Venturing out with own hair

[JenniferZ2009]

So I'm headed out. I went to the Walgreens up the street without my fake hair and everything went fine. Going to go a store a little further in a couple minutes and see how things go there Went to a festival yesterday and spent all day without my fake hair so I am feeling positive. If all goes well I may go to work tomorrow with my real hair... I have said that like 5 times though.

Jennifer

[xcdmargo]

Your hair looks great!

Margo

[Starling]

I'd always go out with my real hair, if I could find it.

:) Lallie

[celeste26]

I have a large head and cant find many wigs that fit it. But since I have grown my hair longer (down between my shoulder blades) the choice I have is to make a pony tail or let it hang normally.

[I Am Paula]

Two of my great milestones of transition were tossing the breastforms, and leaving the wig behind. After years of relying on them going natural felt so...natural.

[Rianna Humble]

My first time without my wig should have been filmed fore YouTube - it would have given people a laugh.

I was on my way to work in high-heels, long skirt & wig when a strong gust of wind blew my wig off and along the railway platform. I had to chase after it in 3 in heels, skirt flapping in the wind.

Another lady on the platform was concerned for me, but having a bit of a problem not laughing, so I shared the humour of it with her and we have since become firm friends.

Now, I occasionally wear a wig as a fashion accessory but most often don't. I'm siure your trip to work won't be quite as slapstick as that, though.

[Dianne S]

I am lucky to have long hair, so have never worn a wig. Distressingly, my hair is thinning a bit now so I wear hear extensions to give me bangs. Also, once I no longer need to worry about presenting as male, I plan to have my hair styled properly. I'm sure a good stylist can do all sorts of tricks to disguise slightly thinning hair.

[JenniferZ2009]

I finally went to work without my hairpiece and It went great!!!! I am free of my wig!!! I feel so normal now. I have not needed breastforms for a couple years now but my hair has been another issue. I now feel like I am one step closer to my goal of stealth capable. I pretty much just blend into society now I am starting to feel like. YAY!!!!!!

[arbon]

That is good news! Glad it went well :)

[Rachel Smith]

You look great. I can only wish as my hair is thinner then a 50 year old carpet underneath a revolving door.

[PretzelGirl]

Women have high hairlines. Women have thinning hair. There is a limit to things, but sometimes we limit ourselves when we don't need to. I did buy a wig in the beginning and then grew my hair out immediately and haven't regretted it once. Do what makes you feel the best. It comes down to you feeling comfortable and presenting in a way that makes you happy.

[Algoma]

I have long hair. And went out a couple times with out a wig. I just never felt I looked female enough without the longer wig to hid my jaw and forehead. Algoma

[JenniferZ2009]

So this is another post about my hair. It is a topic of interest for me right now if you have not read my earlier posts. I am still scared people see me and my hair (BTW my hair in the picture is fake) and say oh that is a tranny. I am proven wrong though constantly. When I walked into the Subway at lunch yesterday a teenage girl glanced over at me and then look back at what she was doing like nothing mattered. Her mother then a couple second later did a once over of me and then looked away. I get the same thing at stores walking down the road...everywhere. No one seams to really notice me as someone special that deserves attention. I cant shake this feeling though. I had been wearing my fake hair for about 5 years straight maybe that has something to do with it or I just need more time to adjust and feel confident. I need some wins!

[Jorja]

Just walk in like you own the place. They don't like it, they can just get over it. This is one time where attitude is everything. The more confident you are in yourself the more confident others are going to be.

[I Am Paula]

Any change requires adjustment. Don't worry. You notice every imperfection, real or imagined. The rest of the world is far to absorbed in their own lives to worry about you.
I can usually spot a wig from a mile away. Your natural hair, even if you're not 100% on it, is well...more natural.

[Sue Too]

A lot of what you get with your hair is from its style. GG's have every different looks from a full head of hair to "Boy Cuts' I would suggest you find a stylist that will give you a feminine cut that will fit your face and present hair length. Tell them you want a style that you can maintain yourself. Your pic on your avatar looks very feminine. You have a great foundation to build on. Good Luck

Susan in Phoenix (it's a DRY Heat)

[Starling]

Congratulations to those who have gone natural and love it. Some of us, however, have no choice but to wig it, principally us old ladies who spent what should have been the best years of our lives tearing our hair, rending our garments and gnashing our teeth.

Most of the women in the Transsexual Forum know this stuff already, but there might be a few who just recently found their way.

1) Many women-at-birth wear wigs, because they have thinning hair, are having a bad hair day, want to try a fresh look, or have a religious reason for covering their heads.

2) Some wig styles are more forgiving than others. If you want to blend, don't wear a wig that seems to take forty years off your age, unless you're going to a masquerade party. Any wig that shows the hairline, if it is not a very good wig, will be pretty obvious. You can spend anywhere from ten dollars for a Halloween novelty to thousands on a custom-fitted, hand-tied masterpiece; but you can buy an acceptable monofilament wig for less than a hundred dollars.

3) You have to care for a wig by cleaning, conditioning and storing it properly, or it will deteriorate rapidly. A wig is subject to the same damaging effects of sweat, oil and environmental grit as your own hair, but it lacks your hair's ability to repair and replace itself.

:) Lallie

[mikiSJ]

My father had two hair genes: a lot of body and a great head of grey hair into his mid-90s. I am fortunate to only have gotten the head hair gene. The hair in my avatar is mine, all mine and it is longer now, ever after a couple of stylings.

[Kimberly Kael]

I'm a fan of going as natural as is practical. It's hard to relax when you're worrying about whether your wig is slipping or your breast forms are showing, and either can result in running too hot and sweating excessively which further contributes to anxiety. In the end I think what people notice as much as anything is whether you're comfortable. When you're not, you run the risk of inviting scrutiny from people who wonder why you're nervous.

... but I realize not everyone is blessed with a full head of hair. Others have observed that a little thinning isn't uncommon, especially among older women. Short hairstyles can be really cute, so don't think you need to grow your hair out much to give up the wig. I think your look is great, Jennifer, and your hair is definitely longer than my wife's!

[Melissa Cross]

This thread came at a perfect time for me as I am just starting to grow my hair out. I found a stylist who is going to work with me as it grows out so I can have hair that can be styled on any given day for either male and female presentation.

[Starling]

I'm burning up with envy! I had lots of really pretty hair that loved to be long, when I was younger. At least I have hairless arms and legs...

:) Lallie

[StephanieC]

I'm glad to hear you've taken this step with your hair. This was one of the things important to me when I first started. And yes, I did get some stares initially. But after awhile as things grew out and I had some great haircuts, it turned out great! Yes, there are some people that will see a change but they will soon forget. And yes, there are some you may know that won't like the change and they will make that clear.

But every day, one of my joys is to be able to do my hair. The options are just so many, especially given the right products. And if it gets in the way or tickles too much, a ponytail or bun is so easy.

I hope this goes well for you. I think Jorga has a great point....make it your own!

Good luck!