Long natural hair or wig?

[Gia]

Hi all!
I was wondering if most of the ladies here enjoy wearing a wig while dressed up or did you let your hair grow long?
This year I have decided to grow my hair but I do not know if it is related to the fact that my crossdressing got ?worse? or not.🧐

[Micki_Finn]

My hair has been long for decades, but I still use a wig. Men tend to have distinctly different hairlines than women and long hair doesn’t really cover that up.

[MonicaPVD]

Hairline is a dead giveaway at this point in my life. Wigs all the way. Mid quality lace ups, always. The cheap stuff is quite Halloween and the expensive stuff is just not worth it to me.

[Rayleen]

Ladies. wig is ok for around the house. but don't always hide hairline when hair is on the gray side like this older girl.

[Robertacd]

have long hair and love it. Sure my hair line is receding but I don't care what anyone says. A wig is just as big if not a bigger tell than a receding hair line.

[Bea_]

I just cut my white hair back to shoulder length from where it was down to my shoulder blades. It's almost always in a pony tail or bun because it's very fine. I'd like to find the right products to get more body so that i could wear it down.

I guess I'd have a little curiosity about what i'd look like in a wig, but since I like my beard and intend to keep it, it'll stay just a curiosity.

[BTWimRobin]

Hi Gia,

I was considering investing in a wig this past April. Kind of a birthday present to myself. Then Covid hit and everything shut down. Since the hair salon's were closed I decided to let my hair grow out and see what happens. It's been about 5 months since I've cut my hair. I probably should visit the hair dresser and have it cleaned up a bit and at least get it out of my eyes. Unfortunately, being a bit of a germ-a-phobe I don't want anyone hovering over and breathing on me.

[susan54]

I wear women's clothes for fun almost all the time we are now in lockdown - always skirts or dresses. I don't wear a wig. My hair is male and there is a bald spot on top. I find wigs uncomfortable and only wear them when I present as a woman in public. I had long hair in the seventies and it was dark and shiny and wavy, so that I was often taken for a woman until I spoke (I am talking about being dressed in normal male clothes). Alas, now my own hair is not only sparse on top, it is grey and shaggy and looks very untidy. It is also too long to wear comfortably under a wig but I will have to do that all day one day next week when I go on a trip as Susan with a GG friend. The wig is the only bit I am not looking forward to.

[NancySue]

It?s wigs for me...more variety, and decisions...short, medium, long, curly, wavy or straight. Since I dress every day, I?ll sometimes change in the afternoon. I still smile when I pass a mirror.

[April Rose]

I have to wear wig now as I am bald on top. Many years ago, early to mid 70's I had a full head of past shoulder length hair that I really liked. But the times changed and I began to find it was an impediment to me in terms of job and certain social situations, so I reluctantly cut it.

When I retired I grew it out again for a few years, bald on top or not, but I began to get a lot of breakage, and my wife hated it, and it just didn't have the look it once had. I threw in the towel and cut it again.

[Natalie5004]

That is a question only you know the answer to.
I grew my hair. It is very fine and Silver not gray. I just had a trim last week, The girl cut the back to match the sides pretty much. I have hair reaching my shoulders and is curling up on the ends because of it.
Ponytails and buns are fun. I wear them all the time. Even Man buns.

I bet a nice longish wig would be great. Where would I place it when it is not on my head? I would need a wall like Moira Rose.

Natalie.

[AllieSF]

Hi all!
I was wondering if most of the ladies here enjoy wearing a wig while dressed up or did you let your hair grow long?
This year I have decided to grow my hair but I do not know if it is related to the fact that my crossdressing got ?worse? or not.��

Gia,

I wore wigs all the time and they more than covered my grayish hair with no problems, ever. Then I decided to let my hair grow out. I stopped wearing wigs when my hair was too long to properly hide/contain my longer gray hair and sometimes caused my wig to move around too much needing constant readjustments. Once I went out a few times that way, it was good bye wigs!! I let my hair get past my shoulders and to a stage where it really needed a trim and a little shaping due to thin , dry, and split ends. I got it dyed at the same time. My hair stylist did undertones using small squares of aluminum foil to separate some of the hairs so that the final product had some lighter streaks (like highlights, but with natural gray hairs). It has worked fabulously for me and my look. I love the way it grows out and just slowly gets lighter all over as the dyed hairs start to fade. So my recommendation is to let your natural hair grow long, assuming you have enough to make it all look good, and then start having it trimmed, shaped and even colored by a good hair stylist.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Allie

