Growing out your hair and styling.

[julietalyse]

Girls, do you ever try a female hairstyle while in male mode?

So often when I put on my wig I do not feel real. Do admit my wigs are not the best. One of my next expenses will be to get a formal wig fitting from a salon. Till then I hope to continue, at least for a while, letting my hair grow out. I am forced by my wife to cut it once in a while but much of the time I am happy with the length. At two inches the style is still mainly male. From three to four inches the style borders on feminine. At five inches and there after it does appear feminine and am I a happy girl.

Letting my hair grow to these lengths has taught me about hair styling and maintenance a woman must live with. I now wash my hair several times a week. My hair having a natural curl responds nicely to being set in curlers. It is always a happy experience putting my hair in curlers. Daily I can now experience the fun of a hairstyle that compliments me, and looks good out in public. People are surprised at times when they first notice my hair but they generally take it in stride and say nothing. When something is said, it is mostly complimentary.

JulietAlyse

[Tracii G]

Mine is almost on my shoulders after a years worth of growing.
I style mine to some degree but it doesn't hold for long.
I had the UPS delivery lady comment yesterday on my hair and sparkly silver hair band.
As I was signing the little machine thingy she said nice hair band, its really cute and matches your earrings.I just smiled and said thanks.

[Sophie Yang]

I have let my hair grow and it is down to my collar bone. Never really styled it. Unfortunately, it is thinning way too much on top to pass if styled. That said, I have put on a hat and ventured out.

[Michelle M]

Me too. I hate the wigs and threw out all but one. My hair is about 3" now and not long enough yet for styling. I back comb to build some body, and then do my best to hide the MPB.

It's interesting, I get lots of hippy comments now. In the late 70's my hair was shoulder length, and no one cared. But an earring then would have caused a scandal.

[AmyGaleRT]

My hair is down past my shoulders now, nearly to mid-back. I was growing it out long before my fiancee knew about my dressing, because she likes me with long hair.

In male mode, I put it up in a ponytail; as Amy, I tend to just part it in the middle and let it flow loosely, or I use hair accessories such as headbands and barrettes, of which I have many. :)

Just now my fiancee was helping me to combat the frizz that I always get after washing my hair. I looked like Donna Summer until we applied generous amounts of smoothing-and-shining cream. ;)

- Amy

[Beverley Sims]

I quite often do short hairstyles, Leslie Caron style.

[VickysBFF]

JulietAlyse: I have let me hair grow for about 4 years now and it is almost mid-back. I have had it cut and styled in a feminine way about 3 times now to go out but just put it in a ponytail for everyday drab wear.
I also have several wigs and I like being able to go either way. For outdoor activities and everyday wear I can wear my hair down and styled or with a feminine cap. For dressier events I can choose a wig.
I have to say that my wigs feminize me much more than my real hair. Going to a wig store and trying on different colors and styles makes all the difference in the world. My most-used, go-to wig is one that I probably would not have selected just seeing it online or in a catalog but trying it on and seeing how good it looked on me amazed me.
You will be surprised with the results.

[jennifercd]

Hair is one of my favorite things. I have naturally very curly hair, so many women have told me they are jealous of it. I used to go down just above the bra strap when straight or shoulder length when left curly. For some reason I decided to cut it all off at the end of last year and I am in the process of growing it back because I really do miss it a lot. Anyway, when it was longer I would go out of my way to wear my hair differently day to day. I figured what is the point in having long hair if I can't have fun with it. So yea in everyday guy mode I often wore my hair in a feminine style. Everything from tons of natural curls, beachy wavey, super straight with a flat iron, or flipped out or in at the bottom with the flat iron, to straight with only the bottom 3-4 inches curly. I would change my part from side to side or down the middle. Often times I would wear a pair of sun glasses as a sort of head band to keep the hair out of my face. Or I would pull back just the top center portions with sun glasses or just the side with the part tucked behind my ear. If I wasn't going to work or just running to the grocery store I would often wear it in a pony tail, sometimes folded up in a bun with a few strands strategically pulled out. One of my favorite styles was half of my hair in a ponytail and the other half down with the front inch or so pulled out straightened and pulled behind my ear. I loved wearing my hair in female styles in male mode and often got called ma'am or miss from behind. As far as having it styled I got it cut and styles often when it was long, and I often described the cut of a feminine style to the hairdresser who would kind of give a little look for a second then just cut it the way I asked. I never once had a negative comment about the length or style of my hair said to my face. In fact quite the opposite. I got complements almost daily for the different styles.

[JohnH]

I have my hair about 20 cm (8 inches) in length. When I dry my hair I use a round brush to make sure the hair does not curl outwards. I do for the most part dress in drab, but I like to wear an inconspicuous shade of lipstick.

John

[Caroline-Grant]

My hair is as long as it's ever been but it's poofy. Even so I don't know what styling means and I don't know what would look good or what I'd like to have.

[Starr]

I have not cut my hair in almost 5 years.. it is mid back and it is cut in a fem style.. in male mode i wear it up in a high ponytail like girls wear and side sweep the bangs a little... sometimes i leave the bangs straight across my foreheand. i also wear plastic circles that tighten up on my ponytail sometimes.. i have been called mam several times until the person looks me straight in the face.. i have a lady who colors and does my hair about every 4 weeks.. she also waxes my eyebrows for me.. Letting me hair grow was the greatest thing i could have done.. it allows me to be me to dress and go out without feeling like i am hiding behind the wig.. When i dress now it is all me just a little makeup and ladies clothes... I also plan on getting a new ID photo in the next few weeks and will take a very fem look to the DMV to get the photo made..

