overwhelmed by this (yet), but it is stirring me up a lot, and when I see the psychiatrist again next month, I'm going to need to talk to him about time-scale and whether he's willing to recommend HRT yet.

You'll probably get a mental reset as soon as you start estrogen- you'll be vaulted right back into your dysphoria being weirdly unique, to muted. This will probably confuse your therapist, it shifts gears and you become dysphoric on different levels, gradually. I can feel it happening as I type.

My mental state is "weird" too, and even though it was similar to some other stories here, I still felt like I was having trouble trying to relate, as you were. Don't worry, as we go through this we can both be misfits, if you like I've followed your story with great interest. If you find yourself coming up against a threshold, don't be afraid to PM me, I get messages at all times no matter where I am (smart phones are so awesome).

Thanks - my therapist worked at Charing Cross in the 70's, so she's probably not so easily confused . I'm grateful for the offer, you may well hear from me - if only to rave about Ursula Le Guin .

We'll see - I used it on 2 spots, and it felt like I imagine a tazer feels, and immediately made the area red and blotchy and sore as hell. Maybe one I've endured some waxing...

Try taking some pain relief half an hour before you need to defur.

Yoxi posted:

Seriously, this is building in me in great waves now. I think I said this elsewhere already, but when I first visited this forum, I wasn't really able to empathise with other people's stories about their dysphoria. But in the last couple of weeks, especially since I saw the psychiatrist and therapist (and felt like they and I were taking me seriously), the sense of discomfort and urgency is building up in me.

I feel like I've woken up in the wrong body.

I'm not overwhelmed by this (yet), but it is stirring me up a lot, and when I see the psychiatrist again next month, I'm going to need to talk to him about time-scale and whether he's willing to recommend HRT yet.

Welcome my sister.

I saw/felt it in your early posts. Possibly why I felt safe to to pm you (not that I have many fears )

Love and Hugs and I wish you a safe journey. You will never walk it alone as long as you are with your sisters.

Love Pandam

Cindy

Quote from: JohnR on April 22, 2011, 04:39:51 AM
Try taking some pain relief half an hour before you need to defur.

Yeah, I'm thinking gin & berry smoothie . I'm not a drinking gal in general, but I have some great organic gin on the premises for medicinal purposes (no, really - I was having to self-catheterise for a while and it really helps!) and it's great with smoothie - plus you can kid yourself that it's healthy .

Quote from: CindyJames on April 22, 2011, 04:52:04 AMWelcome my sister.

I saw/felt it in your early posts. Possibly why I felt safe to to pm you (not that I have many fears )

Love and Hugs and I wish you a safe journey. You will never walk it alone as long as you are with your sisters.

Thanks Cindy, I'm enjoying the ride, but it's kind of fast and twisty at the moment . And I don't think I've ever felt this motivated about anything!

After removing the worst with some cold strip waxing, I've just used the epilator for the first time. Bearable except on my tummy, where I'm very sensitive so it's pretty grim. Effective, though, and seemingly less brutal than the waxing was. I'm such a delicate flower!

It's an amazing feeling having smooth skin, though - and colder when it's cold, cooler when it's hot, a fair trade. It's so strange what turns out to be important. Now I want someone to touch me! (after all, it is spring...)