PS: Here are some pictures when I when I was still; not full time not out to anyone. I always thought that they must have suspected something, but they never said anything until much later when I came out to them. The one with the red top was my natural hair color at that time (salt and pepper), the one with the aluminum foils at first hair stylist appointment, one with the dyed and trimmed hair at Thanksgiving 2014, and the last one from way back in 2010 wearing the style and color of wig that worked the best for me. In January of this year I had my FFS and my receding hairline is almost non-existent.

[Charlotte Haynes]

I prefer to wear a wig. Even when I had a mop of hair, and grew it out on several occasions, I would still see an obvious man in the mirror. The wigs take me somewhere else.

[Teresa]

Gia,
Real hair is never going to work for me even TSs sometimes have to accept the fact they still need a wig .

Wearing a wig everyday isn't a problem if you choose a good one , my wig is very light and breathable , in fact I'm not aware of wearing one anymore , it's part of my identity which I'm comfortable with .

[Maid_Marion]

Salt and pepper long hair. It is about a foot long, which means I can easily trim the split hairs.

Marion

[Barbara Jo]

I have always hated to wear a wig.. They are so uncomfortable to me.

So, a few years ago I deiced to grow my hair long again..What i mean by"again" is decades ago, I was a bass player in rock bands with long hair.
I also now have straight cut bangs that covers my hairline and that was also not that uncommon back then for males in rock bands. Straight cut bangs can also also be very feminizing.

Now that I appear in public as a female more and more often... with my obviously natural long hair as it is, wearing either a dress ore a skirt, etc, no one gives me a second look.
Being 73 years old helps also.....as older people are expected to do somewhat unusual things at times.
Also males and females tend to look gender neutral in facial features as they get older.

BTW, I tie my hair back in male mode.. and wear my male eye glasses of course. :)

[HollyGreene]

I still have "lockdown hair" so it's the longest it's been since the 70s.
Usually I keep it cut very short so it's easy for me to wear wigs over it. I find my own hair gets very annoying when it gets long, so I keep it short.
I've owned about 6 wigs over the years.
Three of them were pretty cheap and I could never get them to look natural.
The next two were much better quality and once brushed into place, looked quite convincing.
My most recent one is considerably better than any of the others and looks totally natural when on.

[Joyce Swindell]

The picture of me is my hair. I agree with the receding hairline to point. I feel that I have a huge forehead but my wife pointed out how many women also have a large forehead. So that actually makes me feel better. I do have wigs, a couple were pretty expensive. So who knows what the future holds, so I'll be keeping them. But as long as I can grow my hair regular I'll probably not need my wigs anymore but will have them as backup.

[susanmichelle]

I have my natural blond real hair and haven cut it in over three years now it?s down below my bra hooks in the rear. I?m lucky that it?s multicolour natural has like four different colors all mixed together the only thing is I always keep it that way and a natural part in the middle as I?ve always had a widows peak and it covers that aspect of it. My only thing I hate about it is I have like tons of hair at 68 but it?s always baby fine and I have to wash it daily otherwise it looks shabby. Keeping it freshly washed makes it look really full it?s just a tad on the flyaway look too have to use hairspray to keep it tamed down.

[DTelia]

My hair has been long for decades, but I still use a wig. Men tend to have distinctly different hairlines than women and long hair doesn’t really cover that up.

It really depends. Yes, some foreheads and hairlines are a dead giveaway, but not always and like anything else you can work some magic to make it work.

