Hair styles

[Anonymous]

Peta, a switch is just a ponytail thingy that you can clip in , say to a knot that you put in high on your crown and you can get that I Dream of Jeanie ponytail each time. You can get nylon ones in Armidale for $4 or pay $ 100 + for a real hair one.
As for manning up, I mean no offence but the TG journey can be slow or fast , depending on your nature and circumstances but I think that progress, whether it is slow or not is essential to stop one going under with the stress of living as someone you are not. It is up to you to decide the pace and I am sure you will work it out .

As for anyone wanting a GENERAL idea of hairstyles to suit face shape etc, I can only offer an opinion and there are many web sites telling you the best way but any advice is only a general rule. What ” suits” you is dependent on many factors, not just looks. In my Karate days it suited me to shave my head as wet sweaty hair was yucky and I trained often. It also suited me because wigs fit better, no straggles etc My dojo mates did not know about me in those days!
If anyone wants my opinion feel free to contact me.

[Anonymous]

Hi every one ive had long hair most of my adult life but i tried wigs mainly to see what colour would suit me my natural hair colour is a very dark brown with grey through it i found to my surprize that blonde suited me very well so during my transition i went down to my local hair dresser about 8 months ago .So now i have shoulder length blonde hair. i use a alice band to keep it out of my eyes and allso in a poney tail some times
if i go out on a special occasion i have my hair done with curls and waves.I have been told that the older you are the lighter your hair needs to be .Im well used to haveing long hair seeing ive had it most of my life i like the feel of it over my shoulders and plus its thickend up a bit as well

Chrissie xoxo

[Deleted User]

Quote:

Peta, a switch is just a ponytail thingy that you can clip in , say to a knot that you put in high on your crown and you can get that I Dream of Jeanie ponytail each time.

Thankyou for telling me what a “Switch” is.

I actually do not like having a ponytail.
I only wear it that way in male mode as it seems to be more acceptable.

I prefer to wear it down.

Quote:

As for manning up, I mean no offence but the TG journey can be slow or fast , depending on your nature and circumstances but I think that progress, whether it is slow or not is essential to stop one going under with the stress of living as someone you are not. It is up to you to decide the pace and I am sure you will work it out .

I took no offence to this comment

[Anonymous]

Jannine asked whether I believed that hairdressers were more understanding and accepting of Cd/ Tg folk.
Well , like anyone they are variable. I have known some hairdressers who are very racist , homophobic and generally pretty dumb. The industry has more gay members than most others, in fact when I started , it was almost compulsory !! I was first employed as a 16 year old because I was not gay ( so I was told) but my attraction to hairdressing was definitely because I am transgendered , I now realize. The fact that a lot of people thought that I was gay because I was a hairdresser took some getting used to when I was young. having so many gay men in the industry means others do get fairly accepting of difference.
Most hairdressers will be happy to do whatever you want with your hair but if in doubt I would ring before hand and ask. This way they will not embarrass anyone if they don’t want to do it. My hairdresser no longer does setting for instance ( damn!) or many perms so this may be an issue for some. Generally older hairdressers will have seen all sorts in their careers and be more accepting than some airhead 20 year old with little life experience. Find that middle aged motherly type and you will be fine!

[Anonymous]

I’m fairly new to TgR & also the gender diverse community, so I’m reading this thread with interest & curiosity.
My upbringing was bohemian (hippie) & my education, occupation & general interest is heavily tilted toward creativity. Since around age 6 I had very well kept long, straight hair (& around 14, pierced ears). During my later teens until mid thirties my hair styling was ‘creative’ to say the least, you name it I did it. My hair (being my constant companion) was my declaration to the world of my differences – until recently I identified those differences as being a creative, self expressive person – not necessarily gender diverse. Unfortunately, my hair was not as attached to me as I was to it, so I now have either a number 1 cut or shaved head, with wigs when presenting unambiguously feminine. Because my day to day presentation is androgynous, extremely short hair can actually be made to work quite well, especially with a made up face.

Though I agree with all that has been said so far, I would like to add that long hair or androgynous styling can simply be read by others as a message about your personality (beyond gender). Overwhelmingly, my (life) experience is that people do not necessarily assume that long or unusual hair styles equate to representations of your gender, sex or sexuality. I’m not suggesting that ‘alternative’ presentation is accepted by all but I think that for persons wishing to display, declare or live their gender variation part time; that just maybe their focus (& assumptions) about how others perceive them is unnecessarily biased because their focus is gender.

There are very many androgynous hair styles, with the obvious one being long hair but other andro styling includes asymmetrical styles especially when swept across the forehead. It’s quite easy to create an andro effect if you have very short hair on the sides with considerably longer on top (undercut styling).
The real issue is will you be comfortable being seen as unusual or expressive, (rather than gender variant). For ideas on andro styles one only needs to observe pop/rock musicians since the sixties.

With regard to finding ‘understanding’ hairdressers/stylists’, I’m yet to meet one that cares what style you want. The usual issue is whether or not they are any good at their craft.

I know my posts mostly talk about my experiences but that’s really all I can speak confidently about, hope my rambling helps someone.

[Adrian]

Quote:

With regard to finding ‘understanding’ hairdressers/stylists’, I’m yet to meet one that cares what style you want. The usual issue is whether or not they are any good at their craft.

I have been blessed with a healthy head of hair – another possible advantage of being born with a half-tank of testosterone. But for years I had it ‘butchered’ in a barbers. The look made me ‘conform’ and was convenient for wearing a wig.

A few years ago my barber died and I had the trigger to move on. I tried lots of hairdressers but generally they ignored my poorly voiced ideas of what I wanted and cut the hair in a way they had been taught.

Finally, in frustration I decided to “come out”. I dressed so that i couldn’t be confused as a “normal male” and went to a predominately female hair salon in the city. When asked what i wanted i said i wanted a unisex style and wanted the hair to grow.

The result has been a great success – it turned out that not only was the Japanese stylist good at her craft – she also knew how to cut my hair so it too doesn’t cry out as “man” or “woman”. And I get a big smile when I come in for a trim!

[Anonymous]

I’m very interested in this thread as hair styling is of particular interest for me at the moment. Despite being nearly 50, I am blessed with a full set of hair and just a little bit of greying. I find if I don’t cut my hair for several months it becomes quite untidy looking. What I am looking for is a a short-medium feminine hairstyle which can still be acceptable for family, work etc. I am still trying to find the courage to ask a suitable hairdresser of what I’m after. If anyone can recommend a suitable hairdresser in Melbourne (preferably western suburbs or inner Melbourne), I would greatly appreciate it.

[Elizabeth]

Like Amanda-Adrian, I have been blessed, possibly with only a half-tank of testosterone, and only whisps of grey. If I allow the stuff to grow it becomes untidy (as constantly told by my wife). I have yet to encounter a hairdresser who is capable of cutting my hair as I would like it. As already said, they cut as they have been taught, almost a standard short back and sides, Yuk!
I’m still looking whether they are TG friendly or not, so long as they can style, so far no luck.

Liz

[June]

The one thing I find once i get my hair cut to satisfy social norms and my wife’s expectancy of me looking male is that my wig fits much better with short hair.

Now if I could get away with a more androgynous cut I would be maintaining a peaceful home life is always going to be a barrier to this.

[Anonymous]

3 tips
1. Want a funky hair cut look for lorel and GHD posters and GHDs in the window of a salon

2. Want a perm check out the salons with older lady’s running it

3. Just go in ask for what you want they want your money they will give service just don’t start talking about transition cause they might feel uncomfortable cause I would if someone started telling me when I was cutting hair or doing someones nails