[Leah Lynn]

My hair was down to my shoulders but it's poofy and hard to keep in place while working outside. I had it cut off a month ago. If it were straight and easily styled, I'd have never cut it, ever!

[NathalieX66]

I get Brazilian hair straightening every couple of months. I usually keep my hair in a pony at work, and I typically wear a plastic C-band, sometimes even at work.

[julietalyse]

Thank you for your comments. It is so enlightening to receive your straight-forward answers. My wife does not appreciate the hair once it gets past 5 inches. We are having our discussions on that matter. Yet I really enjoy the longer hair.

As the hair gets longer I am starting to get more comments and looks, but no negative comments.

Sounds as if some of you are happy with your choice of wigs. To date, for me, wigs have been a disappointment. I pay for the more expensive human hair wigs with still poor results. Have sent some of them back for an exchange. If I were closer to passing maybe they would work for me.

[xcdmargo]

My hair is well past my shoulders and I love it. I often wear it in a high pony tail. My hairdresser is great and is aware of Margo and is great. I often have it colored and permed. My one problem is that like a lot of things not growing up female and having the chance to experiment with friends with make up and hair styles I find it difficult to style my hair. I have dry curlers which seem to work pretty well and I'm experimenting with a curling iron.

margo

[Tracii G]

Parted mine off to one side with a little curve towards the crown today and used a large round brush to add volume.
The side where the par wast I sprayed styling spray to the roots and blew it dry so it swept back over the ears very nicely.
The longer side I did the same thing and it added some nice volume.
Used the same brush and dried an inward curl just below the ears and ended up with some cute waves around the bottom.
I did get ma'am at DQ so I felt I did an ok job with my hair.
I went out to the same club I had my line dance lesson a few weeks ago and the older lady that owns the place asked me to dance with her so I did it was a slow dance too LOL
She said your hair looks great and she grabbed some of it and said wow nice and soft too.
I blushed a bit and the bar girls got a big kick out of that and me dancing with Mom.
I was in 50/50 mode.as well like always.

[PretzelGirl]

Mine is 5-6 inches below the shoulders also. For some of us, it is a component of how we feel. I sometimes am rushed and only straighten mine and other times I will play. I am not very good with the styles, but that doesn't take away the enjoyment of having it long. Thankfully my hair is thick or the thinning on top would be deadly.

[Sara Jessica]

Having one's own long hair is sooooooo overrated.


;)

[StarrOfDelite]

From one of the Sisters with Male Pattern Baldness. I am soooo jealous of you all!

[SilkySuzy]

I have grown my hair out too, over the last 4 years, it's now quite long and is a long way past my shoulders. When I first got it styled the girl in the salon gave me a couple of looks but she was lovely when it finally clicked with her what I was asking for. I must admit I can get lazy with it, so my current style is very easy to live with ( razored ends, varying lengths). I have to wear it in a pigtail in male mode because they style is I guess too obvious if I wear it down. Oh and my GHD hair straightener is my favourite friend!

[Joan_CD]

I have been growing mine and it is just reaching my shoulders. I wear it parted slightly off center but it tends to look messy. We are going to a show this week and I made an appt with my stylist. She said she will clean up the split ends and do something "wispy" on the sides. My last visit I was frustrated and said maybe we should shorten it and she said no way. She said you have been growing it and she thinks we should let it get to a few inches past my shoulders and we can then have some fun with it!

[STACY B]

Having hair is Great ,, I wear mine in all kinds of ways everyday ,,lol,, Check it out ,,,




202065

[julietalyse]

Sounds exciting. Hope your stylist makes you happy. I do feel the same excitement.

[whowhatwhen]

Mine's been growing for almost about 8 months and it hasn't yet reached the base of my neck, I think my last stylist cut too much off.
:(

That being said I've got a new one now and she said to just leave it and only come in for bang trimmings and a touch-up every 4 months.
Other than that I just wash my hair, comb the tangles out, dry, comb, and leave it where it falls.

It probably could be styled into something more feminine with the current length but I have no idea.
The most important thing is it's what I want, and so far I'm loving it.
:)

E:
Not a fan of wigs either, I'm wearing one in my pic but I'd much rather grow my own. :P

[NathalieX66]

I'm about where Stacy is......maybe a few months behind. But it's mine, and I ain't quittin!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathalielandree/8567122226/in/photostream/

[Jennifer in CO]

The longest its been was about 8-10 years ago when it reached terminal length just below my belt (when seated). At that length, there is no styling other than ponytail, regular or French braid. That said, I wouldn't trade it for short hair. As time has passed and it slowly crawls up my back (bra-length when braided now) you can do a few more things with it but still pretty limited. Back when I transitioned in the 80's, styling was a different story then. I kept it right below shoulder length and you could do sooo many things with it.

[Annie M]

I love having long hair! Mine is mid back length ad has been for several years. Though I was pushed in to cutting it many years ago as soon as that restriction was eliminated I let it grow again.
I do straight, curled, braid, pony tail, those spring hair combs, barrettes ( lots of barrettes ), squeegees, bobby pins and hair pins. I think most things I have done in male mode. This week I'm getting a trim to even up my ends and possibly a perm or some color to hide the gray. Love long hair and it does take work.

[boink]

My hair is down to my shoulders, and I've kept it reasonably long all of my adult life. It's a little on the frizzy side so I sometimes have to give it some extra care/product (particularly during the summer) and usually end up straightening it some when I am going out as Kat. In general though I really love having my own natural long hair, and haven't had much of an issue with it since I'm so used to having it, and people are used to seeing me with longer hair.