I’ve wanted to grow my hair, my entire life...finally leverage the silver lining of Covid to get it done....it was already “time for a haircut” in January, but now it’s nearly a 12” on top and basically at bob length. My wife braids it and sometimes I wear low pig tails behind the ears. I’m definitely going for it. I’m going as long as I can before the pressure to cut..and when that happens, I’m only getting a trim so people (family/employees/friends) get used to it, and so far it’s working. Success for me will be when I can put it all up into a nice bun (no Halfback stuff) and or awesome pony. I think I’ll be there by end of year :-)

I’ve done wigs...but for me, it’s all about the real deal..I know many can’t do that, so I don’t take it for granted. Then again, I haven’t gone long w/my hair in 45+ yrs, so I feel like I deserve it. My wife and her friends are jealous, and that’s kinda fun too :-)

[bridget thronton]

My hair is usually a chin length bob, I have a wig or two but I do not wear them often

[Krisi]

If you can grow your natural hair out long enough for a female hairstyle and that long hair won't be a problem in your male life, I say go for it.

For me, it's a wig. One of the advantages of a wig is the "disguise" factor. When someone sees a "woman" walking down the street with shoulder length dirty blonde hair, they are less apt to recognize the guy they know with short grey hair.

[Ressie]

Most of us CDs wear wigs. I tried growing my hair a couple of times during the last few years. I gave up at about 5 inches long because it didn't look good, and it was hard to manage.

As a youngster I had hair down to my shoulders that nearly passed for female hair. Now days I can get my shorter hair to look rather fem. Dealing with the wind is the main problem with keeping hair in place. So it's wigs for me.

[wendy]

Years ago I grew out my hair, and it was very long. I eventually found a job more geared towards my career so I took a few steps to look more presentable. Instead of lopping it all off at once, I had a little bit cut off every so often, and when I reached shoulder length it started to look like a woman's bob hairstyle. If you can grow it out, that would be best.

However, now that i am old, my hair is thinning and I can't grow my hair long anymore. So it is wigs all the way now.

[Cheryl T]

There is nothing like having your own hair. Wigs can be a pain. Sometimes too tight, too hot, itchy, they move around, maybe too shiny and unnatural but that being said for many of us it is the reality.
I would LOVE to grow my own hair shoulder length, have it styled into a pretty, feminine hairdo. The reality is my genes said no. There is that male pattern baldness and receding hairline which would scream male to those that saw it.
The flip side is with all my wigs I can change my look to suit my whims. Blonde, or brunette, short or long, left, right or center part. Today am I cute and perky, or mature and sultry. Wigs give us so much flexibility and for those that are not out to friends and family they help disguise us where our natural hair would be what everyone would know us as.

For those that can do it, bless you and I'm so jealous.
For those that can't, I feel your pain ... now where is my blonde pixie wig ...

[Stephanie47]

Due to male pattern baldness it is a wig for me. My natural hair is grey now, so a grey wig works nicely. It is also necessary to complete "my look;" how I would appear as a woman of my age. Having read many of the comments it seems wigs erase any vestiges of male existence. I don't understand some of the comments about male vs female hairlines. Lately, I have seen many women on television with very high hairlines. It's as if those women have accepted a high hairline and do not style it so their hair comes down further on their foreheads. I figure they are accepting themselves.

[Star01]

I had big plans to purchase a wig but the Covid-19 madness and my age have kept me from getting a haircut. I was already shaggy but too busy to get a haircut when they first locked things down back in March so it's getting pretty long. My hair is thin on top but from straight on I still look like I have a pretty full head of hair. I'm not going out in public, that might have happened during a normal year as I was moving in that direction but it feels now like I took two pre-covid steps forward and ten backwards since the virus hit. All of that coincided with starting therapy to sort things out and now realize that is a slow process as well.

Anyways, I'll never pass 100% no matter what I do with my hair so there is no rush to get it right. After all, I'm messy and disheveled as a man so it follows that I'd be the same en femme.

[Gia]

Thanks to everybody for your answers. I am planning to buy a wig soon and see how it will go 🙂

[DTelia]

If you can grow your natural hair out long enough for a female hairstyle and that long hair won't be a problem in your male life, I say go for it.

If I could offer a testimonial of sorts and a boost of confidence to those that want to grow your hair, but fear the negative feedback and stares. Overall, my opinion is that if you have healthy hair, do whatever you?d like with it. And even if it?s thinning or not as thick and healthy, you should still do what you want with it.

I?ve been blessed with a full-head of hair, and I don?t take it for granted. I have gone home crying before after haircuts, and my wife knows how emotional I?ve been about it.

Finally, due to the pandemic, I said ?screw it, I?m doing this.? And guess what...?people don?t care.? Some people make a few comments, especially older men in their 50?s-70?s, I?m not sure why...but think they were heavily influenced by negative aspects of the hippie culture and/or view it as feminine (not in the good way) or not professional. One guy came up to me and said...?When are you cutting your hair?? I honestly didn?t know what to say, so I just told him the truth...?I don?t know. I?ve never had hair longer than my collar, and want to try something new.? I haven?t had a comment from him since and his wife told me to ?go for it.? A few neighbors have given me a look or two, and I smile back, as if everything?s normal.

I used to be so paranoid that someone may ?catch on? to my secret, that having a hair-band, or Bobby-pin (to hold it back on top) may expose my plan...but the only one who has really cared about this is ME. I was worried about my family..especially my father...but he just looked at my mom and said, ?what do you think of DT?s hair?? And she responded with, ?I really like it. It?s different.? My sister who was critical of such things when I was younger said...?if you got it, do it...it?s an asset for you as an older man (I?m in my upper 40?s).

My kids just look at me and smile. The boys have conservative cuts....they don?t really care much...my daughter is the only one that made a comment like ?you look like a girl?, and my boys took it out on her, which was quite funny.

I wear it in male mode 99% of the time, but my wife pulled it forward while we were talking and said, ?Wow, you have a bob!? Ironically, it kind of turned her on. Why?

1. It?s different
2. It?s kinda rebellious
3. She likes that it turns me on...makes me happy
4. She?s proud of me for taking my insecurities head on.

As much as I like it, I?m not stupid and realize I may need to cut it. BUT the plan is to go as long as I can, while maintaining a fairly masculine conservative look. But at some point, accessories and tying up or back, will be required...but I think by the time this happens, it won?t be a big deal to anyone, because they?ll be use to the longer look by then.

Here?s the deal, what matters, is how you treat people. I?m not changing that. And as long as I?m true to who I am, and kind to others, who the hell cares what I do w/my hair. If I do ever cut it, it won?t be much shorter than it is now, which means that during that 1% when I do want to dress it up, I can.

But I plan to provide updates as I go. Right now, I can get two tight small pony/pig tails behind my ears. I?m guessing that in 1.5 - 2 months, most of my hair will go into a ponytail mid way up and that by January I?ll have it all in a pony...if that happens...nirvana.

The only regret I have is not doing this 20 years ago...but in a lot of ways, I don?t regret it. I?ve had a great life, I love my family...I love who I am....and this is just an extension of it.

Wish me luck!!! I gotta get there.

One side story, the girl that does my wife?s nails has told her...don?t let him cut his hair...and every month, she wants an update...?make sure he gets his pony tail!? She doesn?t even know what I want a pony tail...but even if she did...I?m good w/it. The insecurities are breaking down and that?s great.

good luck to all of you hair lovers too. I do have a pretty awesome wig...there are photos of me w/it and the styles I?ve done. My real hair will look the same...but thicker :-)

[Molly Wells]

I have several wigs but have not worn any of them since I started letting my hair grow. It has been about a year and a half since I started letting it grow. At first I got "comments" from a lot of people that I know, including family. My wife is not a fan but has gotten accustomed to it. Today I wear it in a ponytail most days and occasionally just let it down. I will use hair clips around the house but usually put it in the ponytail when I leave.
The other day my wife, daughter and I were talking about family traits and my wife said how my mother always had really nice hair and that I have hair like my mom's. First time she has said anything close to a compliment about it. LOL
I do enjoy it most days but from time to time I think its too much trouble to mess with.
I'm thinking I might get it braided like Willie Nelson soon.
Some day I might cut it, but not today...
Molly

[BTWimRobin]

If I could offer a testimonial of sorts and a boost of confidence to those that want to grow your hair, but fear the negative feedback and stares. Overall, my opinion is that if you have healthy hair, do whatever you?d like with it. And even if it?s thinning or not as thick and healthy, you should still do what you want with it.

I?ve been blessed with a full-head of hair, and I don?t take it for granted. I have gone home crying before after haircuts, and my wife knows how emotional I?ve been about it.

Finally, due to the pandemic, I said ?screw it, I?m doing this.? And guess what...?people don?t care.? Some people make a few comments, especially older men in their 50?s-70?s, I?m not sure why...but think they were heavily influenced by negative aspects of the hippie culture and/or view it as feminine (not in the good way) or not professional. One guy came up to me and said...?When are you cutting your hair?? I honestly didn?t know what to say, so I just told him the truth...?I don?t know. I?ve never had hair longer than my collar, and want to try something new.? I haven?t had a comment from him since and his wife told me to ?go for it.? A few neighbors have given me a look or two, and I smile back, as if everything?s normal.

I used to be so paranoid that someone may ?catch on? to my secret, that having a hair-band, or Bobby-pin (to hold it back on top) may expose my plan...but the only one who has really cared about this is ME. I was worried about my family..especially my father...but he just looked at my mom and said, ?what do you think of DT?s hair?? And she responded with, ?I really like it. It?s different.? My sister who was critical of such things when I was younger said...?if you got it, do it...it?s an asset for you as an older man (I?m in my upper 40?s).

My kids just look at me and smile. The boys have conservative cuts....they don?t really care much...my daughter is the only one that made a comment like ?you look like a girl?, and my boys took it out on her, which was quite funny.

I wear it in male mode 99% of the time, but my wife pulled it forward while we were talking and said, ?Wow, you have a bob!? Ironically, it kind of turned her on. Why?

1. It?s different
2. It?s kinda rebellious
3. She likes that it turns me on...makes me happy
4. She?s proud of me for taking my insecurities head on.

As much as I like it, I?m not stupid and realize I may need to cut it. BUT the plan is to go as long as I can, while maintaining a fairly masculine conservative look. But at some point, accessories and tying up or back, will be required...but I think by the time this happens, it won?t be a big deal to anyone, because they?ll be use to the longer look by then.

Here?s the deal, what matters, is how you treat people. I?m not changing that. And as long as I?m true to who I am, and kind to others, who the hell cares what I do w/my hair. If I do ever cut it, it won?t be much shorter than it is now, which means that during that 1% when I do want to dress it up, I can.

But I plan to provide updates as I go. Right now, I can get two tight small pony/pig tails behind my ears. I?m guessing that in 1.5 - 2 months, most of my hair will go into a ponytail mid way up and that by January I?ll have it all in a pony...if that happens...nirvana.

The only regret I have is not doing this 20 years ago...but in a lot of ways, I don?t regret it. I?ve had a great life, I love my family...I love who I am....and this is just an extension of it.

Wish me luck!!! I gotta get there.

One side story, the girl that does my wife?s nails has told her...don?t let him cut his hair...and every month, she wants an update...?make sure he gets his pony tail!? She doesn?t even know what I want a pony tail...but even if she did...I?m good w/it. The insecurities are breaking down and that?s great.

good luck to all of you hair lovers too. I do have a pretty awesome wig...there are photos of me w/it and the styles I?ve done. My real hair will look the same...but thicker :-)

Well put!

[Maid_Marion]

I find my long hair to be very easy to take care of. It dries very quickly. No more than an hour or two. It has a nice wave to it so I don't have to do much to make it look presentable.

Marion

[Lea]

I would rather have my own hair but it left me decades ago. It is wigs only.

I am envious of those that have their own hair. I would love to be able to not have to use a wig. Even with the air conditioning on they become hot. When I take it off you can feel the heat escape.

I have told my wife that the wig is the most uncomfortable item I wear.

[Jenny22]

My "lock down" hair has never been this long. It's rather full for an old gal. I comb it straight back, and it looks full. But, I'm gonna have some fun with the hold-in-place curlers (with small grabbers) I just ordered, before it gets cut again. My last outing for a pedicure was the only time I didn't wear a wig, and I'll probably do it again. How about I wear the curlers and tie a scarf over everything?

[Vickie_CDTV]

I wear bobby pins in my hair, especially if I am not trying it back, to keep my hair out of my face. I actually had a female clerk mention it to me and ask me about it.. and said it was unusual because it wasn't "very manly". Geez...

[Sometimes Steffi]

I would LOVE to grow my own hair shoulder length, have it styled into a pretty, feminine hairdo. The reality is my genes said no. There is that male pattern baldness and receding hairline which would scream male to those that saw it.

The flip side is with all my wigs I can change my look to suit my whims. Blonde, or brunette, short or long, left, right or center part. Today am I cute and perky, or mature and sultry. Wigs give us so much flexibility and for those that are not out to friends and family they help disguise us where our natural hair would be what everyone would know us as.

For those that can do it, bless you and I'm so jealous.
For those that can't, I feel your pain ... now where is my blonde pixie wig ...

I didn't get into crossdressing seriously enough until I lost most of the hair on the top of my head. Going out and looking girly without a wigs was impossible.

But, with my complexion, I look good in every color from dirty blonde to dark brown. Plus, I look particularly appealing in auburn or red. The only colors that don't look good on me are light blonde and dark black. I decided to get a bunch of inexpensive wigs in various lengths, styles and colors. I decide what I want to wear on a given night out just like I would pick out my dress. What color do I want to be tonight? Because I have a longish face, I don't wear any short or pixie styles. The shortest I have is a long bob and the longest is well down to the middle of my back.

[Brenda Freeman]

I started growing my hair out when I was getting close to retirement. It is long now and I think looks fine. I did keep my wig in case down the road I need it again. I have enjoyed having the longer hair great on windy days.

[Marianne S]

I'm afraid it has to be a wig for me. I'm going bald on top.

Unfortunately my hair has never been right for a woman's head. I did try growing it out decades ago, and had it permed to look thicker. If only I had that deliciously long, thick "rock star" hair! I could have done wonders with it. But no, my hair has always been fine and thin, and never grew very long. Certainly not to my bra hooks, as susanmichelle mentioned. And a woman's hairline is different. I always admired those cute little sprigs of hair that grow down in front of a woman's ears. I wish I had those, but all I've got there is whiskers. So despite its inconveniences, I've had to fall back on a wig to look anywhere near feminine. Oh well!

[Maid_Marion]

And a woman's hairline is different. I always admired those cute little sprigs of hair that grow down in front of a woman's ears. I wish I had those, but all I've got there is whiskers.

I have that. My salt and pepper hair has noticeably thinned in the past decade but the hairline is quite feminine.

Marion

[sometimes_miss]

When I was young, I had long hair. Now that I'm old, it doesn't grow right to be styled in a female way. So it's wigs, now, for me.

[Heisthebride]

I?m lucky enough to have long hair, about shoulder blade length, without much of a receding hairline. At 52 I am starting to show my gray a bit though. When I had shorter hair I wore wigs but they are so darned hot.

Now I usually just style my own hair. I have played with coloring it, semi- permanent color. And I will also use clip in hair pieces for a quick or unique styling option, like a messy bun or an updo of some kind.

[JIJI Xx]

new member, first post, hope I've got the procedure right....

some women have long hair, some short. some women have beautiful hair, some tatty. some women shave their head so they can wear all sorts of wigs, some shave just because. I've had a shaved head for donkeys' anyway, much much longer than I've been TV-ing. at first, when I discovered JIJI (or she discovered me) I wore a variety of wigs, but they came to strike me as a bit silly, so now I still have my shaved head, and wear turbans. as a friend put it: "oh, so you've gone from dizzy blonde to Simone de Beauvoir". LOL

JIJI Xx

[Judy-Somthing]

When I was in my teens long hair was somewhat acceptable maybe due to rock bands so I had hair down to my shoulders, great for cross-dressing.
Now 40 years later I have 15 wigs which makes dressing more interesting!

[alwayshave]

I keep my hair in male mode pretty short, therefore I have a lot of wigs.

[Val_Blackbird]

My natural hair - if I could still grow a full head of it - would be pretty much an afro . . . . . :raisedeyebrow:

So, I have a number of wigs, most of which are some form of brown, but there's a few different colors. Nothing too radical. The most out-there one is a long, wine-red wig that I think I've worn out one time. Purple isn't out-there, right? Eh. Anyhow, I prefer really long ones, despite being as short as I am, but so far they seem to work.

I'm balding badly, but not really sure what I'd do if I wasn't. :strugglin